Ironsides Coaches of Dunton Green

[Michael Wadman]

I have received a query from Roger Grimley, who is researching Bere Regis & District Motor Services. It appears that following the death of Bill Ironside, who was one of the partners in BR&D, his sons set up a coach business in Dunton Green.

I know that coach operators in the London Country area don’t tend to attract much attention, but if anyone can supply any information on this operation it would be greatly appreciated.

MW

 

 

[Derek Jones]

Mike

Thanks for this - I am in touch with Roger Grimley so will contact him direct.  It's an unusual story - I always suspected a link between the Ironsides in Kent and those connected with Bere Regis & District but had never been able to prove it.

In fact the brothers (L.J. & W.C. Ironside) acquired the coach operations of Davis of Sevenoaks in 1972 when the latter decided to concentrate on vehicle sales.  After a transitional period using Davis's own address in St John's Hill, they set up a limited company (Ironside Travel Ltd) trading from an office at 148 London Road, Sevenoaks, but based the vehicles at The Old Gravel Pit, Powdermill Lane in High Brooms, and these could often be seen in the Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells area.  They always seemed to have a predeliction for old mineral workings, and after the Powdermill Lane site was sold for redevelopment as housing in 1978 they moved the fleet to a former quarry at Limepit Lane, Dunton Green, just to the west of the A224 & M25 south of Polhill and Fort Halstead.  The latter site has since been developed as an industrial estate, but when Ironside was there it was just an open yard.

Also in 1978, they took over the fleet of Langton, Sevenoaks (who were based at a yard on the edge of a wood at Sundridge), and set up an associate company, Ironside Economy Coach Hire Ltd, to cover the acquired business.  At the time I remember this caused the usual problems of trying to establish which company each vehicle was licensed to!  They ran a contract on behalf of EF Language School, and two ex-Langton vehicles (a former Reading Dennis Loline, GRD 576D, and an ex-Bristol OC FLF6B, 202 NAE) carried that organisation's blue and white livery as an overall advert, which was also applied to former Devon General Regent V EOD 524D when that was acquired in 1981.

Otherwise, fleet policy moved from Bedfords and Fords in the early years to AEC Reliances which made up most of the fleet from 1980 onwards, including Willowbrook-bodied examples from Safeguard of Guildford (EPK 106/7J) and Devon General (latterly Western National) (TUO 74/80/1J).  They also had a couple of Plaxton Supreme-rebodied Reliances from Limebourne (OLE 583E and OKE 398F, the latter originating with Pilchers of Chatham), and we hired OLE 583E for a tour to Sussex in 1981.  However, by 1983 things were not well with the operator, and Ironside Travel Ltd ceased trading in 11/83 followed by Ironside Economy Coach Hire Ltd in 4/84.

I will post pictures of some of the vehicles separately.

Derek J

[Derek Jones]

A couple of slightly more modern-looking vehicles in the later fleet, both AEC Reliances with Plaxton Supreme bodies.
XRW 506S, seen in April 1984 (the left-hand vehicle in the lineup shown earlier) was one of a pair of coaches acquired from Smith of Tysoe/Alcester in 1980 (the other being XRW 509S), while OLE 583E (with a chassis new in 1967 but rebodied in 1976) was one of four Reliances acquired from Limebourne, SW1 in 1980/1, the others being UAR 924/6M with their original Plaxton bodies, and 1977-rebodied OKE 398F that had originated with Pilcher of Chatham.  OLE 583E was used for an enthusiasts' tour along the south coast on 29th August 1981, and I photographed it parked in Brighton Buses' Lewes Road depot.

Derek J

[Derek Jones]

AEL 457B was a Bedford SB5 with Plaxton "Embassy III" C41F body, acquired for the Ironside Economy fleet shortly after the takeover of Langton, Sevenoaks in 1978.  The blue element of the livery was intended to distinguish that part of the fleet, but proved to be a short-lived experiment, resulting in different liveries being in use simultaneously.  Powdermill Lane, High Brooms, 11th April 1981.

The later yard at Limepit Lane, Dunton Green was a fairly bleak affair, in an old quarry tucked in the side of the hill above the M25.  A lineup found in early April 1984 around the time Ironside ceased trading consisted of four AEC Reliances, three with Plaxton bodies (XRW 506S, MTX 947L and FAR 729L) and ex-Safeguard of Guildford EPK 106J with Willowbrook B51F body.  All had O-licence discs that expired in 11/83 so may have been withdrawn for several months.

The third picture taken during an earlier visit in August 1982 shows a closeup of sister vehicle EPK 107J.

Derek J