Shrewsbury Depot
Abbey Foregate
- Garage formerly used by the Allen Omnibus Company
- Garage control passed to Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) in March 1916, with an allocation of one vehicle, a Tilling-Stevens TS3 single-deck
- Allocation of 3 vehicles by December 1916
- Site vacated in July 1919
Page TopRoushill
- Operated on a temporary lease by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) from July 1919, following the closure of the Abbey Foregate site. Initial allocation of three vehicles.
- Allocation increased to 4 vehicles.
- Site closed in November 1920, and all operations transferred to a purpose built garage at Ditherington.
Page TopSpring Gardens, Ditherington Road, Shrewsbury
- Purpose built 2-bay garage, brick built around a steel frame, with a single-story office block.
- Opened by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) on Thursday 11th November 1920.
- c. 1925, the single-story office block is extended upwards with a second floor, matching the design of the original building.
- Expanded in 1929, with the addition of two more bays, matching the design of the original building. Garage capacity is increased to 53 vehicles.
- Building partly under the control of Ministry of Aircraft Production, Castle Bromwich, from 1940 for the production of aircraft components. BMMO rented additional garage space during this time.
- Vehicle allocation of 57 by 1947, with the narrow forecourt being used for outdoor overnight parking due to lack of space indoors.
- Additional outdoor parking space adjacent to the garage acquired in the early 1950s.
- Site used for a special bodywork department, carrying out overhauls from BMMO garages in the area.
- Vehicle allocation of more than 70 vehicles during the late 1960s.
- Company renamed to Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited
(MROC) on 29th March 1974, with a depot allocation
of 68 vehicles and approximately 198 staff at this time.
- Depot control passed to Midland Red (North) Limited when
the Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited split up on 6th September
1981.
- Midland Red (North) Limited is privatised and sold to Drawlane
Transport Group Limited on 27th January 1988.
Drawlane Transport Group was later acquired by British Bus
Group Limited.
- British Bus Group Limited acquired by Cowie Group PLC on Thursday 1st August 1996.
- Cowie Group PLC renamed to Arriva PLC on Thursday 6th November 1997, with Midland Red (North) Limited operations becoming Arriva Midlands North Limited soon after.
- Site passed to Shrewsbury Council in March 2011 for £2.3m, to make way for the £30m redevelopment of the adjasent Flax Mill site.
- New depot opened in Battlefield, with the Ditherington depot closed on Sunday 3rd June 2012 and later demolished.
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