The Country Area Garages

If we go back to the origins of organised bus services around London, the LGOC played a major part by setting up operating agreements with the National and East Surrey companies. Strangely, the LGOC provided vehicles and premises in exchange for a fixed proportion of the revenue from the operator. From this arises the assumption that Hitchin Garage was built by the LGOC, but the truth is much more strange. A period of litigation commenced on 24th November 1920 between the Hitchin Urban District Council and local residents with a petition protesting about the long standing of buses in the old pig market. The matter continued to fester until the following year, when the fumes and noise prompted further protests. In June 1921, the Council clerk was instructed to tell the culprits to find a proper garage without delay and ‘cease the annoyance’. Vehicles were subsequently stabled at Prime’s Garage in Queen Street, where space was rented in a large shed to the rear of the road-frontage, and later at Deamer’s Yard. Eastern National built their own garage in Fishponds Road between 1937 and 1939, still in operation today.

That this arrangement was not satisfactory is no suprise, and it is clear that attempts were made to find alternative premises, especially as the motor trade carried on by Prime's was expanding. Another local motor business, R.E.Sanders had a works built in Walsworth Road near to the railway station in 1906, after their takeover of the business of Odell the carriage makers, who were originally in Bridge Street. The Bridge Street premises were very cramped and permission was sought to build a new garage and showroom at the junction of Hitchin Hill and Bridge Street, opposite the 'Triangle', a wide junction with an enclosure of trees at the centre. Ironically, the building on the opposite corner was demolished after being forcibly entered by a skidding bus that did not make the turn into Queen Street from an icy Hitchin Hill.

A small business premises, J.Williams & Sons, Iron and Metal Merchants was acquired by Sanders in December 1925, and in February 1928 a planning application was made for a motor garage on the site. We do not know exactly what transpired after the building of the garage, but there is a fine picture in the LT Museum collection showing Queen Street Garage (Prime's) in 1932. On 26th August 1933 a tenancy agreement was made between the newly-formed LPTB and Sanders at the rate of £225 per year. Another archive picture shows a Green Line AEC T type vehicle under repair inside the Bridge Street, apparently in 1936. The tenancy continued until 19th October 1953 when the British Transport Commission purchased the site for £11400. The building was small, however and use was made of open standing at the rear of a building known as the Maltings further up Bridge Street on the opposite side of the road, which fell down during demolition. The police were far from happy about the vehicles reversing in against the traffic. The great advantage was that double deckers could be stored here, unlike the low garage. Many pictures have been published of vehicles in this yard.

The first vehicles to be based here were T class single deckers, exclusively used on the GreenLine service to London. Vehicles for the trunk 303 route were always provided from Hatfield garage. The 329A and 386 routes were always provided from Hertford, and the rare 304 from St.Albans, so the establishment was mostly Green Line. TF class vehicles arrived from 2-9/39, but were taken away for use on London ambulance duities, and the routes suspended. One or two vehicles were allocated to the 384 service from Hertford to Letchworth via Stevenage, and the 364 service to Luton via Breachwood Green. From 1948 the service 383 to Weston was operated in competition with Smiths. Leyland Cubs (C) were used until the advent of the GS in 1953, and Hitchin was one of the first recipients. GS2 (now preserved) was the garage trainer and GS3 appeared in LT publicity fully dressed for the 383 to Walsworth. RF vehicles on the 384 routes were replaced by one-man versions in July 1956.

From 1952 the growth of Stevenage New Town began to have a major effect, and increasing numbers of short journeys and Stevenage 'Town Service' routes were operated, for which a fleet of dilapidated STL vehicles, often in red livery, accumulated. Shiny new RF vehicles replaced the TF class, TF77 was withdrawn from Hitchin and is now at the LT Museum. In 1955 the first Stevenage garage was opened from a former BRS parcels depot at Fishers Green, in order to service the new 716A which replaced the 717 to Welwyn Garden City and reduce dead mileage. Initially four RF and two RT vehicles were allocated.

The matter of a staff canteen was always a contentious issue, various local premises being leased and used in this way. From the time that the garage was first purchased in 1953 a trailer-based mobile canteen was stationed at Hitchin, until August 1954. Drivers also patronised Bottoms' Cafe on the opposite side of the road by the old Maltings.

From now on Stevenage dominated the scene, and in 1958 the new bus station and Town Centre shops opened. Finally, on 29th April 1959 operational use of Hitchin ceased, following removal to the new garage in Stevenage. Several drivers left at this stage due to the difficulty of reaching the new garage from their homes in outlying villages, but local man Percy Hemming was looking forward to the move because the new garage had central heating (Herts Pictorial 10/4/59). He was the only person remaining who had started at the 'new' LPTB garage in 1932, first as a washer, then a mechanic and finally chargehand fitter.

A number of local companies occupied the premises subsequently on short-term leases, notably Allender's the Ironmonger and Kodak Limited, who also built a large factory on Stevenage Industrial Area. Finally the site was sold to H.A. Saunders Ltd. on 7th August 1963. They had by this time redeveloped the opposite side of the 'Triangle' into a new car showroom and workshops. They used the old garage for their used car sales area, but from the early seventies the name was changed to Mann Egerton. After a spell as a printing works the building is still occupied, although there is a serious threat that the area will be re-developed. The lavish modern premises of H.A. Saunders across the road is largely empty, save a discount furniture store.

Despite these adversities, Hitchin Garage has survived to the 21st century, outliving its upstart neighbour in Stevenage by a long while already!