The former Yelloway Travel Bureau and office building in Smith Street, Rochdale – 22 Mar 1992 (157-19)

Sunday 22 March 1992 - The former Yelloway office building in Smith Street, Rochdale which latterly was occupied by a firm of chartered accountants (BDO Binder Hamlyn) seen from the site where the new bus station/interchange was built 20 years later. The old bus station spans the background.

During the 1970s Yelloway bought the former Kelsall and Kemp warehouse building which had for many years impeded its expansion plans. After purchase the top floor was removed and the building modernised and stone cleaned, it always having appeared black over the past years.

All the office functions were then moved from the various corners of the garage site into the new building. The Travel Bureau occupied prominent position at street level facing the town centre (left).
The Chart Room, where all advance bookings were recorded, was located above it.

The Traffic Office was located on the Ground Floor and the Accounts and General Office were located on the first floor. The second floor was used for storage.

The original Travel Bureau, housed in former cottages in Weir Street, was demolished as part of the project and had stood near the car parked by the exterior stairway. Weir Street ran alongside the wall of the River Roch across the foreground.

When the building was used as a warehouse the Manager there (George Durham) would handle the receiving of large cotton bales from flat bed lorries parked across the front door of the old Travel Bureau. He would stand at an open door on the top floor and operate a hoist to lift the bales to the required floor level for storage.

When occupied by BDO Binder Hamlyn they used the address of Lewis House, 12 Smith Street.