Maidstone Corporation 69 (HKR 8) on Gabriel's Hill

[Derek Jones]

John Watts, who (with his late brother David) authored the book "Who is this Mr Wilberjim?" about Strood independent JWH Watson (Rochester) Ltd (Wilberjim) that was published in 2017 (John also wrote an earlier book "Ramblings from my old Armchair" about Armchair Passenger Transport of Brentford, published in 2012) has kindly passed to me some of his collection of photos and records relating to Kent independents, which I will be sorting through during the coming months.  The collection also includes a number of black and white views of M&D, East Kent and Maidstone Corporation vehicles from the 1960s, and John has kindly agreed that some can be shared with the Invicta group, so I plan to post a small selection of some of the more interesting pictures during the autumn and winter months for members to enjoy.

I was immediately drawn to this first one, which shows Maidstone Corporation Sunbeam W4 trolleybus 69 (HKR 8) descending Gabriel's Hill, Maidstone in the first half of the 1960s, the vehicle destined to be withdrawn in 1965 and sold for scrap in 1966.

It had Northern Coachbuilders H30/26R bodywork and was new in 1947.

Pictures taken in Gabriel's Hill itself are quite rare, it being fairly narrow so was an awkward place to photograph in because there were no stops and most photographers of that era tended to concentrate on the Queen's Monument at the top of the hill or (more usually) the M&D bus station in Lower Stone Street at the bottom, where there were better angles to capture standard three-quarter vehicle shots.  But this captured not only the vehicle itself but also the trolleybus wiring down the hill.

I've included a cropped version of the picture allowing a closer view of the vehicle in the more usual landscape format.

Derek J

[Richard Ratcliffe]

How times change!  Note parked cars on one side of the hill.  More importantly members may not be aware that during WW2 (and maybe before the war?) trolleybuses and motorbuses ran two way on Gabriels Hill.  I wonder if anyone has any photos from those days?

Anyway - well done Derek for agreeing with the Watts family that we can share the joys of some of these shots from a bygone era.

Richard Ratty

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From: 'Derek Jones' via Invicta Bus & Coach Newsgroup <mdekb...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: 30 September 2025 21:51
To: Invicta Newsgroup <Mdekb...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [Invicta] Maidstone Corporation 69 (HKR 8) on Gabriel's Hill

 

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[Nicholas King]

Picking up the comments raised by Richard Ratcliffe on 30th September, F.3 (both the original edition and the 2004 re-write) are very clear.

Trams had always run both ways between Cannon and Loose Road via Mill Street and Knightrider Street, so never served the upper part of the town centre.  At the time Gabriel’s Hill was rejected because it was considered too narrow.

                With the introduction of trolleybuses, the outbound route was revised to High Street, Gabriel’s Hill and Lower Stone Street.

                An air-raid on 31/10/40 brought down the wiring in Knightrider Street/Mill Street (it is not known precisely where, but I guess there was also damage to adjacent buildings).  “Temporary wires were hurriedly hung in Lower Stone Street and Gabriel’s Hill for journeys into the town from Loose Road for about a week until the normal route could be restored.  As there was not time to provide the necessary frogs, trolley poles had to be changed manually at Wren’s Cross and the Queen’s Monument at this period.  Although there is no record that this emergency wiring was used again after this time, it remained in place until the end of 1945 as a precaution against any recurrence.”

This extract from F.3 seems pretty clear that the inward use of Gabriel’s Hill by trolleybuses was limited to just week.

                Motor-buses first used Gabriel’s Hill with the temporary 1928/9 service to and from Mangravet Avenue.  This was inbound only (outbound via Mill Street and Sheals Crescent).  They didn’t do so again until the 1938 peak-only service to and from Plains Avenue (withdrawn early in wartime), this time outbound (coming in via Knightrider Street).

The Mote Park Estate service was altered to run outbound via Gabriel’s Hill when it was linked with the Hackney Road service in 1939, though F.3 observes that for some years it went via Barton Road and Sheals Crescent instead.  This seems to have been the first “permanent” use of Gabriel’s Hill by motor-buses.  F.3 observes that from this time “apart from the Tovil routes most journeys to the south used Gabriel’s Hill”.  There seems to be no record of motor-buses ever using Gabriel’s Hill inbound.

                I hope this helps.  Interested parties who have not already done so can refer to both editions of the Club’s F.3, to our 1979 Maidstone publication compiled by Richard Lewis and Eric Baldock, to David Scotney’s publication on the trolleybus system, to the Kain & Coates publication on the Trolleybuses of Maidstone, to volume 1 of the Tramways of Kent series, to Eric Baldock’s book on Maidstone Corporation from 1904 to 1974, and to Robert Harley’s book on Maidstone Trams and Trolleybuses, which includes a whole page of other relevant bibliography (some of it no longer in print).

                Indeed, it is surprising that these sources don’t seem to have been consulted before raising the question!

 

Nicholas King

 

From: mdekb...@googlegroups.com <mdekb...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Richard Ratcliffe
Sent: 30 September 2025 22:17
To: mdekb...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [Invicta] Maidstone Corporation 69 (HKR 8) on Gabriel's Hill

 

… Members may not be aware that during WW2 (and maybe before the war?) trolleybuses and motorbuses ran two way on Gabriels Hill.  I wonder if anyone has any photos from those days?

 

Anyway - well done Derek for agreeing with the Watts family that we can share the joys of some of these shots from a bygone era.

 

Richard Ratty

Virus-free.www.avg.com

[Richard Ratcliffe]

In answer to Nicholas' very valid point about failure to consult reference sources before firing off questions and comments I would have to say that it's all too easy to use the "keyboard and screen" to make a quick point and we all become lazy about consulting solid paper based reference sources which we all know exist on our bookshelves!  Well that's my excuse anyway!  Will try to do the homework more effectively in future.  But serious thanks to Nicholas who has looked at the source material and encapsulated and précised the history in a few paragraphs in his own professional and inimitable way.  There must be many other stories about short term transport workarounds necessitated by Hitler's bombs - so there's a challenge for someone to pull it all together across the county of Kent (bomb alley as it was known) in WW2.

Richard

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From: 'Nicholas King' via Invicta Bus & Coach Newsgroup <mdekb...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: 14 October 2025 18:28
To: mdekb...@googlegroups.com <mdekb...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: RE: [Invicta] Maidstone Corporation 69 (HKR 8) on Gabriel's Hill

 

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[Nicholas King]

Thank you for the vote of thanks, Richard.

                Much appreciated.  I am more used to getting brickbats for supposed deficiencies than appreciation for doing my job!

 

Virus-free.www.avg.com

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