But first ...
Low Grade Liverpool Gaff*
A picture of a couple of delegates at the conference. Sadly their B&B (Mon Repos, landlady Elsie Crump) could not manage to serve two coffees, so they had to spoil the environment with disposable cups from Sid Snotte's take-away trailer. The bloke in specs does look familiar, somehow; clearly a man of the people.
[Not 'gaffe' as in bludner; but 'gaff' as in place of accommodation.] However, gaffes are often the prerogative of politicians.
≈≈====================
Confusion At Crich?
It is a typical Derbyshire village with plenty of stone-built properties, reflecting a major but former local employer, the quarry.
But try to look up Crich Village on a well known search engine (e.g. Gurgle) and all you get is pictures of trams!
Of course, trams never ran to Crich, but the quarry was chosen as the site for the UK's National Tramway Museum, now rebranded as Crich Tramway Village.
Crich village (sans trams) actually had a life before the nostalgic rail based urban transport technology invaded.
Crich had and still has bus services.
Transport approaches from Matlock (above top left), Alfreton (upper right) and Belper (bottom centre) and Ripley (lower right). Today's pattern of service has been around for ages, although frequencies are now much reduced from 'the good old days'. The history is complex, far too complex for this blog and far to complex for the time available for an fbb research job.
My Lady Coach ...
... is seen below at nearby Bull Bridge (and in colour) in the mid 1960s.
Silver Service found its way from the depot north of Matlock at Darley Dale.
It was Silver Service that merged with the original Hulleys and took the latter's name for its ongoing business. And we know what became of the more recent Hulleys!
The bigger operators toddled in from the East in the form of Midland General's route E2 ...
... which lasted until National Bus Company days.
Trent also made an appearance coming from the south.
With privatisation and deregulation, the bigger boys concentrated on lucrative urban work, leaving places like Crich a prey to the tendering process.
Here is Littles on a route that still runs today ...
... and another in the same route number series.
If fbb remembers rightly (and he probably doesn't!), Doyles made an appearance ...
... seen here on a Matlock town route.
A later contender was an expansive YourBus.
It's contention did not last!
So tomorrow, after a climb to ...
... and up Crich Stand ...
.. for some glorious views ...
... we shall examine the Crich's bus network today and to come.
About Crich Stand
This is perhaps one of the most poignant landmarks in Derbyshire and is situated over 340 metres above sea level. The Stand is the memorial of the Sherwood Foresters Regiment, dedicated to the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment and the Mercian Regiment.
The spiral staircase with fifty-eight steps takes the visitor to the viewing gallery from where, on clear days, visitors can pick out 7 counties and various landmarks over the surrounding countryside.
Visit the on-site Crich Stand Tea Rooms for a hot drink, light snack, or homemade treat, the cafe offers a peaceful setting to pause and enjoy some refreshments.
Next Derbyshire Developments blog : Thur 2nd Oct
