Login   |   Register   |   
Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan



Wigan Album

Ribble Buses

7 Comments

W.C.Standerwick
W.C.Standerwick
Photo: Ray Smyth
Views: 2,866
Item #: 30300
W.C.Standerwick, Based at Blackpool and Colne
were part of Ribble Motor Services. From 1960
until the early 1970s, this type of double deck
coach would appear at the bus station at Hope St
Wigan, and pick up passengers for London and other towns and cities on its journey south.

Comment by: Mick on 18th March 2018 at 00:23

Caught one of these to London in the 60s, I remember we went past Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, stopped in Stafford, Birmingham and Coventry

Comment by: Poet on 18th March 2018 at 09:54

This looks like the old Chorley bus station.

Comment by: Alan Wright on 18th March 2018 at 10:11

My dad took my brother and me down to London on a Standerwick's bus for our first RL Wembley final in 1965. We left the bus station at Market Square around midnight. Long journey back then!

Comment by: Ray Smyth on 18th March 2018 at 11:54

Alan Wright,Yes Alan, it was a long journey. The Standerwick
coach started its journey in Blackpool,called at St Annes,
Lytham, Preston, Chorley, Wigan, Warrington, Stoke on Trent,
Stafford, Birmingham, Coventry, then on down to Victoria Coach Station in London. Your night trip to London was timed
to leave Hope Street, Wigan at 5 minutes past midnight.
By the time the coach arrived at Digbeth Street Coach Station in Birmingham, the driver would have been at the wheel for nearly 4 hours so a legally required rest break
would be taken. At the rear of the coach was a small snack
servery, where the coach hostess would provide sandwiches
and hot and cold drinks. There was also a little toilet at
the rear. These double deck coaches were officially called
"Gay Hostess". Picture to follow soon. Ray.

Comment by: Rev David Long on 18th March 2018 at 14:04

Flickr has this pic (and the one of the Ribble bus posted a few days ago) - the caption there says, Poet, that the scene is Victoria Coach Station. If you look closely, you can see that the coach to the left is East Kent.

Comment by: Alan on 18th March 2018 at 18:19

Many thanks, Ray. Makes me tired just reading your list of all the stops! Mind you, I think we slept most of the way! Worth it though after witnessing one of the greatest RL finals ever!

Comment by: Carolean on 19th March 2018 at 19:06

I have a great memory of this bus and of the times we then lived in. In 1969 I was in the 6th form at WGS taking A levels. I was 16 at the time because if you had enough O levels you could "skip" the 5th Form and my birthday was not until the end of June. In the Spring of that year I was invited for an interview (my first) at the University of Sussex. I was the first person in our family to ever be able to go to University and as a working class family in Scholes we did not have much money to spare. My interview was about 10am. I caught the 5 past midnight bus to London Victoria,walked across the road to Victoria Rail station and caught an early train to Brighton and then a local stopping service to Falmer where the University is. The interviewer's first question was to ask me how I had got there and he was "gobsmacked" when I told him.

The point was that I did this (and all the other interview trips) all by myself and by public transport. The same goes for all my friends at the time since our parents - even if they owned a car - would be at work on a weekday. Today the entire family seem to go off in a road trip to accompany their kids to interviews. I'm sure that we actually had a much better experience then since we had to mature and grow up and take responsibility for our won futures.

Leave a comment?

* Enter the 5 digit code to the right of the input box. Don't worry if you make a mistake, you will get another chance. Your comments won't be lost.