Hedingham Omnibuses
Encyclopedia
Hedingham Omnibuses is an Essex bus
company founded by Aubrey Ernest Letch shortly after serving in World War I
, with his parents' help and trading under his own name. It started as a coach hire company, but gradually expanded as Letch started running bus services to Braintree
and Sudbury
on their market days of Wednesday and Thursday respectively. He then bought a competing business from P W Finch of Castle Hedingham
in March 1935. This allowed Letch to take over the Monday to Saturday workers' service to Braintree. In the last 1950s, he further expanded the business with routes to Gestingthorpe
, Pebmarsh
and Halstead
.
In early 1960, Letch retired due to ill health and sold his company, which was renamed Hedingham and District Omnibuses. Since then company has grown by acquiring other companies, including Blackwells of Earls Colne
, C & R Coach of Little Tey
, Jennings of Ashen
, Kemps Coaches of Clacton-on-Sea
, W Norfolk and Sons of Nayland
, Wents of Boxford
, Freemans Coaches and G W Osborne of Tollesbury
.
Services operated as at 31st August 2010 (excluding most school contracts):
ECC - Essex County Council Contract
HD (Hedingham):
CN (Clacton):
HW (Harwich):
KN (Kelvedon):
SY (Sudbury):
TY (Tollesbury):
giving priority to wheelchair users. The bus driver refused to get involved and enforce the Act, so the disabled man had to wait half an hour for the next bus. The company responded by saying that they would put up posters from Essex County Council telling passengers to give up the wheelchair space to disabled people.
in the 2009 Doctor Who
Easter special, Planet of the Dead
. The original livery
can be seen in the accompanying behind-the-scenes special Doctor Who Confidential
: Desert Storm.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
company founded by Aubrey Ernest Letch shortly after serving in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, with his parents' help and trading under his own name. It started as a coach hire company, but gradually expanded as Letch started running bus services to Braintree
Braintree, Essex
Braintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
and Sudbury
Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
on their market days of Wednesday and Thursday respectively. He then bought a competing business from P W Finch of Castle Hedingham
Castle Hedingham
Castle Hedingham is a small village in northeast Essex, England, located four miles west of Halstead and is situated in the Colne Valley on the ancient road from Colchester, Essex, to Cambridge....
in March 1935. This allowed Letch to take over the Monday to Saturday workers' service to Braintree. In the last 1950s, he further expanded the business with routes to Gestingthorpe
Gestingthorpe
Gestingthorpe is a village and a civil parish in the Braintree District, in the English county of Essex. It is approximately halfway between the town of Halstead in Essex and Sudbury in Suffolk. The nearest railway station is in Sudbury, which offers a shuttle service to Marks Tey and at the...
, Pebmarsh
Pebmarsh
Pebmarsh is a small village and a civil parish the Braintree district, in Essex, England. It is situated to the north east of Halstead close to the A131.- External links :*****...
and Halstead
Halstead
Halstead is a town and civil parish located in Braintree District of Essex, England, near Colchester and Sudbury. It has a population of 11,053. The town is situated in the Colne Valley, and originally developed on the hill to the north of the river...
.
In early 1960, Letch retired due to ill health and sold his company, which was renamed Hedingham and District Omnibuses. Since then company has grown by acquiring other companies, including Blackwells of Earls Colne
Earls Colne
Earls Colne is a village in Essex, England named after the River Colne, on which it stands, and the Earls of Oxford who held the manor of Earls Colne from before 1086 to 1703.-Manor of Earls Colne:...
, C & R Coach of Little Tey
Little Tey
Little Tey is a village near the villages of Marks Tey and Great Tey in the Colchester District of Essex, England, located approximately six miles west of Colchester.- Location :...
, Jennings of Ashen
Ashen, Essex
Ashen is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It is located about east-southeast of Haverhill and is north from the county town of Chelmsford. The village lies to the south of the River Stour, which here forms the county boundary with Suffolk. The village is in the district of Braintree...
, Kemps Coaches of Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
, W Norfolk and Sons of Nayland
Nayland
Nayland is a village in the Stour Valley on the Suffolk side of the border between Suffolk and Essex in England.-History:From an article by Rosemary Knox, Wissington...
, Wents of Boxford
Boxford, Suffolk
Boxford is a large village and a civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England. Located around six miles east of Sudbury straddling the River Box and skirted by the Holbrook, in 2005 it had a population of 1,270.-History:...
, Freemans Coaches and G W Osborne of Tollesbury
Tollesbury
Tollesbury is a village in England, located on the Essex coast at the mouth of the River Blackwater. It is situated nine miles east of the historic port of Maldon and twelve miles south of Colchester....
.
Services
Hedingham operates coach hire, commercial services, school services and council contracts. Timetables for their services can be found on Traveline South East.Services operated as at 31st August 2010 (excluding most school contracts):
- 1: Ashen - Sudbury (Thursdays)
- 2: Mistley - Manningtree - Tendring - Weeley - Clacton (Monday - Saturday) ECC
- 3: Colchester Town Service: Town Centre - Bridgebrook - Longridge Park - Hythe (Monday - Friday)
- 4: Colchester Town Service: Stanway (Medical Centre) - Westlands - Home Farm - Prettygate - Town Centre (Monday - Friday)
- 5: Sible Hedingham - Castle Hedingham - Sudbury (Thursdays) ECC
- 7: Stambourne - Gestingthorpe - Halstead (Tuesdays) ECC
- 8: Toppesfield - Stambourne - Steeple Bumpstead - Haverhill (Fridays) ECC
- 9: Walton - Frinton - Kirby Cross - Great Holland (Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays) ECC
- 10: Cornish Hall End - Stambourne - Braintree (Wednesdays)
- 14: Tiptree - Great Totham - Heybridge - Maldon - Chelmsford (Fridays)
- 16, Colchester Town Service: Old Heath (Speedwell Road) - St. Helena School (Schooldays) ECC
- 17: West Bergholt - Stanway Secondary School (Schooldays) ECC
- 23: Steeple Bumpstead - Braintree (Wednesdays) ECC
- 50: Malting Green - Layer de la Haye - Colchester (Monday - Friday) Part ECC.To Network Colchester, 8/11.
- 50A/B/C: Tollesbury - Layer de la Haye - Colchester (Monday - Friday)
- 73A: Maldon (Lower Plume School) - Heybridge Basin (Schooldays) ECC
- 80: Fordham - Colchester - Boxted (Monday - Friday)
- 85: Brightlingsea - Great Bentley - Mistley (Wednesdays) ECC
- 86: Aingers Green - Great Bentley Rail Station - Colchester (Wednesdays) ECC
- 88: Colchester - Earls Colne - Halstead (Monday - Saturday)
- 89: Braintree - Halstead - Hedinghams - Great Yeldham (Monday - Friday)
- 89B: Halstead - Hedinghams - Great Yeldham - Ashen - Haverhill (Fridays)
- 91/A: Witham - Kelvedon - Tiptree - Tollesbury (Monday - Fridays)
- 92: Tollesbury - Birch - Colchester (Monday - Friday)
- 95: Maldon - Heybridge - Tollesbury (Monday - Friday)
- 129: Ramsey - Harwich - The Oakleys - Stones Green - Beaumont - Clacton (Tuesdays)
- 131: Clacton Town Service Jaywick (Sheldrake) - Town Centre (Pier Ave) - Tudor Estate - Jaywick(Sheldrake) (Monday - Friday)
- 134: Clacton Town Service Holland Haven - Roaring Donkey - Town Centre (Pier Ave) - Sea Front - Holland Haven (Monday - Friday)
- 135: Clacton Town Service Great Clacton - Town Centre (Pier Ave) - Coppins Green - Constable Avenue - Retail Park - Great Clacton (Monday - Friday)
- 136: Clacton Town Service Brook Retail Park - Bishops Park College - Jaywick (Tower Camp) - Tudor Estate - Great Clacton - Brook Retail Park (Monday - Friday). Withdrawn from 4/4/11.
- 137: Clacton Town Service Town Centre (Jackson Road) - Burrsville Park - Shopping Village - Retail Park - Town Centre (Daily)
- 139: Clacton Town Service Brook Retail Park - Burcart Corner - Pier Avenue - Magdalen Green - Brook Retail Park (Monday - Friday)
- 176: East Mersea - West Mersea - Great Wigborough - Layer - Stanway - Colchester Town Centre - Highwoods (Mondays)
- 323: Greenstead Green - Earls Colne - Pebmarsh - Lamarsh - Middleton - Sudbury (Thursdays)ECC
- 417: Rayne - Stebbing - Great Bardfield - Finchingfield - Radwinter - Saffron Walden - Newport Grammar School (Schooldays) ECC
- 418: Great Saling - Great Bardfield - Finchingfield - Radwinter - Saffron Walden - Newport Grammar School (Schooldays) ECC
- 419: Finchingfield - Sampford - Radwinter - Saffron Walden - Newport (Schooldays) ECC
- 702: Clare Middle School - Glemsford - Sudbury Upper School (Schooldays).Ceased after 22/7/11.
- 706: Lavenham - Sudbury (Schooldays). Ceased after 22/7/11.
- X16: Chappel - Coggeshall - Halstead - Bury St Edmunds (Wednesdays)
ECC - Essex County Council Contract
Depots
The company's depot codes and locations are:HD (Hedingham):
- Wethersfield Road, Sible HedinghamSible HedinghamSible Hedingham is a large village and civil parish in the Colne Valley in Braintree District of Essex, in England. It has a population of 3,665....
CN (Clacton):
- Stephenson Road, Gorse Lane Industrial Estate, Clacton
- Brunel Road, Gorse Lane Industrial Estate, Clacton (workshop)
HW (Harwich):
- Iconfield site, Parkeston, HarwichHarwichHarwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
- outstation of CN
KN (Kelvedon):
- Unit 8, 215-7 High Street, KelvedonKelvedonKelvedon is a village and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex in England, near to the town of Witham. It has a population of 3,485.-Origins:...
- Church Lane, Little Tey - outstation of KN
SY (Sudbury):
- Meekings Road, Chilton Industrial Estate, Sudbury, SuffolkSudbury, SuffolkSudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
TY (Tollesbury):
- 62 New Road, TollesburyTollesburyTollesbury is a village in England, located on the Essex coast at the mouth of the River Blackwater. It is situated nine miles east of the historic port of Maldon and twelve miles south of Colchester....
Liveries
Hedingham Omnibuses' standard livery is cream with red relief, previously being blue and cream.Disability incidents
Hedingham Omnibuses has been criticised three times for incidents involving disabled people. In 2007 and February 2008, its drivers were criticised by Tendring Community Transport for leaving their vehicles unattended in special bus stops in Station Road and Pier Avenue in Clacton meant for services for disabled and vulnerable people, blocking designated services from using the stop. In September 2008, a disabled man was unable to board a bus as the wheelchair area was full with buggies. The mothers refused to fold their buggies to let the man on board the bus, despite the Disability Discrimination Act 2005Disability Discrimination Act 2005
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Section 20 - Short title, interpretation, commencement and extent:The following orders have been made under section 20:*...
giving priority to wheelchair users. The bus driver refused to get involved and enforce the Act, so the disabled man had to wait half an hour for the next bus. The company responded by saying that they would put up posters from Essex County Council telling passengers to give up the wheelchair space to disabled people.
Doctor Who
Two former Hedingham Omnibuses (Bristol VRTs RUA 461W, HJB 455W) masqueraded as London BusesLondon Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
in the 2009 Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
Easter special, Planet of the Dead
Planet of the Dead
"Planet of the Dead" is the first 2009 special of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was simultaneously broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 11 April 2009. It was the second of five special episodes broadcast throughout 2009 and early 2010, which served as lead actor...
. The original livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
can be seen in the accompanying behind-the-scenes special Doctor Who Confidential
Doctor Who Confidential
Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly...
: Desert Storm.