Wallace Arnold

Railways, trams, buses, etc.
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BLAKEY
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Post by BLAKEY »

lmhowe50 wrote: My gran went every year to Matlock Bath to see the lights with Wallace Arnold Also Morecambe Did not like Blackpool lights She always took 1 of her gran kids with her With everyone having cars those day trips on coach are gone Anyone rememberTetley coaches My aunt used them Yes Tetley's were a very respected family firm, in Hovingham Avenue off Harehills Lane, and ran good excursions and private hires for many years.The usual coffee stop for WA on the way to Morecambe was the Cross Streets pub at the top of what was then (no by pass) the very forbidding Buckhaw Brow. I once had a priceless experience at the pub when I worked for WA. When we got there for coffee I was greeted by a very distressed West Yorkshire conductress (she was from Ilkley depot and I knew her well) who was standing there with not a red bus in sight. She was on the Morecambe Express and the practice was for one conductor to collect all the fares on the first bus, hop off somewhere by arrangement and do the same on the next and so forth. Poor Mary exclaimed with distress "I was sure there were four buses today but there are only three - so can you PLEASE give me a lift Morecambe ??." My coach was full, but Mary was more than grateful to sit on the steps, and all my passengers made her welcome and cheered her up a good deal.She had a very troubled domestic life, worked all hours to make ends meet, and always looked weary and worn out, which she no doubt was - she was though a heart of gold and very popular (she was at WYRCC Ilkley depot which is how I knew her, and she lived only a few doors from me.)
There's nothing like keeping the past alive - it makes us relieved to reflect that any bad times have gone, and happy to relive all the joyful and fascinating experiences of our own and other folks' earlier days.

majorhoundii
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Post by majorhoundii »

BLAKEY wrote: Yes Tetley's were a very respected family firm, in Hovingham Avenue off Harehills Lane, and ran good excursions and private hires for many years. When I was a kid we always went to Scarborough for our holiday. Up to about 1956. We usually went with WA, but occasionally with the local Morley firm of Hargreaves. Obviously at Morley Feast demand for coaches was greater than Hargreaves could accomodate so they hired in - usually Heaps - but Tetleys and also a firm from somewhere off Meadow Lane - the name Midgely sticks in my memory but it may be faulty. I recall travelling on one of their coaches and I'm sure it was grey with red trim. I do recall the driver stopping me putting my bottle of pop (from the Hazlebrush) on his polished wood trim.     

BLAKEY
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Post by BLAKEY »

majorhoundii wrote: BLAKEY wrote: Yes Tetley's were a very respected family firm, in Hovingham Avenue off Harehills Lane, and ran good excursions and private hires for many years. .............a firm from somewhere off Meadow Lane - the name Midgely sticks in my memory but it may be faulty. I recall travelling on one of their coaches and I'm sure it was grey with red trim. I do recall the driver stopping me putting my bottle of pop (from the Hazlebrush) on his polished wood trim.      Your memory is not faulty at all majorhoundii but is spot on. The firm was Midgley's of Meadow Lane - although their coaches were predominantly red if I recall correctly. There was a very slight connection with Wallace Arnold as Mrs. Midgley was a relation of the WA Barr family. The firm eventually sold out to WA. However Kitchins of Pudsey (referred to in the Sammy Ledgard topic) had coaches which were mainly grey with red trim, and they sold out to Wallace Arnold who, for many years, had the occasional brand new vehicle painted in the Kitchins colours - the same colours were applied also to occasional new coaches for Feather Bros of Bradford and Gillards of Normanton, also swallowed up by the WA Empire.
There's nothing like keeping the past alive - it makes us relieved to reflect that any bad times have gone, and happy to relive all the joyful and fascinating experiences of our own and other folks' earlier days.

majorhoundii
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Joined: Sat 12 Mar, 2011 6:55 am

Post by majorhoundii »

BLAKEY wrote: majorhoundii wrote: BLAKEY wrote: Yes Tetley's were a very respected family firm, in Hovingham Avenue off Harehills Lane, and ran good excursions and private hires for many years. .............a firm from somewhere off Meadow Lane - the name Midgely sticks in my memory but it may be faulty. I recall travelling on one of their coaches and I'm sure it was grey with red trim. I do recall the driver stopping me putting my bottle of pop (from the Hazlebrush) on his polished wood trim.      Your memory is not faulty at all majorhoundii but is spot on. The firm was Midgley's of Meadow Lane - although their coaches were predominantly red if I recall correctly. There was a very slight connection with Wallace Arnold as Mrs. Midgley was a relation of the WA Barr family. The firm eventually sold out to WA. However Kitchins of Pudsey (referred to in the Sammy Ledgard topic) had coaches which were mainly grey with red trim, and they sold out to Wallace Arnold who, for many years, had the occasional brand new vehicle painted in the Kitchins colours - the same colours were applied also to occasional new coaches for Feather Bros of Bradford and Gillards of Normanton, also swallowed up by the WA Empire. Until quite recently Wallace Arnold had a booking office on South Queen Street in Morley. When I was a kid they also had garages at the end of King Street in Morley where they kept some coaches. I'm sure somone told me that they took over a Morley coach company - before I was born. But certainly at Morley Feast all their coastal services left from King Street in Morley - I know I lived on King Street.

biofichompinc
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Post by biofichompinc »

majorhoundii wrote: Until quite recently Wallace Arnold had a booking office on South Queen Street in Morley. When I was a kid they also had garages at the end of King Street in Morley where they kept some coaches. I'm sure somone told me that they took over a Morley coach company - before I was born. But certainly at Morley Feast all their coastal services left from King Street in Morley - I know I lived on King Street. This is a link to a LEODIS photograph which gives details of 'carting agents' by the name of W.H.Fish &Son.http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... AY=FULLThe narrative includes information that the firm were one of the first in the motor haulage and coach business in Morley, and that their premises were on King Street.Maybe this was the firm that was taken over by Wallace Arnold.    

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mhoulden
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Post by mhoulden »

Tetley's are still going but are now based in Hunslet, near the old R H Bruce building and the First depot: http://www.tetleyscoaches.co.uk/

majorhoundii
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Post by majorhoundii »

salt 'n pepper wrote: majorhoundii wrote: Until quite recently Wallace Arnold had a booking office on South Queen Street in Morley. When I was a kid they also had garages at the end of King Street in Morley where they kept some coaches. I'm sure somone told me that they took over a Morley coach company - before I was born. But certainly at Morley Feast all their coastal services left from King Street in Morley - I know I lived on King Street. This is a link to a LEODIS photograph which gives details of 'carting agents' by the name of W.H.Fish &Son.http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?reso ... AY=FULLThe narrative includes information that the firm were one of the first in the motor haulage and coach business in Morley, and that their premises were on King Street.Maybe this was the firm that was taken over by Wallace Arnold.     Yes that't probably them, the garages were in a yard behind the offices pictured, thank you.

BLAKEY
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Post by BLAKEY »

majorhoundii wrote: [The narrative includes information that the firm were one of the first in the motor haulage and coach business in Morley, and that their premises were on King Street.Maybe this was the firm that was taken over by Wallace Arnold.     Yes that't probably them, the garages were in a yard behind the offices pictured, thank you. The coach business of W.Fish, Morley, with three vehicles, was taken over by Wallace Arnold in 1933.
There's nothing like keeping the past alive - it makes us relieved to reflect that any bad times have gone, and happy to relive all the joyful and fascinating experiences of our own and other folks' earlier days.

majorhoundii
Posts: 404
Joined: Sat 12 Mar, 2011 6:55 am

Post by majorhoundii »

BLAKEY wrote: majorhoundii wrote: [The narrative includes information that the firm were one of the first in the motor haulage and coach business in Morley, and that their premises were on King Street.Maybe this was the firm that was taken over by Wallace Arnold.     Yes that't probably them, the garages were in a yard behind the offices pictured, thank you. The coach business of W.Fish, Morley, with three vehicles, was taken over by Wallace Arnold in 1933.The largest coach company in Morley was M A Hargreaves, who occupied the yard that was subsequently used by Black Prince. Hargeaves had the coach business, haulage and removals and were coal merchants. I think they closed some time in the early eighties.

majorhoundii
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Joined: Sat 12 Mar, 2011 6:55 am

Post by majorhoundii »

I've just finished Wallace Arnold - "Glory Days." It's brilliant. Really informative. I hadn't realised until I read this that they operated two standards of coaches, one for tours and one for day trips and excursions.

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