Richmond's of Barley

Sunday 15 February 1998 (approx. 1130) – Richmond’s Coaches (H V Richmond Limited) HDT 375 was a Plaxton Paramount 3500 bodied Volvo B10M that was new to Linkline, London NW10 in September 1984 as B617 AMD. It came to Richmond’s from Smith’s Coaches of Buntingford in 1994 when, I believe, Smith’s closed their mainstream coaching business. In addition to the garage property in the main street of the Hertfordshire village of Barley, the company parks some coaches on a small plot of land in Church End just a short walk away where the coach is seen.

Tuesday 12 June 1997 - Richmond’s Coaches (H V Richmond Limited) of Barley M588 BFL seen at work in Queens Road on the Royston town service. It was a Marshall bodied Mercedes-Benz O 709D new in November 1994.

July 2000 – Richmond’s Coaches (H V Richmond Limited) of Barley V357 EKY, a Plaxton Beaver bodied Mercedes-Benz O 814D, seen around 0800 in the Tesco store car park on a summer morning prior to starting work on the Royston town service. It was new in January 2000.

Friday 11 May 2001 (approx. 0730) - Richmond’s Coaches (H V Richmond Limited) Optare Solo X938 NUB seen leaving the garage in Barley, near Royston, Hertfordshire. It was heading empty for Chrishall to begin service 43 that operated from there into Royston.

Thursday 25 October 2018 (1104) – Richmond’s Coaches of Barley, Hertfordshire YJ05 XMY, an Optare Solo M850 new in June 2005, seen at the yard in Church End, Barley just a short walk from the main garage premises.

Friday 23 February 2018 (1115) – Richmond’s Coaches YJ65 EVD, an Optare Solo new in December 2015, seen on Broadway in Letchworth about to work the 1120 service 91 to Royston. Although it might not seem apparent, the whole backcloth is the Morrisons Supermarket. The portion behind the rear of the bus (with five upper storey windows) was built in the late 1990s and blends in with the portions to its right (above where the middle of the bus is) which is now a façade of the early 20th Century building. The portion on the extreme right was the town’s original police station/magistrates court.. A lovely period photograph of the original building may be seen here: letchworthgardencity.com/heritage/tour/morrisons.htm Letchworth, full title Letchworth Garden City, the world’s first Garden City established in 1903 inspired town planning across the globe. Created as a solution to the squalor and poverty of urban life in Britain in the late 19th Century based on the ideas of Ebenezer Howard as published in his book of 1898 ‘Tomorrow: A Peaceful Path to Reform’.

Friday 23 February 2018 (1121) – Richmond’s Coaches YJ65 EVD, an Optare Solo new in December 2015, seen on Broadway in Letchworth having just pulled away from a nearby bus stop when working the 1120 service 91 to Royston. Letchworth, full title Letchworth Garden City, the world’s first Garden City established in 1903 inspired town planning across the globe. Created as a solution to the squalor and poverty of urban life in Britain in the late 19th Century based on the ideas of Ebenezer Howard as published in his book of 1898 ‘Tomorrow: A Peaceful Path to Reform’. The building in the background is the Broadway Hotel which was built in a Georgian style in 1961. It was the first licensed premises establishment to be opened in the town following the lifting of the ban of selling alcohol in the town in 1958.

Friday 23 February 2018 (0935) – Richmond’s Coaches YJ65 EVB, an Optare Solo new in December 2015, seen in Baldock when working the 0850 service 386 from Stevenage to Bishops Stortford.

Friday 23 February 2018 (1007) – Richmond’s Coaches YJ65 EVD, an Optare Solo new in December 2015, seen leaving the Tesco Store at Baldock when working the 0925 service from Royston to Letchworth. The grande façade of the store is Grade 1 listed and dates from the 1920s. Although built for a film processing company, that company became insolvent before the building was completed and it was first occupied in 1928 by a hosiery manufacturer. The site included an open air swimming pool where the cars are parked on the right. Tesco opened their store behind the frontage in the early 1980s. A photograph of the building and swimming pool appear in an article which may be seen via this link: www.hertsmemories.org.uk/content/herts-history/towns-and-villages/baldock/bondor_in_baldock

Friday 23 February 2018 (1007) – Richmond’s Coaches YJ65 EVD, an Optare Solo new in December 2015, seen leaving the Tesco Store at Baldock when working the 0925 service from Royston to Letchworth.

Sunday 15 February 1998 (approx. 1130) – Richmond’s Coaches (H V Richmond Limited) is based in the Hertfordshire village of Barley – a village in the north-west corner of the county and within a short distance of the adjacent counties of Cambridgeshire and Essex. The three coaches seen on the garage forecourt were Caetano Optimo bodied Toyota Coaster 649 ETF (new in May 1993 with that registration number) and two Van Hool Alizee bodied Volvo B10Ms YER 469 (new in May 1996 registered N994 EYA) and 316 UVX (new to Shearings in January 1992 as J208 NNC). Ready for their work the following morning they carried destination boards for the London commuter coach service R1 which Richmond’s operated for a time. This Monday to Friday service had two departures from Barley at 0548 and 0618 and each had a feeder service connecting with the main service at Stevenage bus station. The Optimo would quite likely have covered the feeders for both the main services each worked by the Van Hool Alizees.

Sunday 15 February 1998 (approx. 1130) – Richmond’s Coaches (H V Richmond Limited) is based in the Hertfordshire village of Barley. In addition to the garage property in the main street the company parks some coaches on a small plot of land in Church End just a short walk away where these coaches are seen. From left to right: 729 KTO, a Plaxton Paramount 3200 II bodied Volvo B10M was new to Richmond’s in 1985; 668 PTM, a Plaxton Supreme VI bodied Volvo B10M new as RMH 868Y to Ralph’s Coaches based near Heathrow Airport; and E408 YLG, a PMT bodied Mercedes-Benz 609D new to Cooper Coaches, Ashton-under-Lyne in 1988/9.

Sunday 15 February 1998 (approx. 1130) – The garage of Richmond’s Coaches (H V Richmond Limited) stands in the main street in the Hertfordshire village of Barley. Across the road is the Fox and Hounds pub which has a rather unusual and elaborate gantry spanning the adjacent street (Church End) featuring characters relevant to the pub name. Barley is in the north-west corner of the county and within a short distance of the adjacent counties of Cambridgeshire and Essex. On the forecourt (at right) were Caetano Optimo bodied Toyota Coaster 649 ETF (new in May 1993 with that registration number) and two Van Hool Alizee bodied Volvo B10Ms YER 469 (new in May 1996 registered N994 EYA) and 316 UVX (new to Shearings in January 1992 as J208 NNC). They carried destination boards in readiness for the next morning’s work on the London commuter coach service R1 which Richmond’s operated for a time. This Monday to Friday service had two departures from Barley at 0548 and 0618 and each had a feeder service connecting with the main service at Stevenage bus station. The Optimo would quite likely have covered the feeders for both the main services each worked by the Van Hool Alizees. On the left partly in the yard is another Van Hool Alizee bodied Volvo B10M, 648 EAU (new to Kenzies of Shepreth in March 1989 as F37 DAV).

Sunday 15 February 1998 (approx. 1130) – Richmond’s Coaches (H V Richmond Limited) is based in the Hertfordshire village of Barley – a village in the north-west corner of the county and within a short distance of the adjacent counties of Cambridgeshire and Essex. Caetano Optimo bodied Toyota Coaster 649 ETF was new in May 1993 with that registration number. It was seen on the garage forecourt ready for work the following morning. It carried a destination board at the front and an advertisement in the rear window for the London commuter coach service R1 which Richmond’s operated for a time. This Monday to Friday service had two departures from Barley at 0548 and 0618 and each had a feeder service connecting with the main service at Stevenage bus station. There were two full sized Van Hool Alizee bodied Volvo B10Ms close by that would work the main services and the Optimo would quite likely have covered the feeders for both the main services.

Saturday 20 January 1996 – Richmond’s Coaches (H V Richmond Limited) of Barley, Hertfordshire has always had a nicely turned out fleet. Caetano Optimo bodied Toyota Coaster 649 ETF was seen on Angel Hill, Bury St. Edmunds. It was new in May 1993 with the registration number carried here.

March 1998 - Richmond’s Coaches (H V Richmond Limited) 426 YRA, a Berkhof Axial bodied Dennis Javelin new in March 1997, and 153 WAR, a Van Hool Alizee bodied Volvo B10M new in March 1993, seen at the garage in the Hertfordshire village of Barley. Both coaches were given these cherished registrations from new. There were about twenty coaches in the Richmond’s fleet around this time all of which carried cherished registrations and these registrations have been re-assigned over and over again to different coaches in the ensuing years.

Wednesday 30 June 2004 - H V Richmond Limited 729 KTO picking up school children by the Fox and Hounds (opposite the company’s garage) in the Hertfordshire village of Barley. Barley is in the north-west corner of the county and within a short distance of the adjacent counties of Cambridgeshire and Essex. An unusual feature of the pub is a gantry spanning the adjacent street (Church End) that features characters relevant to the pub name. The coach is a Berkhof Axial bodied Dennis Javelin new 2001.

March 1998 - Richmond's Coaches YRA 426 seen turning into their garage in the main street in Barley. It was a Berkhof Axial bodied Dennis Javelin new in March 1997.