Taunton bus station

Transit building in Taunton, Somerset, England

Taunton bus station

Location within Somerset

General information
Status| Closed
Type| Bus station
Address| Tower Street
Town or city| Taunton
Country| England
Coordinates| 51°00′55″N 03°06′21″W﻿ / ﻿51.01528°N 3.10583°W﻿ / 51.01528; -3.10583
Current tenants| The Buses of Somerset
Completed| 1953
Opened| 1953
Closed| 27 March 2020
Design and construction
Architect(s)| H. A. Starkey

Taunton bus station was situated on Tower Street, Taunton, Somerset, England. It was opened by the Western National Omnibus Company in 1953 and closed in 2020, by which time it was operated by The Buses of Somerset. In 2015 the Transport Trust awarded the station a Red Wheel plaque for its historic value.

## Background

[edit]

The National Omnibus and Transport Company started a service from Taunton to Burnham-on-Sea on 21 July 1920. The following year it began to operate town services in Taunton when the town's single tram line closed due to increases in the cost of electricity.[1][2] National's operations in Somerset were transferred to the new Western National Omnibus Company (WNOC) when it was set up in 1929.

## History

[edit]

In the 1950s the WNOC started to build town centre bus stations; the first to be approved were at Taunton and Truro in 1949.[3] H.A. Starkey, the architect for the Tilling Group (of which the WNOC was part) designed the Taunton bus station[4] and it was built by F. & E. Small, who tendered £23,041 for the contract.[5] The station opened in 1953[6] at a site on Tower Street near Taunton Castle. This enabled services to terminate on a dedicated site with passenger facilities rather than at four bus stops around The Parade which was the focal point of the town.[7] As the new bus station was WNOC property, independent operators continued to use their various terminal stops, such as outside the Kings Arms public house in Staplegrove Road beyond the Tone Bridge.[8][9]

The WNOC and other Tilling Group companies became part of the National Bus Company in 1969 but continued to trade as Western National. In 1983 the bus operations at Taunton passed to a new Southern National (a name previously used by a Western National partner operation in Dorset and east Devon). This company was privatised in 1988,[10][11] becoming part of FirstGroup in 1999. First Southern National was split up and operations around Taunton were transferred to First Somerset & Avon and rebranded as The Buses of Somerset in 2014[12] before being transferred to First South West based in Camborne, Cornwall.

The Transport Trust awarded Taunton station a Red Wheel plaque in 2015,[13] describing it as "a rare survivor of a corporate style once common in towns and cities nationwide".[4]

### Closure

[edit]

The bus station was closed after services on 27 March 2020. The Buses of Somerset stated it would not be economical to perform required upgrades.[14][15] Later in the year it was sold to the local council for use as a car park, although The Buses of Somerset leased back the offices as they had not found a suitable alternative in the town centre.[16]

Most bus services reverted to the stops on The Parade which had continued to be used by town services but some moved to the stop in Castle Way,[17] a street off Tower Street. Castle Way was used by many independent operators in later years, such as Dartline, Hatch Green, Quantock Motor Services, and South West Coaches, although Berrys Coaches' express service to London makes use of the stop at the King's Arms.

### Reopening proposal

[edit]

The county council intends to refurbish the site and reopen it as a bus station in 2025.[18]

## Maintenance facilities

[edit]

The site in Tower Street did not have any maintenance facilities. The National company shared a depot with Thomas Motors' "Lavender Blue" buses at the end of South Street from 1920. In 1933 the WNOC bought this company and Dunn's Motor Services which had a depot in the old Bridgwater Road, now known as Hamilton Road. The new owners enlarged the latter site and it continues to be used by The Buses of Somerset.[19]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Morris, Colin (2008). Western National Omnibus Company. Ian Allan Publishing. p. 19\. ISBN 978-0-7110-3174-6.
2. ^ Anderson, R.C.; Frankis, G.G. (1979). A History of Western National. David & Charles. p. 49\. ISBN 0-7153-7771-X.
3. ^ Morris 2008, p. 51.
4. ^ a b "Taunton bus station". Transport Trust. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
5. ^ Morris 2008, p. 52.
6. ^ Anderson & Frankis 1979, p. 96.
7. ^ Chipchase, Nick (2007). Taunton Remembered. Sutton Publishing. p. 16.
8. ^ James, Laurie (2004). Somerset's Buses. Tempus Publishing. p. 53\. ISBN 0-7524-3171-4.
9. ^ Morris 2008, p. 38.
10. ^ Hansard House of Commons 18 April 1988
11. ^ Buses issue 648 March 2009
12. ^ First introduces The Buses of Somerset Euro Transport 30 January 2014
13. ^ "Taunton 2015". Taunton Running Day. 31 January 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
14. ^ "First plans to sell its Taunton bus station". Buses, issue 779, February 2020, page 8
15. ^ Salter, Stephen (5 March 2020). "Taunton Bus Station to close after 67 years". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
16. ^ "Cars to occupy Taunton bus station". Buses. No. November 2020. p. 14.
17. ^ "Taunton Bus Station Closure" (PDF). The Buses of Somerset. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
18. ^ "Bus station to become revamped £2.7m transport hub". BBC News. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
19. ^ Morris 2008, p. 39.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Taunton bus station at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Transport in Somerset

Road|

| Roads|

* M5
* A30
* A303
* A37
* A38
* A39
* A361
* A368
* A369
* A370
* A371
* A4
* A46

|

Service stations|

* Gordano services
* Sedgemoor services
* Bridgwater services
* Taunton Deane services

Other|

* Fosse Way
* List of settlements on the A38

Rail|

| Main lines|

* Bristol–Taunton line
* Langport and Castle Cary
* Heart of Wessex Line
* West of England line

|

Closed lines and
historic companies|

* Bristol and Exeter Railway
* Bristol and North Somerset Railway
* Chard branch line
* Cheddar Valley line
* Clevedon branch line
* Devon and Somerset Railway
* Exe Valley Railway
* Mangotsfield and Bath branch line
* Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
* West Somerset Mineral Railway
* Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway
* Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
* Wrington Vale Light Railway

Heritage lines|

* East Somerset Railway
* West Somerset Railway

National Rail
stations|

* Bridgwater
* Bruton
* Castle Cary
* Crewkerne
* Frome
* Highbridge & Burnham
* Keynsham
* Nailsea & Backwell
* Taunton
* Templecombe
* Weston Milton
* Weston-super-Mare
* Worle
* Yatton
* Yeovil Junction
* Yeovil Pen Mill

Closed
stations|

* Alford Halt
* Ashcott
* Athelney
* Axbridge
* Bason Bridge
* Bawdrip
* Beambridge
* Binegar
* Bleadon and Uphill
* Brean Road Halt
* Brent Knoll
* Bridgwater North
* Disused railway stations on the Bristol to Exeter Line
* Burnham-on-Sea
* Charlton Mackrell
* Cheddar
* Chilcompton
* Cole (for Bruton)
* Congresbury
* Cossington
* Creech St Michael
* Draycott
* Dulverton
* Dunball
* Durston
* Edington
* Evercreech Junction
* Evercreech New
* Flax Bourton
* Glastonbury and Street
* Henstridge
* Keinton Mandeville
* Kelston
* Langport East
* Lodge Hill
* Long Ashton
* Long Sutton and Pitney
* Lyng Halt
* Masbury
* Midford
* Midsomer Norton
* Milverton
* Norton Fitzwarren
* Polsham
* Portishead
* Puxton and Worle
* Pylle
* Radstock North
* Saltford
* Sandford and Banwell
* Shapwick
* Shepton Mallet (Charlton Road)
* Shepton Mallet (High Street)
* Shoscombe and Single Hill Halt
* Somerton
* Venn Cross
* Wanstrow
* Wellington
* Wellow
* Wells (Priory Road)
* Wells (Tucker Street)
* Wells East
* West Pennard
* Weston Junction
* Wincanton
* Winscombe
* Witham
* Wiveliscombe
* Wookey
* Yeovil Town

Heritage
stations|

* Bishops Lydeard
* Blue Anchor
* Cranmore West
* Cranmore
* Crowcombe Heathfield
* Doniford Halt
* Dunster
* Mendip Vale
* Merryfield Lane
* Minehead
* Norton Fitzwarren
* Stogumber
* Washford
* Watchet
* Williton

Buses|

| Operators|

* Bath Bus Company
* Berrys Coaches
* First West of England
* The Buses of Somerset
* South West Coaches

|

Stations|

* Bath bus station
* Taunton bus station

Waterways|

| Rivers|

* Aller
* Avon
* Axe
* Barle
* Brue
* Cam Brook
* Cary
* Chew
* East Lyn
* Exe
* Frome
* Haddeo
* Hoar Oak Water
* Holford
* Horner
* Huntspill
* Isle
* Midford Brook
* Parret
* Severn Estuary
* Sheppey
* Somer
* Sowy
* Tone
* Washford
* Wellow Brook
* West Lyn
* Whitelake
* Yeo (Congresbury)
* Yeo (South Somerset)

|

Canals|

* Bridgwater and Taunton Canal
* Chard Canal
* Galton's Canal
* Glastonbury Canal
* Grand Western Canal
* Ivelchester and Langport Navigation
* Kennet and Avon Canal
* Somerset Coal Canal
* Westport Canal

Ports &
harbours|

* Bleadon
* Blue Anchor
* Bridgwater
* Bridgwater Canalside Centre
* Clevedon
* Combwich
* Dunball
* Dunster
* East Quantoxhead
* Highbridge
* Kilve
* Langport
* Lilstock
* Minehead
* Pill
* Porlock Weir
* Portishead
* Royal Portbury Dock
* Uphill
* Watchet
* Weston-super-Mare
* Wick St Lawrence

Footpaths|

| National Trails|

* South West Coast Path

|

Long-distance
footpaths|

* Coleridge Way
* Limestone Link
* Macmillan Way West
* Mendip Way
* Monarch's Way
* Quantock Greenway
* River Parrett Trail
* Two Tunnels Greenway
* West Deane Way

Cycle paths|

* National Cycle Route 3
* Bristol and Bath Railway Path
* National Cycle Route 4
* National Cycle Route 24

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template