Birch Brothers

Last updated March 17, 2023

Route numbers: 200
					Rushden 203 203M 210
					Souldrop Turn
					Sharnbrook Turn
Odell					Sharnbrook
210 Harrold
211					Bletsoe
Carlton					Milton Ernest
Pavenham
Hurdlefoot					Oakley
					Clapham
					Bedford 211 213
					Shortstown (Cardington Camp)
					Shefford
					Ampthill
M1 203M					Henlow
Lower Stondon					Henlow Camp 209 212
Meppershall
Campton
213 225 Gravenhurst
					Holwell
209 225 Shillington					Pirton 209
Barton
212 Luton					Hitchin Station 204 209 225
205 206 215					Hitchin
Chiltern Green					St. Ippolyts

Peters Green					Dane Street
205 Kimpton					Bendish
206 Horn Hill					Whitwell
					St. Paul’s Walden
Knebworth					Langley
215 Stevenage
					Codicote
					Welwyn 205 206
					Tewin Road Welwyn
					Welwyn Garden City (Valley Road)

					Hatfield
					Bell Bar
					Potters Bar
					Barnet
M1 203M					North Finchley

					Highgate
					London (Kings Cross) 203 203M

Birch Brothers was a bus and coach operator in south east England.

History

William Birch started running horse-drawn cabs in London in 1837. After his death in 1846 his widow, Elizabeth, took over the business and in 1847 extended it to include the running of omnibuses, operating a service between Pimlico and Mansion House. The company was divided between her two sons on her death in 1874. Four years later the two sons parted company and ran separate businesses, John Manley operating buses and mail vans (having obtained a substantial contract with the Post Office), and William Samuel operating buses and cabs. In 1885 William Samuel's son, William Henry, joined his father, but thirteen years later started his own omnibus business.

In 1887, John Manley inaugurated the London–Brighton horse drawn night parcel mail and in 1891 the London–Oxford mail which was operated until 1908. In 1889 the two brothers again joined forces and formed the private company of Birch Bros., Limited. By 1907 the company was operating 16 motor omnibuses, but a series of problems led to the company's withdrawal from the venture. As a result of fierce competition by motor buses, horse bus operation ceased in 1912.

In 1919 Birch commenced operating coaches on "See Britain" tours and in 1925 re-entered the London omnibus business. This continued until 1933, when the London Passenger Transport Act was passed, resulting in the compulsory acquisition of the company's 30 buses by the London Passenger Transport Board.

Birch launched a service between London, Hitchin and Bedford in 1928, extending to Rushden in 1929. The company built a garage and bus station at Rushden in 1937. In 1938 the company purchased a number of existing operators running services in Bedford, Henlow, Hitchin and Luton, with another garage at Henlow Camp built in the same year. In 1952 the company pioneered the operation of the first diesel-engined taxicab, converting all of its vehicles to diesel engines within a year; by 1956, the Company had converted over 1,250 cabs owned by other London operators.

On 2 November 1959, the company operated the first regular service journey from London on the new M1 Motorway. The new route, numbered 203M, linked the city with Bedford and Rushden.

The two remaining coach routes were given up to United Counties Omnibus in September 1969. The coach hire business was retained until 1971, when it was sold to George Ewer Ltd., and Birch Brothers closed down.^[1]

Routes

Number	Towns	Service
203	London - Welwyn - Hitchin - Bedford - Rushden	Daily
203M	London - M1 Motorway - Bedford - Rushden	Daily (from 1959)
204	Hitchin - Whitwell - Welwyn	Daily except Sunday
205	Welwyn - Kimpton - Luton	Daily
206	Whitwell - Luton	Thursday, Saturday and Sunday only
206	Welwyn - Whitwell - Luton	Saturday and Sunday only
209	Henlow Camp - Holwell - Hitchin	Daily
210	Harrold - Odell - Sharnbrook - Rushden	Weekdays only
211	Harrold - Carlton - Pavenham - Bedford	Daily
212	Henlow Camp - Gravenhurst - Shillington - Luton	Daily
213	Gravenhurst - Campton - Shefford - Bedford	Saturdays only
215	Luton - Kimpton - Knebworth - Stevenage	Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays only
225	Hitchin - Henlow - Gravenhurst	Tuesdays only
225	Hitchin - Henlow - Shillington	Saturdays only

Related Research Articles

A bus is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for charter purposes, or through private ownership. Although the average bus carries between 30 and 100 passengers, some buses have a capacity of up to 300 passengers. The most common type is the single-deck rigid bus, with double-decker and articulated buses carrying larger loads, and midibuses and minibuses carrying smaller loads. Coaches are used for longer-distance services. Many types of buses, such as city transit buses and inter-city coaches, charge a fare. Other types, such as elementary or secondary school buses or shuttle buses within a post-secondary education campus, are free. In many jurisdictions, bus drivers require a special large vehicle licence above and beyond a regular driving licence.

London General is a bus company operating in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group and operates services under contract to Transport for London. The company is named after the London General Omnibus Company, the principal operator of buses in London between 1855 and 1933.

The Yellow Coach Manufacturing Company was an early manufacturer of passenger buses in the United States. Between 1923 and 1943, Yellow Coach built transit buses, electric-powered trolley buses, and parlor coaches.

Arriva London is a major bus company operating services in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services under contract to Transport for London. It was formed in 1998 from a fusion of previously separate Arriva subsidiaries Grey-Green, Leaside Buses, Kentish Bus, London & Country and South London Transport. Operations are split between two registered companies, Arriva London North Limited and Arriva London South Limited.

Arriva Shires & Essex is a bus operator providing services in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, with services extending to Oxfordshire and Greater London. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duple Coachbuilders</span> English coach and bus body manufacturer (1919-1989)

Duple Coachbuilders was a coach and bus bodybuilder in England from 1919 until 1989.

Midland Red was a bus company that operated in The Midlands from 1905 until 1981. It was one of the largest English bus companies, operating over a large area between Gloucester in the south and Derbyshire in the north, and from Northampton to the Welsh border. The company also manufactured buses.

The Buslines Group is an Australian bus operator in New South Wales and is the third largest private bus operator in New South Wales.

Royal Blue Express Services was a coach operator in the south and west of England from 1880 until 1986.

The Tilling Group was one of two conglomerates that controlled almost all of the major bus operators in the United Kingdom between World Wars I and II and until nationalisation in 1948.

Grey-Green was a bus and coach operator in England. It was based in Stamford Hill and operated in London and the East of England.

United Counties Omnibus was an English bus company, operating in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and parts of surrounding counties.

Go-Ahead London is the trading name used collectively for the London bus operations of the Go-Ahead Group. The name first appeared in August 2008, before which the company had traded under separate names and brands. It is currently the largest bus operator in Greater London, operating a total of 153 bus routes mainly in South and Central London as well as some services into North and East London with a fleet size of over 2,400 vehicles under contract to Transport for London.

Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable.

Southill was a railway station on the Bedford to Hitchin Line which served the village of Southill in Bedfordshire, England. Opened in 1857, it gave more than a century of service before closing in 1962.

Shefford was a railway station on the Bedford to Hitchin Line which served the town of Shefford in Bedfordshire, England. Opened in 1857, it gave more than a century of service before closing in 1962.

Henlow Camp was a railway station on the Bedford to Hitchin Line which served the village of Henlow in Bedfordshire, England. Opened in 1857, it gave more than a century of service before closing in 1962.

A horse-bus or horse-drawn omnibus was a large, enclosed, and sprung horse-drawn vehicle used for passenger transport before the introduction of motor vehicles. It was mainly used in the late 19th century in both the United States and Europe, and was one of the most common means of transportation in cities. In a typical arrangement, two wooden benches along the sides of the passenger cabin held several sitting passengers facing each other. The driver sat on a separate, front-facing bench, typically in an elevated position outside the passengers' enclosed cabin. In the main age of horse buses, many of them were double-decker buses. On the upper deck, which was uncovered, the longitudinal benches were arranged back to back.

David MacBrayne is a limited company owned by the Scottish Government. Formed in 1851 as the private shipping company David Hutcheson & Co. with three partners, David Hutcheson, Alexander Hutcheson and David MacBrayne, it passed in 1878 to David MacBrayne.

Richards Bros Buses is a bus operator based in Cardigan, Wales. It has purchased many smaller bus companies over time, and currently has 65 vehicles running local bus services and school buses in south-west Wales, as well as coach tours. Richards Bros also operates a share of the new demand-responsive Bwcabus service.

References

↑ Oxford & Chiltern Bus Page - Issue 280

External links

Birch Brothers Limited: 1899-1971 by Peter Gould
Green Line: the history of London’s country bus services by Albert William McCall
Birch Bros Ltd by Peter Roberts
Birch Bros – The Rushden Connection by Jacky Lawrence, Rushden & District History Society Research Group
Photo of Birch Bros 45AUW at St Ippolyts ^{[ permanent dead link ]} by Nigel Hall

Bibliography and further reading

British Bus Fleets No. 11: London Coach Operators; Ian Allan, 1962
Buses Illustrated No. 11 (July 1952) by John Manley Birch
Buses Illustrated No. 12 (October 1952) by John Manley Birch
PSV Circle Fleet History PN3 (1980)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Oxford & Chiltern Bus Page - Issue 280

[1]