History

William Birch started running horse-drawn cab

Hansom cab

The hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn cart designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York. The vehicle was developed and tested by Hansom in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. Originally called the Hansom safety cab, it was designed to combine speed with safety, with a low...

s in London in 1837. After his death in 1846 his widow, Elizabeth, contitook over the business and in 1847 extended it to include the running of omnibuses, operating a service between Pimlico

Pimlico

Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster. Like Belgravia, to which it was built as a southern extension, Pimlico is known for its grand garden squares and impressive Regency architecture....

 and Mansion House

Mansion House, London

Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London in London, England. It is used for some of the City of London's official functions, including an annual dinner, hosted by the Lord Mayor, at which the Chancellor of the Exchequer customarily gives a speech – his...

. The company was divided between her two sons on her death in 1874. Four years later the two sons parted company and ran separate businesses, John Manley operating buses and mail vans (having obtained a substantial contract with the Post Office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

), and William Samuel operating buses and cabs. In 1885 William Samuel's son, William Henry, joined his father, but thirteen years later started his own omnibus business.

In 1887, John Manley inaugurated the London–Brighton

Brighton

Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...

 horse drawn night parcel mail and in 1891 the London–Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

 mail which was operated until 1908. In 1889 the two brothers again joined forces and formed the private company of Birch Bros., Limited. By 1907 the company was operating 16 motor omnibuses, but a series of problems led to the company's withdrawal from the venture. As a result of fierce competition by motor buses, horse bus operation ceased in 1912.

In 1919 Birch commenced operating coaches on "See Britain" tours and in 1925 re-entered the London omnibus business. This continued until 1933, when the London Passenger Transport Act was passed, resulting in the compulsory acquisition of the company's 30 buses by the London Passenger Transport Board

London Passenger Transport Board

The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1933 to 1948...

.

Birch launched a service between London, Hitchin

Hitchin

Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...

 and Bedford

Bedford

Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...

 in 1928, extending to Rushden

Rushden

Rushden is a town and civil parish in the county of Northamptonshire, England.The parish of Rushden covers an area of some and is part of the district of East Northamptonshire. The population of Rushden was estimated at around 28,368, making it the fifth largest town in the county...

 in 1929. The company built a garage and bus station at Rushden in 1937. In 1938 the company purchased a number of existing operators running services in Bedford, Henlow

Henlow

Henlow is a village and civil parish in the district of Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England.RAF Henlow, is located nearby, but is in fact nearer to the village of Stondon...

, Hitchin and Luton

Luton

Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....

, with another garage at Henlow Camp built in the same year. In 1952 the company pioneered the operation of the first diesel-engined taxicab, converting all of its vehicles to diesel engines within a year; by 1956, the Company had converted over 1,250 cabs owned by other London operators.

On 2 November 1959, the company operated the first regular service journey from London on the new M1 Motorway

M1 motorway

The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...

. The new route, numbered 203M, linked the city with Bedford and Rushden.

The two remaining coach routes were given up to United Counties Omnibus

United Counties Omnibus

United Counties Omnibus is an English bus company, operating in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and parts of surrounding counties. It was established in 1921 as the United Counties Omnibus & Road Transport Co Ltd, and from 1933 has been named the United Counties Omnibus Company Ltd...

in September 1969. The coach hire business was retained until 1971, when it was sold to George Ewer Ltd., and Birch Brothers closed down.

Routes

Number	Towns	Service
203	London - Welwyn - Hitchin - Bedford - Rushden	Daily
203M	London - M1 Motorway - Bedford - Rushden	Daily
204	Hitchin - Whitwell - Welwyn	Daily except Sunday
205	Welwyn - Kimpton - Luton	Daily
206	Whitwell - Luton	Thursday, Saturday and Sunday only
	Welwyn - Whitwell - Luton	Saturday and Sunday only
209	Henlow Camp - Holwell - Hitchin	Daily
210	Harrold - Odell - Sharnbrook - Rushden	Weekdays only
211	Harrold - Carlton - Pavenham - Bedford	Daily
212	Henlow Camp - Gravenhurst - Shillington - Luton	Daily
213	Gravenhurst - Campton - Shefford - Bedford	Saturdays only
215	Luton - Kimpton - Knebworth - Stevenage	Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays only
225	Hitchin - Henlow - Gravenhurst	Tuesdays only
	Hitchin - Henlow - Shillington	Saturdays only

External links

• Birch Brothers Limited: 1899-1971 by Peter Gould
• Green Line: the history of London’s country bus services by Albert William McCall
• Birch Bros Ltd by Peter Roberts
• Birch Bros – The Rushden Connection by Jacky Lawrence, Rushden & District History Society Research Group
• Photo of Birch Bros 45AUW at St Ippolyts by Nigel Hall