Shearings 492 (K492 VVR) and Premier Travel Services 408 (J408 TEW) at The Smoke House Inn, Beck Row - 21 Sep 1993 (208-01)

Tuesday 21 September 1993 – The Smoke House Inn, Beck Row near Mildenhall was rather popular with a number of different tour companies as a base for their five day tours to different East Anglian tourist spots like Cambridge, Constable Country, Norfolk Broads, Suffolk Villages etc. The coaches tended to arrive on Monday afternoons and leave on Friday mornings. This photograph represents the two larger companies Shearings and Wallace Arnold.

Shearings 492 (K492 KVR), a Van Hool Alizée bodied Volvo B10M new in March 1993, was working tour number SS425 their 5 day ‘Cambridge, Ely and Suffolk Villages’ tour contained in the ‘South East edition’ brochure.

The Wallace Arnold liveried coach is actually Premier Travel Services 408 (J408 TEW), a Plaxton Paramount 3500 bodied Volvo B10M new to Premier in February 1992, operated under contract to WA and not unlike the ‘real’ WA coaches of the time. Note the ‘Operated by Premier for Wallace Arnold’ wording by the entrance door. It was working tour number 1429L), their 5 day ‘Constable Country and Cambridge’ tour contained in their ‘From the South’ brochure.

Note the ‘Willhire’ van rental vehicle on the right. The company was a well known local business at the time which was subsumed into the Arriva empire.