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Former London bus extensions on Sundays to serve mental hospitals

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MotCO

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The thread on route London 126 included this:
The 126 Sunday extension to Bexleyheath replaced the 160A over the Eltham to Welling section via Eltham Park Station and Rochester Way. The 124A had been created in 1960, eight years prior to that, to replace the special journeys on the 124 to Bexley Hospital which in turn had replaced the special journeys on the 132.

This reminded me that the 88 was extended on Sundays to serve Banstead Hospital, since this mental hospital (can we still call them these?) served the residents of Westminster through which the 88 passed.

This got me thinking; which other London routes were extended to mental hospitals on Sundays, and what boroughs did the patients originate from?
 
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London Transport Country, the outer green area had quite a few hospitals

Sorry for spellings and bus errors - this is from memory 50 years ago

Mid late 60s

Harpurbury had a dedicated visitors service (rte 345) Wednesdays & Sundays from Bushey and Watford
Harpurbury and nearby Napsbury had what looked like Sunday services geared for visits (rtes 338 358) predominantly from Borhamwood and the south, they also had regular services "passing the door"
Leavesden had one off route visitors service on Sundays (rte 347), from the South, Uxbridge Oxhey & Watford. Possible that 719 Greenline from London also had a visitors journey
St Peter's Botley had a regular service (rte 461a) from the east Walton and Adlestone and a Wednesday & Sunday dedicated visitors (rte 469) from the North, Egham but strangley neither Staines or Windsor
Sundridge had morning and evening staff journey s off route from (rte 413 /413a) from the east Sevenoaks no obvious provision for visitors despite the very rural location.
Warlingham Park had regular services from Leatherhead, Epsom Croydon (rtes 403 408 470) and in late 1950s an experimental Sunday visitors (rte 400) from New Addington 5m north, it avoided going into Croydon and back, about 12 miles.
Smallfield hospital had a Thursday and Sundays visitors (rte 482) from Caterham Godstone and Redhill. Also a Sundays only dedicated visitors (rte 851) from Three Bridges (station ) and Crawley
Netherene hospital had a Wednesday & Sunday dedicated visitors (rte472) from Leatherhead Epsom and Sutton. In the day this was run with 3 buses, one also providing an unadvertised? shuttle service down the long steep drive to the main road.

These routes were withdrawn in line with reduction of the hospital's population and the growth of car ownership 400 was first to go, 851 and 469 were gone by 1967/8
 

MotCO

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Was route 88 only the red bus route then? I seem to recall buses going to Freirn Barnett, but don't know if this was their regular terminus or a Sunday only terminus.
 

Busaholic

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Was route 88 only the red bus route then? I seem to recall buses going to Freirn Barnett, but don't know if this was their regular terminus or a Sunday only terminus.
The 43 has always terminated at Friern Barnet, but I don't recollect any special services to Friern Barnet Hospital on any other route.
Some journeys on the 88 Banstead extension were operated by Shepherds Bush garage and originated at Acton Green.
Goodmayes Hospital may have been classified as a mental hospital a few decades ago, and iirc had special Sunday services.
The 124a is probably the only route number created specifically for a mental facility i.e.Bexley Hospital.
The retention of the 59 route on a Sunday long after its weekday existence ceased MAY have something to do with Cane Hill Mental Hospital in Coulsdon, which the route went near to, first to Chipstead Valley, then, in latter days, Old Coulsdon. The route originated in West Hampstead and passed through Brixton, Streatham, Croydon etc from where many of the inmates would have originated. It was a big hospital, and a drawing of it featured on the U.S. version album cover of David Bowie's 'Man Who Sold the World'!
 

Bookd

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There used (in the North east) to be various odd hospital services run by United AS, such as Middlesbrough to Putney Hall once a week and West Hartlepool to Stannington Sanatorium once a month.
There was also a weekly short working of the Tyne Tees Mersey service from Middlesbrough to Northallerton Hospital.
I suspect that these fell away as the nature of hospitals changed, particularly in that visiting was no longer restricted to a tight timescale on specified days.
 

Smitham

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The retention of the 59 route on a Sunday long after its weekday existence ceased MAY have something to do with Cane Hill Mental Hospital in Coulsdon, which the route went near to, first to Chipstead Valley, then, in latter days, Old Coulsdon. The route originated in West Hampstead and passed through Brixton, Streatham, Croydon etc from where many of the inmates would have originated. It was a big hospital, and a drawing of it featured on the U.S. version album cover of David Bowie's 'Man Who Sold the World'!

Pretty sure you are correct. Off topic, but Bowie's brother was a patient at Cane Hill, hence the album cover.
 

TheGrandWazoo

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There used (in the North east) to be various odd hospital services run by United AS, such as Middlesbrough to Putney Hall once a week and West Hartlepool to Stannington Sanatorium once a month.
There was also a weekly short working of the Tyne Tees Mersey service from Middlesbrough to Northallerton Hospital.
I suspect that these fell away as the nature of hospitals changed, particularly in that visiting was no longer restricted to a tight timescale on specified days.

I guess that many of these facilities were placed in the countryside so well away from the general public (doubtless a Victoria contradiction between making sure they had fresh air AND also keeping them away from polite society) so not easy to visit.

United Auto did indeed have dedicated services and also used to divert their 143 Ripon to York service via Whixley Hospital on a Sunday.
 

plcd1

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There used (in the North east) to be various odd hospital services run by United AS, such as Middlesbrough to Putney Hall once a week and West Hartlepool to Stannington Sanatorium once a month.
There was also a weekly short working of the Tyne Tees Mersey service from Middlesbrough to Northallerton Hospital.
I suspect that these fell away as the nature of hospitals changed, particularly in that visiting was no longer restricted to a tight timescale on specified days.

My old TWPTE timetable book for Newcastle and Gateshead 1978 had the following

490 Newcastle - Stannington, Children's Hospital - 1 rtn jny 1st Sat of the month and on Sundays but not the Sunday following the first Saturday
490 Newcastle - Burnholme Hospital - 1 rtn jny each Saturday
There were thus two different 490s on the 1st Sat of each month both heading to Stannington but 50 mins part from Newcastle

492 Newcastle - Prudhoe Hospital - 1 rtn jny first Sat of the month

Northern ran a daily 620 route from Chopwell to Prudhoe Hospital which I assume was for employees given the journey times rather than for visitors.
 
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