The first Cat and Fiddle photo would be at some time between 1913 and 1923. The second picture is probably late 1920's or early 1930's judging by the bus. 

 Thomas Tilling was a major player in the development of bus services in England.  They had numerous bases around the country including a large presence in London. They were a larger company than British Automobile Traction.

Non urban bus services have always been in the hands of a few large companies. This was certainly the case after nationalisation. The later break up of the National Bus Company and deregulation has resulted in a similar situation.

Tilling and B A T although competitors, tended to co-operate with each other.  In 1923, they launched a jointly owned company, the North Western Road Car Company, each holding a 50% share. The assets of the Macclesfield operation of B A T were transferred to the new company including 50 buses and 22 routes. In 1924 it was decided to move the head office from Macclesfield to a newly built base at Charles Street in Stockport.

At first there were restrictions imposed by Manchester Corporation who wanted to protect their tramway system from competition. North Western and other companies were only able to operate as far as the Manchester tram terminii, probably Lloyd Road for bus services from this direction. Eventually agreement was reached allowing through services into Manchester although North Western were not allowed to retain any revenue earned within Manchester, it all had to be passed on the the Corporation.

parabuild attached the following image(s):

In 1906 the Manchester District Motor Omnibus Company Limited was formed by a group of London businessmen. The company office was in John Dalton Street and the garage in Trafford Park.

In March of that year they ran a series of free public demonstration trips from Albert Square.

 The first services were in Chorlton cum Hardy, Didsbury and Withington, Stretford, Cheadle and Alderley. These were prosperous areas and the residents didn't like the sight of motor buses on their quiet residential streets and soon caused problems. By 1906 services ceased and the company went into voluntary liquidation.

Manchester District did not operate a service through Furness Vale so the bus in this photo is probably on an excursion. It is obviously posed for the cameraman and as with the previous photograph, is on the wrong side of the road perhaps to take advantage of the light.

The bus is probably a Milnes Daimler. In the nineteen hundreds this was the most popular manufacturer of motor buses and by 1907 over 600 were in service; the double deck model having been introduced in 1902.

parabuild attached the following image(s):

The North Western Road Car Company was to expand quickly. 1923 saw new routes between Glossop and Marple Bridge, Stockport and Denton and Stockport and Mellor.  In the following year services were introduced in the Saddleworth area to be followed over the next few years by expansion in the Oldham area including the opening of a depot in Crofton Street, Oldham. Also in 1924, North Western took over the operations of The Mid-Cheshire Motor Bus Company of Northwich and in 1926 Altrincham and District Motor Services was absorbed. Garages continued to operate in those towns until the break up of North Western.

1927 saw the abandonment of tramway operations in both Glossop and Matlock.  These were replaced by North Western who introduced bus services which wer later expanded around those towns.  By the end of that year more than 200 buses were in operation over 80 routes.

Edited by user 29 May 2012 21:39:24(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

parabuild attached the following image(s):

An Artful Trick

The other day, as one of the coaches which plies between Buxton and Manchester was ascending the hill near Taxal, the coachman was accosted by an Irish woman with a child in her arms, requesting him to "give her a ride". He replied, "that the proprietors employed him to receive fares, not to give rides." upon which she, pretending to find her pocket among the folds of her ragged dress said, "Sure and have you change for a sovereign?". The coachman, elated with the prospect of receiving his short fare, ordered her to get on and he would furnish the change at Buxton. On arrival at the destination, the woman alighted and was proceeding apace without producing the coloured material, when the coachman, in a stentorian voice exclaimed, "Hallo, you have not paid your fare."  "Fare do you mean, sir, sure and I have only a penny in my pocket." "Then why did you ask me for change?" replied the coachman. "Sure and it was the change that I wanted; the devil of a sovereign had I." The coachman, much chagrined at the loss of his anticipated fare, at the request of a passenger, alloed the woman for her craft, to proceed on her journey.

The Blackburn Standard 3rd December 1845


 

Edited by user 15 June 2012 08:53:20(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

oldtimer attached the following image(s):

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Manchester Corporation operated a monopoly of road services and refused to licence any competing bus services within the City boundaries.  The general strike of 1926 effectively broke the monopoly. As rreplacements for strikebound railways and tramways, a number of small independent operators offered buses to the City from the suburbs. As they sold return tickets and did not pick up passengers within Manchester they did not require a licence from the Corporation.  Although the strike was soon to end, these competitors now had a foothold.  Manchester was forced to set up joint service agreements with other corporations such as Stockport, Oldham, S.H.M.D. Bury and Bolton. By late 1927 these joint services were in operation and similar arrangements were agreed with North Western and Ribble.   In the case of these companies, revenue earned within Manchester had to be paid in full to the Corporation.

North Western and Ribble now invested £12500 each to purchase a Manchester site for their new joint bus station.  This was close to Central Station at the southern end of Lower Mosley Street. The Bridgewater Hall now occupies part of the site.  The bus station, at first just an open tract of land opened in April 1928. The Buxton and Hayfield services, routes 27 and 28 respectively were extended to the City from that date.

It was November 1969 when SELNEC came into being, having taken over the bus operations of eleven municipalities. Much of North Western's route network was on 1st March 1972, taken over by SELNEC. It was not considered that the remaining part of the company could remain viable.  The garages at Northwich, Biddulph and Macclesfield were transferred to the National Bus Company subsidiary Crosville, the Buxton and Matlock garages to Trent. 

The bus garage in Buxton was on Charles Street. The site is now occupied by Aldi.  When the garage closed, operations were transferred to Dove Holes.

Below : same North Western colours, new identity  - Buxton Market Place November 1973.

Edited by user 01 September 2012 20:56:27(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

parabuild attached the following image(s):

A North Western coach arrives at the Jodrell Arms.

parabuild attached the following image(s):

Thanks for the pictures of North Western buses, Parabuild. They jogged a few memories for me, especially the one of Lower Moseley St.

Do you know when the last two were taken? They don't look like the normal no.27 Buxton-Manchester service buses, and I can't ever remember seeing a bus on the station approach in front of the Jodrell.

Edited by user 06 September 2012 21:08:44(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified