Mildenhall - not only buses and coaches....

Saturday 8 September 1984 – This was the bridge over the River Lark on the road out of Mildenhall towards Worlington and Barton Mills which was rebuilt and widened in early 1985. Prior to the rebuilding work taking place traffic lights and narrowing measures were put in place so that only one stream of traffic crossed the bridge at any one time. In this view an Eastern Counties Omnibus Company double decker bus is seen crossing the bridge when working the 1540 Bury St Edmunds to Lakenheath service 976. VR206 (XNG 206S), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR new in February 1978.

Saturday 6 April 1985 (Easter weekend) – The bridge over the River Lark on the road out of Mildenhall towards Worlington and Barton Mills was rebuilt and widened in early 1985. During the building work a temporary bridge was put in place between the old bridge and what was Martins Warehouse (which later became the Bridge Mill apartment building). Three way traffic lights controlled the traffic on the roads towards Mildenhall, to Barton Mills and to Worlington. In this view an Eastern Counties Omnibus Company double decker bus had just crossed the temporary bridge heading towards Mildenhall. VR206 (XNG 206S), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR new in February 1978.

Tuesday 19 March 1985 – The bridge over the River Lark on the road out of Mildenhall towards Worlington and Barton Mills was rebuilt and widened in early 1985. During the building work a temporary bridge was put in place between the old bridge and what was Martins Warehouse (which later became the Bridge Mill apartment building). Between that building and the bus Parker’s Mill, which also became an apartment block, can also be seen in the background. In this view Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR269 (RAH 269W), an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR new in March 1981, was crossing the temporary bridge when working the early morning service 972 to Bury St. Edmunds via Tuddenham and Risby.

Date unknown/photographer unknown. This Eastern Counties Omnibus Company bus had gone on to soft earth on the road from Mildenhall to Barton Mills and slowly toppled over into the adjacent ditch. I was told that everyone got out safely and I assume the standing people were the passengers. The conductor can be seen among the crowd. The bus was an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol Lodekka which was working the Beck Row-Mildenhall-Bury St Edmunds service numbered 213 at the time and later became service 974. The scene here is rather different today. The field behind the people is where Lyon House and Stanton House now stand. The field and the line of trees border the lane leading to The Grange which joins the public road on the bend just above the roof of the bus.

Saturday 13 April 1985 – Percivals Coaches of Oxford was a joint operator with Premier Travel Services and National Express on the cross country Lowestoft-Bristol service 747. This view shows Plaxton Supreme IV Express bodied Leyland Leopard 81 (LWL 745W) picking up at King Street, Mildenhall when working the 0845 Cambridge-Lowestoft service. St Andrew’s Street can be seen on the right. The cottage in the background represents a rural Mildenhall of days gone by and stands where the Wilko store (originally Budgens) now is. The area occupied by the store, and the houses forming St Mary’s Close behind it, was the site of Cocksedge’s builders yard.

Saturday 26 January 1985 – High Street, Mildenhall: Ambassador Travel LL796 (OEX 796W) was arriving in town on the 1100 National Express service 097 from London (Victoria). It was a Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard new to Eastern Counties in December 1980. Coming up behind is Eastern Counties VR269 (RAH 269W) working the 1300 Bury St. Edmunds to Beck Row service 974. It was an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR new in March 1981. The shop on the right was Hagger’s Bakery and the black and white building on the left was the ‘original’ TSB (Trustee Savings Bank) that was later merged into Lloyds TSB and then 'demerged' to live again.

Friday 13 May 1994 - Premier Travel Services 381 (G381 REG), a Plaxton Expressliner bodied Volvo B10M, seen in High Street, Mildenhall. It was working the 0920 Cambridge to Norwich (1125) service and would return as the 1230 Norwich to Cambridge (1435?) service, a working that only survived between 1 November 1993 and 15 May 1994. Mildenhall market was bustling with traders and shoppers. On 1 June 1412 King Henry IV signed a charter to allow a market to be held once a week, every Friday in Mildenhall. Sadly, the number of traders in 2023 is significantly less than it was 30 or so years ago when this photograph was taken. The black and white building was the ‘original’ TSB (Trustee Savings Bank) that was later merged into Lloyds TSB and then 'demerged' to live again. The two ladies chatting on the right are standing outside what was the Eastern Electricty showrooms (later Stebbings and later still Barbers Inc). I seem to recall the taller lady may have worked at Bussens and Parkin at one time although I am not totally certain. In my mind I have a mental picture her serving in a shop where she wore a navy blue overall with white piping.

Friday 13 May 1994 - Premier Travel Services 381 (G381 REG), a Plaxton Expressliner bodied Volvo B10M, seen in King Street, Mildenhall. It was working the 0920 Cambridge to Norwich (1125) service and would return as the 1230 Norwich to Cambridge (1435?) service, a working that only survived between 1 November 1993 and 15 May 1994. Friday is market day in Mildenhall, on 1 June 1412 King Henry IV signed a charter to allow a market to be held once a week, every Friday. Whilst the market stalls were generally concentrated in the Market Place, Market Street and the shopping precinct some additional trading spilled over into King Street. Snushall's fish and chip shop is directly behind the lamp post. Twenty odd years later bus and coach drivers still have to tolerate cars parked on the double yellow lines (where the two are in this photograph) as they swing out of the bus station.

Sunday 6 March 1994 (approx. 0905) - Ambassador Travel 125 (H167 EJU), a Plaxton Paramount 3500 bodied Volvo B10M new in April 1991, seen in a rather quiet High Street, Mildenhall when working the 0700 National Express service 495 from Cromer to London. There have been a few changes to the businesses in this part of town. On the left there is the Gandhi Tandoori (still trading today); an electrical component shop that everyone called ‘Tandy’ because of its signage but actually owned by local people (M & K Electrical) (now Rumble's fish and chip shop); Mildenhall Cleaners - the dry cleaning shop (now Mildenhall Carpets); and Dewhursts Butchers (still there but under a different name - Cherry Tree Butchers). On the right is Motorspares and Colbert & Moy Plumbers (in to which Motorspares later expanded). Later the shops were divided again with Wreaths and Ribbons occupying the Colbert & Moy shop and Papa John's Pizza occupying the shop on the right.

Thursday 10 August 1995 (0950) – The laying of a pipeline along King Street in Mildenhall resulted in general upheaval with the buses unable to access the lay-by. As a result they were picking-up wherever they could – there was no formal alternative bus stop. This one is outside the gateway of Bussens and Parkin’s site across the street from the Museum. Eastern Counties Omnibus Company VR249 (GRA 847V) is doing a good trade for a Thursday. It is an Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristol VR new to Trent Motor Traction in April 1980 (fleet number 847).

Sunday 25 July 1982 - The Eastern Counties Omnibus Company outstationed two buses in Mildenhall to operate services into Bury St. Edmunds six days a week. Normally the pair remained parked on Sundays when no services ran. However, for a few summers during the early 1980s the company utilised the buses on Sundays for an excursion type service operating to Felixstowe as service X12. This view shows the two outstationed vehicles loading for the seaside at King Street, both are Eastern Coachworks bodied Bristols. The double decker a Bristol VR is VR195 (TEX 405R) (new May 1977) and the single decker a Bristol RELL, RL504 (BVF 667J) (new in June 1971). The folks sat ignoring the buses were waiting for transport elsewhere, they had been out all night. I recalled there had been some musical concert at Mildenhall Stadium the previous night and with the power of the Internet more than 30 years later I was able to establish that it was an East Anglia Rock and Blues Festival event. This view, taken from Recreation Way, shows a little more of the layout of the lay-by area at King Street. Note that the bus shelter had not yet been constructed. The entrance to the car park is at the far end of the wall close to what is now the Abbotts Estate Agents building and near the case that housed a plan of the town.

Wednesday 27 October 1993 – This Duple Dominant bodied Leyland Leopard was new as Trent Motor Traction 124 (UVO 124S) in November 1977 later being transferred to Barton Buses, a Trent subsidiary as their 1124. It was subsequently acquired by the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company and numbered LL797. It was seen in Mill Street, Mildenhall working the Newmarket-Thetford service 200. Looks like it remained in the Barton Buses colour scheme.

Saturday 2 April 1994 (1846) (Easter weekend) - Eastern Counties Omnibus Company LW792 (OEX 792W) was a Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R that was new as a National Express liveried coach in November 1979 (with fleet number LL792). In the split of ECOC LL792 passed to Ambassador Travel for continued use on National Express services between Norfolk and London. However, it later returned to ECOC for use on bus service work. It was seen turning from Mill Street into High Street in Mildenhall when working the 1820 Newmarket to Thetford service 200.

Saturday 2 April 1994 (1846) (Easter weekend) - Eastern Counties Omnibus Company LW792 (OEX 792W) was a Willowbrook bodied Leyland Leopard PSU3E/4R that was new as a National Express liveried coach in November 1979 (with fleet number LL792). In the split of ECOC LL792 passed to Ambassador Travel for continued use on National Express services between Norfolk and London. However, it later returned to ECOC for use on bus service work. It was seen by St. Mary’s Church in High Street, Mildenhall when working the 1820 Newmarket to Thetford service 200. The red fibreglass timetable case hangs forlorn on the bus stop pole although it was now devoid of a bus stop sign following a bout of vandalism. There is a blue plate attached to the upright part of the pole which advises people that express services now picked-up in King Street. Eastbound express services previously picked-up near this point and westbound services somewhere on the opposite side of the street all before the time I moved into the area in April 1979.

May 2002 (wc 6 May 2002) – An old printing press used for decades to print the Mildenhall Almanac arrives at the Mildenhall Museum on board a preserved steam lorry. A more modern vehicle in the form of Burtons Coaches 109 (HX51 LRO) passes by. It is a Caetano Compass bodied Dennis Dart new in September 2001 that was working service 200 to Newmarket. This bus was subsequently re-registered to become R90 BCL.

Early May 2000 – The acquisition of Cambridge Coach Services by the National Express owned Airlinks (The Airport Coach Company Limited) resulted in some varied sightings through Mildenhall on the former CCS service 74. K88 SAS was turning into High Street from St Andrew’s Street in Mildenhall. It is a Van Hool Alizeé bodied Scania K113CRB that when new to Speedlink Airport Services in March 1993 was a 35 seater with tables for the upmarket Heathrow-Gatwick service.

Friday 29 December 1989 – This Ford Transit operated on the Neal’s Travel local services in and around Mildenhall and was seen here setting out for West Row on the 1422 service. Prior to the opening of the bus station in January 2006 buses and coaches departing the King Street lay-by travelled down St. Andrew’s Street rather than along King Street towards the War Memorial as they do now. F73 FUS is seen about to turn from St. Andrew’s Street into the High Street.

Thursday 10 August 1995 (0945) – The laying of a pipeline along King Street in Mildenhall resulted in general upheaval with the buses unable to access the lay-by. As a result they were picking-up wherever they could – there was no formal alternative bus stop. Eastern Counties Omnibus Company LW793 (OEX 793W) was loading outside Snushall’s Fish and Chip shop working service 200 to Newmarket. The lay-by is occupied by one of the contractor’s trucks. There were once two trees between the lay-by and the roadway although now only one. The one sited beyond that which remains apparently suffered a disease and was removed at some point.