Covered Bus Stations

[TheGrandWazoo]

As if. I won't have been there since about 1985, all I can remember is loads of big concrete columns on the inside and the entrance sort of on a corner

What it looked like in the 1960s (photo from DJ Norton) http://www.photobydjnorton.com/GTC/CityCentre.html



And more recently...



This is the era I remember...

 

[DelW]

Was that the really weirdly designed one with entrance and exit on a shallow angle from the road, that was used predominantly by Midland Red rather than the corporation / WMPTE?

That's the one. If you know where to look, you can still see the entrance. It was mainly Midland Red - I recall using in during the summer of 1996 for services out to Kidderminster and Worcester.

I used it regularly in the 1960s and it was entirely Midland Red* at that time. Corporation buses all used roadside stops around the city centre rather a specific terminus.

*(Possibly the occasional Stratford Blue which I think was an associated company).

 

[GCH100]

Ribble's/North Western's Liverpool Skelhorne Street Bus and Coach Station/Depot was under-cover. Great Yarmouth in Norfolk had its Wellington Street Eastern Counties Depot/Bus Station under cover and I am nearly sure that the current Great Yarmouth Bus Station is at least partually under cover under a car park.

 

[ian1944]

That photo of the Midland Red Bull Ring BS is horribly reminiscent of New St station even now.

 

[DunsBus]

Edinburgh, St Andrew Square Bus Station (mark 1). A 1970s office block covered stances B, C and D.

 

[GusB]

There’s only been one called that-and it’s still there today. You either mean Killermont Street Bus Station or Waterloo Street Bus Station, both stand alone buildings with an upper floor and the buses in platforms at ground level, driving in from the rear and driving out the front like a Fire Station once passengers boarded.

The bus station I'm talking about is certainly not the one that's still there. More than likely it's the one you refer to as "Killermont Street Bus Station", but wasn't aware that it was referred to as such.

There's an article here that shows a couple of photos of it. Images 1 and 4 match up with what I've seen in various photographs. I'd be interested to find out which streets the entrance and exits were on.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Rochdale's used to be beneath the old council offices (known locally as Darth Vader's Palace because of it's black cladding and tinted windows).

Both it and the building are long gone with a new bus station in operating a short distance away.

 

[psmith2023]

Mansfield bus station is covered up has been for years

 

[John HG1]

Wetherby Bus Station was also the West Yorkshire sub-depot there. This shot of a Harrogate & District Iveco was taken on the day it closed in 1990, by which time it was a bus station only.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

I'd be interested to find out which streets the entrance and exits were on.

According to the SCT61 website there were two entrances, one on Killermont Street itself and one on Germiston Street. The exit was onto Buchanan Street.

MacBraynes used a covered bus station/garage in Parliamentary Road, Glasgow. IIRC it closed shortly after Highland took over.

 

[Buzby]

More than likely it's the one you refer to as "Killermont Street Bus Station", but wasn't aware that it was referred to as such

Killermont Street Bus Station
As can be seen from the map below, the bus station (bordered in red) mostly handled northbound routes and was close to Buchanan Street station, vehicles entered from Port Dundas Road, turning into Germiston Street and entering the building. Buses exited into Killermont Street before turning into Parliamentary Road. (Marked in green). Not relevant to this thread, was the adjacent ‘open to the elements’ Parliamentary Road Bus Station (marked in yellow) which handled the more local buses. It is worth noting that ‘new’ bus station often incorrectly called Buchanan Street when it is simply ‘Buchanan’.



Waterloo Street Bus Station
Operationally working the same way as Killermont (above), buses entered at Wellington Street to reach 6 (or possibly 8) platforms each having a stairway up to a mezzanine level with seats and vending machines as well as an area for passengers to circulate and walk down to whichever platform they required; it was only yards away from Glasgow Central. Egress was via Waterloo Street



Finally, I‘ve omitted Anderson Bus Station, the building under which it was located - Anderson Shopping Centre still exists and operated similar to Buchanan with saw-tooth platforms but was a scary place at night with the bus areas open to the sky.

Thanks to NLS Maps for the resource.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 May 2025 ==

The exit was onto Buchanan Street.

See the map - it was Parliamentary Road!

 

[SuspectUsual]

And apropos Killermont Street bus station, here it is in song, complete with a little explanation

 

[Albaman]

Regarding Killermont Street Bus station, during my brief and not too successful time as a Conductor at Milngave depot, buses entered this location via Killermont Street and departed via Buchanan Street. Photographs in " Streets of Glasgow " by Alan Millar and " Omnibus Tales " by Clen Mackenzie confirm my recollection. The caption next to the photo in " Streets of Glasgow " explains how use of the various entrances changed over the years.

Incidentally, on the map on which Killermont Bus Station is depicted, Buchanan Street ( railway ) Goods Station is shown. During my spell at Milngavie, part of this site was used to park buses and on time boards etc it was referred to as the " Railway Yard ".

 

[Robertj21a]

Mansfield bus station is covered up has been for years

It's not covered nowadays.

 

[Julia]

High Wycombe, Newlands (now demolished, I think) had both bus station and Alder Valley garage under the same roof, and not a good place to be when claggy Nationals were being started up from cold

 

[Renown 3B3RA]

Speaking of Alder Valley, I don’t think Reading has been mentioned yet. Some of these 1960s covered bus stations had very short lives. I didn’t really object to Blackpool Talbot Rd which I think dated back to before WW2; despite it taking lack of separation of buses and passengers to extreme levels, it was handy for North station and although not the best in terms of passenger facilities it was better than the random scatter of bus terminals around the town centre now.

 

[Open top 80]

Grassington Bus station double up as a sub depot (West Yorkshire) it is now a post sorting office

 

[61653 HTAFC]

It's already been mentioned, but the old roof at Bradford Interchange always fascinated me. It seemed like such an elaborate and over-engineered structure for a rather unglamorous role. It probably divided opinion looks-wise, but I quite liked it. It would probably be called brutalist, but to me it had a bit of a "cyberpunk" look (though I wasn't aware of what that was at the time). I remember wishing I could climb up the maintenance stairwells and look down from the rafters though!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Grassington Bus station double up as a sub depot (West Yorkshire) it is now a post sorting office

I thought Grassington was a depot. Then outside the main building was a shelter/canopy where the passengers waited, next to the travel office (a bit like Stokesley).

Grassington bus depot - flickr (Creweboy)

 

[Lewisham2221]

Canada Water (TfL)

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

High Wycombe, Newlands (now demolished, I think) had both bus station and Alder Valley garage under the same roof, and not a good place to be when claggy Nationals were being started up from cold

Indeed - went with the Eden Shopping Centre build. No great loss

Speaking of Alder Valley, I don’t think Reading has been mentioned yet. Some of these 1960s covered bus stations had very short lives. I didn’t really object to Blackpool Talbot Rd which I think dated back to before WW2; despite it taking lack of separation of buses and passengers to extreme levels, it was handy for North station and although not the best in terms of passenger facilities it was better than the random scatter of bus terminals around the town centre now.

Reading also had the noteworthy position of being reopened temporarily c.2010 (after about 15 years).

Mention of Reading reminded me of another hellish, brutalist place... Corby bus station. I never enjoyed it in use, but remember seeing it after closure in the early 2000s with 1970s signage still in place.

 

[IanMac]

Just a few comments:

- Killermont Street certainly appeared on Central SMT destination blinds;
- I don't think the new Mansfield is covered, nor was the old one;
- the old Worksop (inside the depot);
- Heathrow Terminal 5;
- Gatwick Airport possibly;
- Liverpool One?

 

[AWWisher]

I thought Grassington was a depot. Then outside the main building was a shelter/canopy where the passengers waited, next to the travel office (a bit like Stokesley).

Grassington bus depot - flickr (Creweboy)

Both true. Yes, buses went in the double doors, through the depot, out the smaller door and stopped at the shelter - mostly. Sometimes they stopped in the depot, especially when more than one bus scheduled [buses to Skipton, Kettlewell/Buckden, Litton. Pateley, Ilkley, Leyburn/Hawes (Tu, F & Su) all had advertised connections] & often duplicates on busy weekends.

 

[cool110]

Liverpool One?

Outside, only the shelters under cover

 

[satters]

The Midland Red bus station & garage in Stourbridge I remember well, sadly now gone

 

[Ken H]

I thought Grassington was a depot. Then outside the main building was a shelter/canopy where the passengers waited, next to the travel office (a bit like Stokesley).

Grassington bus depot - flickr (Creweboy)

The buses went through the garage to get to the bus stand. But when 2 buses were departing at the same time I think one would load inside the garage

Wasnt the bus station in 'On the Buses' a dual use building, bus station and garage. But I think the interior shots were a set.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The buses went through the garage to get to the bus stand. But when 2 buses were departing at the same time I think one would load inside the garage

Wasnt the bus station in 'On the Buses' a dual use building, bus station and garage. But I think the interior shots were a set.

Eastern National at Wood Green - it was a depot with bus station at the front. It was similar to Braintree in that respect.

 

[GCH100]

Slough Brunell Bus Station was undercover, it has now been demolished.

 

[dvboy]

Walsall

 

[Roger1973]

High Wycombe, Newlands (now demolished, I think) had both bus station and Alder Valley garage under the same roof, and not a good place to be when claggy Nationals were being started up from cold

Fairly sure it has been - it closed in 2006 and there was a mini running day (not sure if it was much more than a couple of London Transport / Country Routemasters.)

Speaking of Alder Valley, I don’t think Reading has been mentioned yet.

No, I was going to mention it - and also had a nightclub then later bingo hall above it, so Longton wasn't quite unique in that respect. (from memory, the Longton one was at various times a bowling alley, 'the chancery grill' and 'jollees night club')

Although in its later years, when it was revived for rail replacement, Reading didn't quite meet this requirement -

For the benefit of the doubt, this is where if a bus is parked on the stand and it starts raining, the bus will stay dry

although it was delayed action - all was dry for an hour or two after it started raining, and buses / passengers continued getting wet for an hour or two after it stopped raining. i always wore a hat when i was looking after rail replacements there...

Have we had Belper, Derbyshire yet? That was another combined depot / bus station - not sure if it's still in business, I've not been to that part of the world for many years now.