Wesley coaches
Encyclopedia
Wesley Coaches of Stoke Goldington was a bus operator in Northamptonshire
between 1925 and 1979. It was taken over by York Brothers.
bus, built and modified by Wesley's of Newport Pagnell
, an uncle of the family. Other members of the Wesley family would serve as conductors, drivers and engineers. The Wesley's 'Bluebell' Model T vehicles featured a sliding door on the side, an innovation of the period. These buses served a route between Newport Pagnell and Northampton, as well as places such as Olney railway station and Emberton
. Other services included excursions to places as far away as Skegness
. Around this time, Wesley's owned a fleet of vehicles including a 14 seat 1910 Daimler
, and a 20 seater Crossley
bus.
In the 1930s, Wesley's took delivery of a De Dion-Bouton
24-seater, one of the best and most advanced touring coaches of the period. The Wesley's De Dion was believed to be the first in the area to feature such fittings as a long bonnet, radio and heater. Further additions to the ever increasing fleet included a B.A.T. 20-seater and a series of Guildfords, some featuring a separate cockpit on the front for the driver.
From then on, a sort of standardisation became apparent, and Wesley's began using Crossley coaches with a variety of bodies. One of these was a thirty by eight feet example built by Yeates of Loughborough
, which achieved a transport milestone by being the first coach with no partition between the driver and his passengers, which nowadays is normal practice.
Wesley's services at this time extended far and wide across England
, to places such as Devon and Cornwall, as well as tours starting up across the continent.
Between 1955 and 1963, Wesley's purchased Commer
vehicles such as the TS3, which formed the mainstay of the fleet for many years. These coaches performed well in all types of duty, including touring in Scotland, the West Country, Spain, the French Riviera, Venice, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and Belgium.
Expansion and improvement was achieved wherever possible, including the transfer of the firm's Northampton office to St. Giles' Street, which is more central for the town. The head office has also been moved from Stoke Goldington
, where the vehicles are stabled, to Newport Pagnell.
During the prime years of the 1960s and 1970s the fleet strength averaged between 25 and 30 vehicles. In 1965 small operator R. Coller of North Crawley
was taken over. On occasions vehicles had to be hired from other operators (but never from local rivals) for standby duty, in case a Wesley vehicle broke down or was involved in an accident.
In the late seventies, Wesley's Coach Services engaged in negotiations with York Brothers (Northampton) Ltd of Short Lane, Cogenhoe, Northampton. The negotiations were finalised in May 1979, and York's took over Wesley's interests.
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
between 1925 and 1979. It was taken over by York Brothers.
History
In 1925, Thomas Wesley began operations in a Ford Model TFord Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
bus, built and modified by Wesley's of Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell is a town in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England. It is separated by the M1 motorway from Milton Keynes itself, though part of the same urban area...
, an uncle of the family. Other members of the Wesley family would serve as conductors, drivers and engineers. The Wesley's 'Bluebell' Model T vehicles featured a sliding door on the side, an innovation of the period. These buses served a route between Newport Pagnell and Northampton, as well as places such as Olney railway station and Emberton
Emberton
Emberton is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes, ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire in England. The village is near the border with Northamptonshire, just to the south of Olney and four miles north of Newport Pagnell....
. Other services included excursions to places as far away as Skegness
Skegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
. Around this time, Wesley's owned a fleet of vehicles including a 14 seat 1910 Daimler
Daimler Motor Company
The Daimler Motor Company Limited was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H J Lawson in 1896, which set up its manufacturing base in Coventry. The right to the use of the name Daimler had been purchased simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler Motoren...
, and a 20 seater Crossley
Crossley Motors
Crossley Motors was a British motor vehicle manufacturer based in Manchester, England. They produced approximately 19,000 high quality cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958 and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945.Crossley Brothers, originally...
bus.
In the 1930s, Wesley's took delivery of a De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1932. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton and his brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux....
24-seater, one of the best and most advanced touring coaches of the period. The Wesley's De Dion was believed to be the first in the area to feature such fittings as a long bonnet, radio and heater. Further additions to the ever increasing fleet included a B.A.T. 20-seater and a series of Guildfords, some featuring a separate cockpit on the front for the driver.
From then on, a sort of standardisation became apparent, and Wesley's began using Crossley coaches with a variety of bodies. One of these was a thirty by eight feet example built by Yeates of Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, which achieved a transport milestone by being the first coach with no partition between the driver and his passengers, which nowadays is normal practice.
Wesley's services at this time extended far and wide across England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, to places such as Devon and Cornwall, as well as tours starting up across the continent.
Between 1955 and 1963, Wesley's purchased Commer
Commer
Commer became known in later years as a maker of vans for the British Post Office—particularly the Commer FC which was introduced in 1960 with many body styles, including a 1500 cc van. After engine and interior upgrades it was renamed the PB in 1967 and the SpaceVan in 1974...
vehicles such as the TS3, which formed the mainstay of the fleet for many years. These coaches performed well in all types of duty, including touring in Scotland, the West Country, Spain, the French Riviera, Venice, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and Belgium.
Expansion and improvement was achieved wherever possible, including the transfer of the firm's Northampton office to St. Giles' Street, which is more central for the town. The head office has also been moved from Stoke Goldington
Stoke Goldington
Stoke Goldington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes and ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about four miles NNW of Newport Pagnell, on the B526, the old road to Northampton....
, where the vehicles are stabled, to Newport Pagnell.
During the prime years of the 1960s and 1970s the fleet strength averaged between 25 and 30 vehicles. In 1965 small operator R. Coller of North Crawley
North Crawley
North Crawley is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes and ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located near the border with Bedfordshire, about three and a half miles east of Newport Pagnell....
was taken over. On occasions vehicles had to be hired from other operators (but never from local rivals) for standby duty, in case a Wesley vehicle broke down or was involved in an accident.
In the late seventies, Wesley's Coach Services engaged in negotiations with York Brothers (Northampton) Ltd of Short Lane, Cogenhoe, Northampton. The negotiations were finalised in May 1979, and York's took over Wesley's interests.