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Stockland Coaches

G

Goffy

master brummie
We always used Stockland Coaches for our day trips to Blackpool,usually to see the lights. They were based in Stockland Green
 
Welcome to the site Goffy. Here is the Old Birmingham Garages site and
it will open up at Stockland Garage where my story is posted.

Update: I have taken the link off this thread as it is no longer in operation.
 
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The place where they used to be is now a kwik fit garage,so the theme is still there at least
 
My father was a coach driver at Stockland in the 30's, and did some continental trips. I understand some these were to the W.W.1 cemeteries and memorials for relatives. These excursions ceased at the outbreak of W.W.2. and he took employment at the G.E.C. at Witton on 11th Sept 1939.
 
Stockland Garage Ltd also took the Bearwood based Gliderways Coaches company over, according to records I have, in May 1963.

Gliderways was a company with a fine reputation for high quality coaches backed up with a high quality service. Using an attractive livery of Birch Grey with Maroon relief. It was started by Harry Morris in 1915

Probably best known for its Harrington Bodied Leylands, Many of which had the patented "Dorsal Fin" ventilation system, although the compant also used other body builders from time to time.

Prior to the 1980 coach deregulation, it was normal practice to take over other operators in order to expand, in fact this was often the only way expansion could then take place. Quite often a competitors licences where the attraction, the premises and coaches often either not included in the deal, or quickly sold on.

In the case of Gliderways take over by Stocklands this was not the case and the Bearwood company was operated as a seperate concern even the livery, the leyland coaches etc were retained, in fact no one would have known any difference.

By PSV circle records show that Gliderways aquired several local concerns itself, including:

K.Poole Ltd Smethwick (Evans coaches)
E.J.Harwood, Warley
A.W.Jones, Bearwood
J.L.Jones, Smethwick (Eclipse)

Harry Morris had a brother, Joseph, who stared another coach operation also in Bearwood trading as Bearwood Luxury Coaches (J.E. Morris and Sons Ltd)

Gliderways, unfortunatley, slowly lost its identification and is now but a memory, passing along with Stockland,s to L.F. Bowen in 1969.

Bearwood Coaches licences went to Prospect of Lye aka Watt,s of Stourbridge.
 
Hi Bill: Thanks very much for the update on Stockland Coaches and the mergers with the various coach companies back in the l960's and onwards.
It's interesting to see how things changed over the years.
 
Gliderways was allocated this wartime utility Leyland double decker, GHA 883, as they operated a works service to the Austin works during WW2. The chap who took the photo married Gliderways' traffic manager Harry Velvick's daughter. It might be Harry in the cab.
2823 HA is one of the coaches I remember them having, and travelling on the earlier ones - day trips to Weston before the M5 was built, through Worcester, Gloucester and Bristol - about 4 hours each way (including a stop at a pub on the way back!)
CHA 927 used to be a Gliderways coach before the war - probably their most impressive looking one!
 
The only Gliderways coach operated by Stocklands from Stockland green was a Harrington on a Tiger cub chassis with the usual tail fin, still retained the original paint scheme though. The only repairs ever needed (not like the Bedford VALs which were always falling to bits) was to replace the speedo cable as the speedo was always hitting the max speed stop. The driver used to slow down when the overheating warning buzzer sounded.
 
Nice model, Alf.
Here's a Gliderways Harrington bodied Leyland coach with a 'Dorsal Fin', actually part of the ventilation system. The airflow over the louvres in the fin caused an extraction effect in the saloon - useful as smoking was allowed on coaches in those days.
Can anyone identify the location of this photo? I don't think it's Birmingham, it looks a bit like Oxford Street London to me.
 
Gentleman,

I thank lloyd for posting those three pics, I have the same ones in my collection plus a few notes about their subsequent existance after leaving Gliderways.

The Decker, as LLoyd mentions, has a utility body by N.C.M.E and was to the lowbridge design on a Leyland TD7 chassis. GHA 883 was new inSeptember 1942 and was sold to L.C.W. Llandeilo in August 1950.

The Middle pic depicts one of two 30ft Leyland Tiger Cubs with Harrington Cavalier coachwork, I suspect this photo was taken after some time in service as the coach has gained wheeltrims and some additional maroon relief has been added around the windscreen. Originally this coach along with its sister 2822 HA had the maroon relief only up the the bright trim that runs down the side of the front entrance.

The pair were new to Gliderways in July 1961, I have conflicting evidence as to when they were withdrawn and who purchased them but it looks to be the 1968/9 period.

CHA 927 is quite an impressive looking coach with its three axle configuration. Construction and use regulations stipulated, at this period, that a coach over 26ft 6ins had to be on three axles and even then could not be greater than 30ft in length.
Also fitted with harrington coachwork it was new in February 1937 ,it seated 37.

The large miniature is , I suspect one of a large collection that Jeff Price owns and it clearly shows the Dorsal fin to good effect.

Thanks for those pics gents
 
Lloyd said:
Nice model, Alf.
Here's a Gliderways Harrington bodied Leyland coach with a 'Dorsal Fin', actually part of the ventilation system. The airflow over the louvres in the fin caused an extraction effect in the saloon - useful as smoking was allowed on coaches in those days.
Can anyone identify the location of this photo? I don't think it's Birmingham, it looks a bit like Oxford Street London to me.
Click to expand...
Very pleased when smoking was banned as emptying ashtrays filled with apple cores and cigarette ends was not a pleasant job.
 
Rather nice rear view of 719 FHA Lloyd, rear views are quite rare, I suppose not many tale pics of the back end of buses(hee hee)

Anyway, this coach was sold to Charlton-on-Otmoor motor services in Oxfordshire and judging by the jpeg title on Lloyds pic this photo was taken when it was operated by them.
It has retained its "First Class Travel" which is nice to see. Maybe this picture was taken in Oxford?
This coach was aquired by Charlton- On- Otmoor services (Holder)in Sep 1968 it was new in April 1958.

Cheers all.....anymore Lloyd?? :)
 
A few more - yes. YHA 28, and, fallen on harder times, Bedford 332 BHA which I think was a Gliderways - or was it a Mann's of Smethwick? Anyway, it became a travellers home later.
 
Nice One LLoyd,

I think I have apic of YHA 28 in my own collection, I dont have a scanner so I cant post them. RThis coach was one of three Leyland Royal Tigers with Harrington Wayfarer 37 seat bodywork, YHA 26-28, deliverred in July 1955.

YHA 26 went to Cooper, Gilsgate Moor im 1960, YHA 27 to Stocklands***
and 28 went to Grey of Bicester in May 1963.

*** According to these notes I am using for this information it states YHA 27 went to Stocklands in May 1956, I find this a bit difficult to believe as it would noy have been 12 months old at this time!!

332 BHA was one of two Leyland Tiger Cubs with Duple 41 seat bodywork one of a pair the other being 333 BHA, both delivered in May 1956.

332 BHA Went to Holder, Charlton in Sep 1962, whislt 333 BHA went to Stocklands in May 1963, probably when Stocklands aquired Gliderways??

Thanks again LLoyd
 
I remember travelling on Gliderways Coaches when i was a kid with my perents. We must have gone all over the country with them. They were great days, the days of innocence.
 
Stockland also sold cars, i bought a s/hand Standard 8 Basic Saloon in 1956, cost £265? traded a pre WW2 Ford 8 for it got £25, one of the bosses dealt with me a Mr.McClelland? nice man not sure about the name
 
Hi Len:

It was probably one of the McLaughlin brothers who sold you the car. You have a good memory and were very close on the name.:):)
The McLaughlin family ran the garage for many years. A friend of mine married one of the brothers in the l960's. Their father started the business I believe and he lived on Marsh Hill in a bungalow called "Wyoming" near to Bleak Hill Road on the same side as the Garage. He ran a taxi service for several years and always took us to Snow Hill or New Street Stations when we went by train for holidays. My brother Peter worked there for
a couple of summers cleaning the coaches when they came back from their destinations.

My Father bought his first new car from the Stockland Garage in l957, a grey Austin can't remember the model. It was a great car.
 
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oldmidlandredman said:
I remember travelling on Gliderways Coaches when i was a kid with my parents. We must have gone all over the country with them. They were great days, the days of innocence.
Click to expand...
Welcome OMRM in our case you went where your parents took you but still days of excitement.:)
 
jennyann said:
Hi Len:

It was probably one of the McLoughlan brothers who sold you the car. You have a good memory and were very close on the name.:):)
The McLoughlan family ran the garage for many years. A friend of mine married one of the brothers in the l960's. Their father started the business I believe and he lived on Marsh Hill in a bungalow called "Wyoming" near to Bleak Hill Road on the same side as the Garage. He ran a taxi service for several years and always took us to Snow Hill or New Street Stations
when we went by train for holidays. My brother Peter worked there for
a couple of summers cleaning the coaches when they came back from
their destinations.
My Father bought his first new car from the Stockland Garage in l957, a grey Austin can't remember the model. It was a great car.
Click to expand...

Mr Ian would have sold the car as Mr John looked after the coaching side. Both used to live in the houses next to the garage on Stockland green when i first started working for them in the early sixties. The Fathers name was Mr Ironey (spelling) who you rarely saw. I worked there from 1964 to 1968 as a PSV mechanic and have many happy memories, one being that most Monday mornings during Blackpool lights having to go up the M6 and towing back one of the Fords with a seized engine, we used to rebuild the spare engine every week ready for the next week.
 
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Before Dad got a car we used Stocklands, Smithes Imperial and Midland Red for our Holidays in Devon and Cornwall. We would be at the coach station at night , Mom Dad, My brother and I laden with sweets and poaket money saved over the year. My brother would eat his sweets before the coach started/ i remember we had to stick his head out of the window on a Midland Red as he was sick and when we stopped at Cheltenham Dad had to get a bucket and clean the outside of the coach. The excitement of watching the dawn come up and seeing rabbits in the fields. Sometimes the journey never seemed to end."YThe first one to see the see wins a prize"
 
This thread has bought many memories back to me. Although we never went away for our holidays and my first memory of the sea was after I left school. I had a m/cycle and a friend asked me to take him to Hayling Island to see his parents who were holidaying there.
The memories are of seeing all the coach company names as they drove around and especially my memory of the coaches with a fin on top. It always semmed to be one of those that took dad and me to whatever lake, river or canal when he was in a fishing contest.
 
Bit of an update on the Stockland Garage. When I was in Erdington a month or so ago I met my friend Maureen for a meal at the Modern China Restaurant located next door to the Stockland Garage in the old Stockland Inn. Maureen knows the girl who married John McLaughlin. I remember going to visit Steiner at the house next door to the garage in the early l960's. It was fitted out beautifully for a small house I remember and is still there. John McLaughlin is still going and is in his 80's which I was glad to hear. I'm not sure where they are living now. I remember going to see them married at Erdington Parish Church in 1962.
 
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While you are there Jennyann Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to you and yours
 
Thanks for the greetings Alf. I wish you and your family a very Happy Christmas and every good wish for the New Year 2010.
 
leonardjob said:
Before Dad got a car we used Stocklands, Smithes Imperial and Midland Red for our Holidays in Devon and Cornwall. We would be at the coach station at night , Mom Dad, My brother and I laden with sweets and poaket money saved over the year. My brother would eat his sweets before the coach started/ i remember we had to stick his head out of the window on a Midland Red as he was sick and when we stopped at Cheltenham Dad had to get a bucket and clean the outside of the coach. The excitement of watching the dawn come up and seeing rabbits in the fields. Sometimes the journey never seemed to end."YThe first one to see the see wins a prize"
Click to expand...

After i passed my PSV test in 1966 i used to do the overnight run down to Torquay and Paignton on a Friday. We used to start the pickups at 9 pm getting back to Stockland green ready to transfer passengers in time for the 11pm departure. We used to arrive about 7am, sweep out and refuel ready for the 9am departure back to Birmingham, changing over to a relief driver in Bridgewater on the way back. First driver back took the relief drivers back to Bridgewater in the bosses car. All for half a crown per hour.
 
thused to be a driver at stockland in the 60s called stan cotterill every saturday he used to get up on stage at t Grand Hotel inerehe
 
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