Stafford to Shrewsbury

24th April 2019

This was to be one of the shortest stages in the trip and one involving only three buses. To be honest, it wasn't a stage I was particularly looking forward to, just being one that I had to do, given my self-imposed rule of this being a continuous journey linking the county towns. None of it was new to me and both Stafford and Shrewsbury as well as the places en-route were all well-known. But it had to be done, so I thought I'd make the best of it.

Stafford has three principal termini for bus services although none of the really qualify as a bus station and, this being the UK and not continental Europe, none of them are anywhere near the railway station.  So the journey began with a ten-minute walk along Stafford's inner ring-road to the Chell Road terminus of D&G Bus service 14 to Hanley.

First bus of the day at Stafford, Chell Road terminus.

This isn't the fastest or the most frequent bus to Hanley, First Potteries' 101 is quicker and more frequent, but the 14 took me on a more interesting route, heading west towards Woodseaves and Eccleshall and passing as near as any bus does nowadays to Norbury Junction on the Shropshire Union Canal, where I kept my narrowboat Starcross for six or seven years.

Shortly after leaving town I became aware of a warning buzzer sounding in the driver's cab. He was obviously aware of it too and pulled over to investigate. His first guess was a loose engine cover, but a visit to the rear of the bus and several cycles of opening and shutting the cover didn't produce the desired result. His next guess was the emergency exit door and whilst this appeared shut from inside, when he went back outside and slammed it shut with great force the noise stopped. I suspect though that the fault was actually with the sensor, because later in the journey the buzzer began sounding again at which point our man gave up and telephoned the depot to seek assistance. At least, that is what I suspect he did because he very professionally left the vehicle and made his phone call from the pavement.  

Our journey continued via Yarnfield, with its very mysterious "training centre". It purports to be a "leading conference and training venue" but it was once a GPO Telecoms training centre and its remote location and somewhat secretive approaches always make me wonder whether it isn't something a little more sinister!  Next stop was Stone, where Star Lock was equally mysteriously filling itself via an open top paddle with not a boat or a boater in sight, after which we headed north through Barlaston and into Stoke via Stoke City's impressive football ground.

I must admit that if I hadn't been to Stoke before I wouldn't have realised that we'd arrived in the town centre. The town has certainly seen better days and, of course, is merely the administrative centre of the "City of Stoke-on-Trent" and not the commercial centre, which is Hanley, where my bus was bound.

Staffordshire Oatcakes in the Stoke Market cafe.

I though had elected to alight in Stoke, partly because Hanley lay in the opposite direction to where I was now heading and partly because I thought it would make a good lunch stop.  My plans were somewhat thwarted when I received a phone call from a Labour Party researcher back in Lancaster looking for a local angle on an announcement being made by Jeremy Corbyn on bus service funding (I move in high circles since joining the Lancaster Bus Users Group!).  By the time I'd put him right on a number of things it was almost time to leave town on my next bus, but I was ready to eat so I hastily rearranged the timetable and headed over to the market hall, hoping to find a cafe and some local delicacies for lunch!

My next port-of-call was Newcastle-under-Lyme and there was no shortage of buses to take me there. I opted for the 25, which was the only route that appeared to offer a double-decker and enjoyed a grandstand view of the western edge of the Potteries as well as a tour of the local General Hospital all in a 15-minute hop to Newcastle.  I'd passed through the town before a fortnight earlier on the Chester to Stafford leg of this trip so I didn't feel the need to spend very long here. Twenty minutes was long enough until Arriva's service 164 to Market Drayton, which was really a 64 going to Shrewsbury - but that's a long story which is actually an illustration of how this country has always "taken back control" from the EU as changing the destination and number of the bus part-way through the journey is a legal dodge to get round EU Drivers' Hours regulations!

The 64 was a straigtforward slog along the A53 with only a few deviations, the longest of which took in the village of Hodnet via a stretch of road that used to be the A53 before the Hodnet by-pass was built. I like the way buses still follow these old roads, you see so much more from them than from modern by-passes and the like. We were treated to another example of professionalism by the driver who identified a passenger as having ridden beyond the validity of the ticket he held. He was called forward to the cab very courteously and the matter was dealt with without a fuss, both parties being satisfied with the outcome and the matter being put down to a genuine mistake.

At roughly the same location, we crossed the county boundary and entered

SHROPSHIRE    County Town - Shrewsbury.

Shropshire was untouched by the 1974 re-organisation of English local government and in fact has enjoyed largely unchanged boundaries throughout its existence. It is the largest English county without a coastline and is home to England's longest river - the Severn.

Meanwhile, back on the 164 there was another deviation via what appeared to be a military barracks, where we picked up a couple of lads who might have been squaddies, heading into Shrewsbury.  By now it was late afternoon and so I was surprised that we continued to pick up a steady trickle of passengers heading into Shrewsbury, arriving with a healthy load of thirteen.

Morris's Oil Works

Shrewsbury Bus Garage (now gone)

There were always three landmarks I looked out for when entering Shrewsbury from the north: The former Sentinel Waggon Works and  Morris' Oil Works are still there  but the 1920s former Midland Red bus garage - a classic example of its type - has been demolished to make way for a car park for the Ditherington Flax Mill that stands behind it. No doubt a 20th-Century bus garage isn't seen as having the same heritage value as an 18th-Century Flax Mill!

Despite the 164/64 being an important trunk service it is relegated in Shrewsbury bus station to one of the outside stands, away from the covered waiting area which meant we all got wet when alighting from the bus!

The 164/64 after unloading its passengers in the rain at Shrewsbury. and getting ready to return.
(Note the "connections for Hanley" on the sign - although the bus goes all the way.

Chester to  Stafford

Shrewsbury to Warwick (Part 1: to Birmingham)