Tillingbourne Bus Company
Encyclopedia
Tillingbourne Bus Company was a bus operating company based in Cranleigh
, Surrey
, England, which operated a local service from 1924 to 2001. It was founded as Tillingbourne Valley in 1924, and became a limited company in 1931, taking the name Tillingbourne Valley Services. It initially operated routes in the Guildford
area from a garage in Chilworth
using small single-deck buses painted in a maroon livery. Coach hire and excursions began in 1931, but two years later these activities split into a separate company, Tillingbourne Valley Coaches, which operated independently for a further 24 years. Until 1970 Tillingbourne was owned and managed by three generations of the Trice family, before being sold to Trevor Brown.
The company changed its name to Tillingbourne Bus Company in 1972, changing its livery to blue and yellow, and moved to a garage in Gomshall in the same year. A second garage in Ewhurst
was opened in 1974. An expansion of operations in the late 1970s and early 1980s, much of it through the award of county council contracted routes, took the company's vehicles into West Sussex
and Hampshire
as well as Surrey. Tillingbourne took over the services of West Sussex operator Orpington & District following that company's collapse in 1981. These were run separately from the main company as Tillingbourne (Metropolitan) which, in 1983, was sold to its management to form Metrobus, now part of the Go-Ahead Group
. The company moved garages again in 1980, settling in Cranleigh. A new, larger garage in the same town was opened in February 2001. Deregulation of local bus services in 1986 led to further expansion, including the establishment in 1989 of a new brand, Hobbit, for Tillingbourne's minibus operations. A high-quality coaching subsidiary, Dorking Coaches, was also operated towards the end of Tillingbourne's life.
Tillingbourne began operations with a single vehicle, expanding to operate around 70 buses by 2001. A range of types were operated, including early Thornycroft
and Dennis
vehicles, and later Guy
and Bedford
products. The company's fleet was updated in the 1990s with new Volvo
and Optare
vehicles. Following Tillingbourne's closure its fleet was disposed of, with vehicles sold to Shamrock Coaches, Norfolk Green
, Black Prince Buses
, Safeguard Coaches
, Arriva Guildford & West Surrey and Islwyn Borough Transport
.
The company was placed in administration in March 2001 following two years of heavy losses, and closed down permanently a month later. This led to a series of service changes, which saw its operations covered by a range of different operators. Other effects of Tillingbourne's collapse included a fall the total number of passengers using buses in Hampshire and local criticism following an increase in the number of vehicles using the later closed Arriva West Sussex garage in Warnham
. The sites of both Tillingbourne garages in Cranleigh were converted for use by other industries.
on a service between Guildford
and Gomshall. Smith left the company in the late 1920s, and a new route from Guildford to Albury Park
was introduced around the same time, with four vehicles owned by 1928. The route to Gomshall was extended to Peaslake
, and briefly faced competition from Surrey Hills Motor Services prior to their takeover by Aldershot & District, who withdrew the competing route. The company's garage was rebuilt after being destroyed in a fire along with three of its vehicles in 1928. Tillingbourne was reconstituted as a limited company, Tillingbourne Valley Services Ltd, in October 1931.
Following George Trice's death in 1933, control of the business passed to his son, also called George. A coach hire and excursion business had been introduced in July 1931; this was split out into a new company, Tillingbourne Valley Coaches, which operated independently until 1955. From the early 1930s until 1964 the service to Peaslake was run jointly with the London Passenger Transport Board
; operation of the entire route was taken over in August 1964, but falling passenger numbers meant that the route was cut back in frequency a year later. A new livery of maroon and grey was introduced in 1964.
George Trice retired in 1948 and was succeeded by his son Derek, who sold Tillingbourne to Trevor Brown in September 1970. In the same year route numbering was introduced for the first time to the three routes then operated. The company made an operating loss in 1969 and 1970, so one route, a local service in Guildford, was withdrawn in October 1971 due to poor usage, and another was cut in frequency. As the Chilworth garage was still owned by Trice, operations were transferred to an open-air site in Gomshall in early 1972.
and Colgate
, and a new livery of blue, yellow and grey introduced. A new Managing Director, Barry King, joined Tillingbourne from North Downs Coaches in the same year. In 1974 a small garage in Ewhurst
was acquired and maintenance work transferred there, although the majority of the fleet continued to be based in Gomshall.
In May 1976 the company's long-established route between Guildford and Peaslake was extended to Cranleigh
via Ewhurst, and a once-daily schoolday service to and from The Haven
, the first bus route to serve the community, was introduced. A number of service changes saw Tillingbourne vehicles operating to Croydon
and Chichester
one day a week each by 1977, although both were withdrawn after three years. The service to Colgate was withdrawn and replaced by a local half-hourly route in Horsham in 1979. In September 1980 the company moved depots again to a larger site in Cranleigh.
The collapse of Orpington & District in early 1981 prompted the company to launch a new operation in West Sussex. This was split from the main operation as Tillingbourne (Metropolitan) in July 1981, but sold to its managerial team in 1983. It adopted the name Metrobus and continues to operate.
In June 1981 new once-weekly routes linking Horsham
to Steyning
and Cranleigh/Ewhurst to Brighton
were introduced, the second to replace a withdrawn Southdown
service. To improve profits on the Brighton route, beer
was carried from the Sussex Brewery near Edburton
to public house
s along the route alongside passengers. The scheduled service operations of coach firm McCann's were acquired together with three vehicles on 1 November 1982, although some were withdrawn a year later.
Further expansion came in April 1985, following over a year of consultation with county council members, regulators and when two new routes were introduced. One operated in competition with Alder Valley
, while the other took the place of services withdrawn by other operators. Following these changes Tillingbourne became the only operator to serve Chilworth, Albury
and Shere. Two new vehicles were purchased for the routes. At the same time all of Tillingbourne's services were renumbered into a new two-digit sequence to avoid confusion with London Country
routes. A year later the second of the new services, circular route 23/25, was reduced in frequency from hourly to two-hourly, although much of the route was covered by extending another route. Another new service, linking Cranleigh and Godalming, was also introduced. In August 1986 operation of a number of council contracted services, including a route from Redhill
to Reigate
and a local route in Horsham, was taken over from other companies.
in October 1986 a small number of service changes were made, with a new route from Guildford to Chiddingfold
introduced and a service to Gomshall withdrawn. At the same time a new brand name, Hobbit, was introduced for Tillingbourne's minibus operations. Barry King left the company in December 1986 and was replaced as Managing Director by Chris Bowler.
In early 1989 operations in Horsham were reduced following the loss of the tendered route to Barns Green
. A new service to Billingshurst
was briefly introduced in February 1989, but withdrawn after two months. In July a new service between Guildford and the British Aerospace
site at Dunsfold Aerodrome
was introduced. Further expansion eastwards came in November 1989, when the operation of eleven tendered routes requiring six buses was won from the county council. These were operated under the Hobbit name. A new service linking Normandy
and Christmaspie to Guildford two days a week was introduced in October 1989. A second route to the two villages was added in 1995. In January 1999 a new route from Farnham
to Tongham
via Normandy was launched, as was a direct service from the village to Guildford. In 1998 an outstation was opened in Aldershot
following the award of contracted work in Reading
to Tillingbourne.
Tillingbourne introduced a new tourist route in the summer of 1995. Operating on Sundays for six months of the year, it provided a circular service linking Guildford, Godalming and Cranleigh with a number of nearby rural locations not served by other routes. Although similar services were operated by London & Country and Nostalgiabus, the new service was designed to avoid any direct competition. The route was operated with a Bristol SU single-decker acquired from a bus preservationist
.
In September 2000 Tillingbourne controversially reduced the number of journeys on contracted route 516, which linked Dorking
, Leatherhead
and Epsom
. Although this was within the terms of the contract, it was criticised by residents of intermediate villages, who claimed the communities relied in particular on a cancelled morning journey. Operations were moved to a new larger site, still located in Cranleigh, in February 2001. The company believed this would reduce operating costs and allow for future expansion.
. This followed two years in which the company had lost around £450,000. The receivers blamed the losses on increasing costs, low subsidies from local councils and falling passenger numbers. The closure left 140 staff unemployed and caused large numbers of passengers to be stranded. Replacement services were organised by Surrey County Council
and four bus operators, with the majority of routes being covered within days by temporary contracted services. Some schoolchildren were forced to find other means of transport, although workings on routes 62 and 63 were covered by Aventa Transport.
It was initially thought that Tillingbourne would be sold to another operator, with four companies reported to be interested. However, by early April 2001 it became clear that this would not take place, as the offers submitted were lower than the value of the vehicles owned by the company.
Begbies Traynor was criticised by Council members for refusing to keep the company operational while replacement services were being arranged. Mole Valley
councillor Hazel Watson stated that the withdrawal of services at short notice was "totally unacceptable", while Shere county councillor David Davis described the closure as a "local tragedy". Council leaders also denied the claim that the subsidies had been too low.
In 1933 the bus and coach operations of what was then Tillingbourne Valley Services were split. The coaching unit was taken over by Lionel Rhees, previously an employee of Tillingbourne, and operated from a depot in Chilworth under the name Tillingbourne Valley Coaches. This company bought three second-hand coaches to run on excursions and private hire operations. After 14 years of operation it launched a bus service between Guildford and Blackheath
. Rhees died in 1953 and Tillingbourne Valley Coaches passed to his wife, who sold out to established operator Rackliffe of Guildford a year later. Rackliffe was itself taken over by Cookes Coaches in 1955, and the Blackheath service withdrawn.
Tillingbourne (Metropolitan) Ltd
In February 1981 the long-standing operator Orpington & District collapsed due to financial difficulties, so Tillingbourne decided to launch a test operation of three former O&D services. These proved successful so more services were added and two new AEC Reliance
coaches purchased for the operation. In July 1981 the Orpington operation was given a separate license, under the name Tillingbourne (Metropolitan) Ltd, with six vehicles allocated to it. By 1983, however, it became clear that the local area management of Tillingbourne (Metropolitan) wanted to develop the business in a different way to that of the main company. On 24 September 1983, the Orpington operation's directors, Gary Wood and Peter Larking, bought out the subsidiary to form Metrobus Ltd.
Dorking Coaches
Following the takeover of Dorking Coaches is the late 1990s, a coaching division was set up using the same name under the management of former Traffic Manager John Gaff. It operated high-quality coaches, including three air-conditioned vehicles which joined the fleet in 2000, on coach hire and tour work.
with 14 seats, which entered service on the launch of the company's first route in 1924. It was joined by a similar Overland Automobile
bus later in the year. Two further vehicles had been purchased by 1928, when a depot fire destroyed three of the four buses. They were replaced by second-hand buses including an 18-seat Dennis
and several Thornycroft
A2 vehicles. From November 1934 until the outbreak of World War II
, these were progressively replaced by new buses, also built by Thornycroft. The first double-deck vehicle to be bought was a Bristol K Type, which joined the fleet in 1959. Eight Guy Vixens were bought from London Transport
between 1963 and 1964 to replace the entire previous fleet. These were succeeded by a wide variety of types, with Bedford
coaches and buses the most numerous.
In the period shortly before and after deregulation, a range of types were used. As well as a large number of Bedford vehicles, which continued to be bought new until the late 1980s, the fleet also included the AEC Reliance
, Leyland Leopard
, Leyland Tiger
and Volvo B10M
models, and the first two Dennis Lancet
single-deckers to be built. The company bought its first minibus, a 16-seat Ford Transit
, in 1985. The Tillingbourne fleet in the late 1980s and early 1990s also included two rare Dennis Dorchester
s bought new, and a Volvo B10M
coach with the last Plaxton Derwent body built.
The fleet was substantially updated shortly prior to the company's closure. Two Volvo B6
single-deckers were bought in 1994. These were followed by a number of Optare
products including the Metrorider
minibus and four of the last Optare Vecta
single-deckers built. The most common type in the fleet in the late 1990s was the Mercedes-Benz 811D
minibus; by 1998 21 were in use out of a total fleet of 65. Tillingbourne bought its first low-floor buses, two new Optare Excel
s, in 2000.
and Reptons Coaches. White Rose took over the route between Staines and Camberley, while Thames Travel
took over the routes into Reading.
Following the end of Tillingbourne's operations many of its newer vehicles were sold for further use. Buyers included Black Prince Buses
, which took three Optare Prisma
s, and Islwyn Borough Transport
, which bought Tillingbourne's Optare Vecta
s. One of the surviving Leyland Tigers was bought by Norfolk Green
. The biggest customer was Shamrock Coaches
of Pontypridd
which took 27 vehicles, including the Mercedes minibuses and nine Optare Metrorider
s. Some vehicles remained in Surrey, including two Dennis Dart SLFs leased from Surrey County Council which were passed on to Arriva Guildford & West Surrey, and two Optare Excels bought by Safeguard Coaches
of Guildford.
A fall in bus passenger numbers between 1999 and 2001 in the areas of Hampshire
served by Tillingbourne was in part explained as being a result of the loss of services caused by the company's closure.
The increased vehicle requirements at Arriva's Warnham
(Horsham
) garage, which took over three of Tillingbourne's former routes, led to criticism from residents in the area and the suggestion that the site should be closed and operations moved to another location. The depot, buses and operation were sold by Arriva to Metrobus in September 2009, who moved all operations to their garage in Crawley and closed the site.
Both of Tillingbourne's former garage sites in Cranleigh have been converted for other uses. Permission was granted in February 2002 for the smaller site abandoned shortly before the company closed down to be taken over by a plant and vehicle hire firm. The larger site used in the final few months of operation was converted for use by a mail order firm, with permission for the change granted by the local council in November 2002.
Cranleigh
Cranleigh is a large village, self-proclaimed the largest in England, and is situated 8 miles south east of Godalming in Surrey. It lies to the east of the A281 which links Guildford with Horsham; neighbouring villages include: Ewhurst, Alfold and Hascombe....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England, which operated a local service from 1924 to 2001. It was founded as Tillingbourne Valley in 1924, and became a limited company in 1931, taking the name Tillingbourne Valley Services. It initially operated routes in the Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
area from a garage in Chilworth
Chilworth, Surrey
Chilworth is a village in Surrey, England, southeast of Guildford. Chilworth has about 2000 residents , two churches , two schools , a pub and a railway station. The village nestles below the North Downs, overlooked by St. Martha's Hill and St. Martha's Church...
using small single-deck buses painted in a maroon livery. Coach hire and excursions began in 1931, but two years later these activities split into a separate company, Tillingbourne Valley Coaches, which operated independently for a further 24 years. Until 1970 Tillingbourne was owned and managed by three generations of the Trice family, before being sold to Trevor Brown.
The company changed its name to Tillingbourne Bus Company in 1972, changing its livery to blue and yellow, and moved to a garage in Gomshall in the same year. A second garage in Ewhurst
Ewhurst, Surrey
Ewhurst is a small village in the English county of Surrey.Ewhurst is located between Cranleigh and Shere which is around five miles to the north. Ewhurst has many well-known legends as members of the village, such as Eric Clapton, who is known to play at the Church of England church in Ewhurst...
was opened in 1974. An expansion of operations in the late 1970s and early 1980s, much of it through the award of county council contracted routes, took the company's vehicles into West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
and Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
as well as Surrey. Tillingbourne took over the services of West Sussex operator Orpington & District following that company's collapse in 1981. These were run separately from the main company as Tillingbourne (Metropolitan) which, in 1983, was sold to its management to form Metrobus, now part of the Go-Ahead Group
Go-Ahead Group
The Go-Ahead Group plc is a rail and bus operating company that was created following the privatisation of the UK's train and bus industries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-Early history:...
. The company moved garages again in 1980, settling in Cranleigh. A new, larger garage in the same town was opened in February 2001. Deregulation of local bus services in 1986 led to further expansion, including the establishment in 1989 of a new brand, Hobbit, for Tillingbourne's minibus operations. A high-quality coaching subsidiary, Dorking Coaches, was also operated towards the end of Tillingbourne's life.
Tillingbourne began operations with a single vehicle, expanding to operate around 70 buses by 2001. A range of types were operated, including early Thornycroft
Thornycroft
Thornycroft was a United Kingdom-based vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses, and trucks from 1896 until 1977.-History:Thornycroft started out with steam vans and lorries. John Isaac Thornycroft, the naval engineer, built his first steam lorry in 1896...
and Dennis
Dennis Specialist Vehicles
Dennis Specialist Vehicles is a major British coachbuilder and manufacturer of specialised commercial vehicles based in Guildford, England...
vehicles, and later Guy
Guy Motors
Guy Motors was a British company based in Fallings Park, Wolverhampton that made cars, lorries, buses, and trolleybuses.-History:Guy Motors Ltd was founded in 1914 by Sydney Guy who had been the Works Manager of nearby Sunbeam. A factory was built on the site at Fallings Park, Wolverhampton...
and Bedford
Bedford Vehicles
Bedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors, itself the British subsidiary of General Motors , established in 1930; and constructing commercial vehicles. Bedford Vehicles was a leading international truck manufacturer, with substantial export sales of...
products. The company's fleet was updated in the 1990s with new Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
and Optare
Optare
Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....
vehicles. Following Tillingbourne's closure its fleet was disposed of, with vehicles sold to Shamrock Coaches, Norfolk Green
Norfolk Green
-About Norfolk Green:Norfolk Green is a bus operator based in King's Lynn in Norfolk, England.It operates 31 public bus services across Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire as well as numerous school and collage services with a fleet of 73 low floor easy access buses, services include the...
, Black Prince Buses
Black Prince Buses
Black Prince Buses were a family-operated bus company based in Morley, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1969 as a coach firm, it expanded into local bus operation following bus deregulation in 1986. Black Prince was taken over by FirstGroup in July 2005....
, Safeguard Coaches
Safeguard Coaches
Safeguard Coaches is a bus and coach operator based in the Surrey town of Guildford, England.Established in 1924, Safeguard currently provide a number of bus services around Guildford, some of which are jointly operated with Arriva Guildford and West Surrey, and coach private hire services over a...
, Arriva Guildford & West Surrey and Islwyn Borough Transport
Islwyn Borough Transport
Islwyn Borough Transport was the provider of bus services around Blackwood and surrounding towns in the former borough of Islwyn, United Kingdom. It was formed in April 1974 when the Borough of Islwyn was created, and took over the operations of the West Monmouthshire Omnibus Board which had...
.
The company was placed in administration in March 2001 following two years of heavy losses, and closed down permanently a month later. This led to a series of service changes, which saw its operations covered by a range of different operators. Other effects of Tillingbourne's collapse included a fall the total number of passengers using buses in Hampshire and local criticism following an increase in the number of vehicles using the later closed Arriva West Sussex garage in Warnham
Warnham
Warnham is a village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England. The village is some three kilometres north west of central Horsham to the west of the A24 road...
. The sites of both Tillingbourne garages in Cranleigh were converted for use by other industries.
Creation and early history (1924-1972)
Tillingbourne was formed in 1924 by Vic Smith and George Trice. It was initially known as Tillingbourne Valley, and operated a single vehicle in a maroon livery from a garage in ChilworthChilworth, Surrey
Chilworth is a village in Surrey, England, southeast of Guildford. Chilworth has about 2000 residents , two churches , two schools , a pub and a railway station. The village nestles below the North Downs, overlooked by St. Martha's Hill and St. Martha's Church...
on a service between Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
and Gomshall. Smith left the company in the late 1920s, and a new route from Guildford to Albury Park
Albury Park
Albury Park is a country park and Grade II* listed historic country house in Surrey, England. It covers over ; within this area is the old village of Albury, which consists of three or four houses and a church. The River Tillingbourne runs through the grounds.-Pre-1890:The Saxon Old St Peter and...
was introduced around the same time, with four vehicles owned by 1928. The route to Gomshall was extended to Peaslake
Peaslake
Peaslake is in the centre of the Surrey Hills area, close to the market town of Guildford, England. Surrounded by acres of forest and downland, visitors come here to walk and cycle and to enjoy the views of the local countryside. Nearby to the south is Pitch Hill which at is the fifth highest...
, and briefly faced competition from Surrey Hills Motor Services prior to their takeover by Aldershot & District, who withdrew the competing route. The company's garage was rebuilt after being destroyed in a fire along with three of its vehicles in 1928. Tillingbourne was reconstituted as a limited company, Tillingbourne Valley Services Ltd, in October 1931.
Following George Trice's death in 1933, control of the business passed to his son, also called George. A coach hire and excursion business had been introduced in July 1931; this was split out into a new company, Tillingbourne Valley Coaches, which operated independently until 1955. From the early 1930s until 1964 the service to Peaslake was run jointly with the London Passenger Transport Board
London Passenger Transport Board
The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1933 to 1948...
; operation of the entire route was taken over in August 1964, but falling passenger numbers meant that the route was cut back in frequency a year later. A new livery of maroon and grey was introduced in 1964.
George Trice retired in 1948 and was succeeded by his son Derek, who sold Tillingbourne to Trevor Brown in September 1970. In the same year route numbering was introduced for the first time to the three routes then operated. The company made an operating loss in 1969 and 1970, so one route, a local service in Guildford, was withdrawn in October 1971 due to poor usage, and another was cut in frequency. As the Chilworth garage was still owned by Trice, operations were transferred to an open-air site in Gomshall in early 1972.
Change of name and expansion (1972-1986)
The company's name was changed to Tillingbourne Bus Company in May 1972 following the introduction of a service between HorshamHorsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
and Colgate
Colgate, West Sussex
Colgate is a small village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England, about four miles north east of Horsham.A small village, with it's origins at the northern edge of St. Leonards Forest, it has no shops or retail facilities. There is a pub "The Dragon", and a church and a...
, and a new livery of blue, yellow and grey introduced. A new Managing Director, Barry King, joined Tillingbourne from North Downs Coaches in the same year. In 1974 a small garage in Ewhurst
Ewhurst, Surrey
Ewhurst is a small village in the English county of Surrey.Ewhurst is located between Cranleigh and Shere which is around five miles to the north. Ewhurst has many well-known legends as members of the village, such as Eric Clapton, who is known to play at the Church of England church in Ewhurst...
was acquired and maintenance work transferred there, although the majority of the fleet continued to be based in Gomshall.
In May 1976 the company's long-established route between Guildford and Peaslake was extended to Cranleigh
Cranleigh
Cranleigh is a large village, self-proclaimed the largest in England, and is situated 8 miles south east of Godalming in Surrey. It lies to the east of the A281 which links Guildford with Horsham; neighbouring villages include: Ewhurst, Alfold and Hascombe....
via Ewhurst, and a once-daily schoolday service to and from The Haven
The Haven, West Sussex
The Haven is a rural hamlet in West Sussex, south east England located about 7 miles to the west of Horsham.The Haven is primarily an agricultural area with 75 dwellings scattered across it....
, the first bus route to serve the community, was introduced. A number of service changes saw Tillingbourne vehicles operating to Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
and Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
one day a week each by 1977, although both were withdrawn after three years. The service to Colgate was withdrawn and replaced by a local half-hourly route in Horsham in 1979. In September 1980 the company moved depots again to a larger site in Cranleigh.
The collapse of Orpington & District in early 1981 prompted the company to launch a new operation in West Sussex. This was split from the main operation as Tillingbourne (Metropolitan) in July 1981, but sold to its managerial team in 1983. It adopted the name Metrobus and continues to operate.
In June 1981 new once-weekly routes linking Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
to Steyning
Steyning
Steyning is a small town and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea...
and Cranleigh/Ewhurst to Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
were introduced, the second to replace a withdrawn Southdown
Southdown Motor Services
Southdown Motor Services Ltd operates bus and coach services in East and West Sussex and parts of Hampshire, in southern England. It was formed in 1915 and had various owners throughout its history, being purchased by the National Bus Company in 1969...
service. To improve profits on the Brighton route, beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
was carried from the Sussex Brewery near Edburton
Edburton
Edburton is a small village in West Sussex, England, on the road from Upper Beeding to Fulking.-History:The village was named after Edburga of Winchester who was a granddaughter of King Alfred the Great and daughter of his successor King Edward the Elder. The church she founded c.940 at Edburton...
to public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s along the route alongside passengers. The scheduled service operations of coach firm McCann's were acquired together with three vehicles on 1 November 1982, although some were withdrawn a year later.
Further expansion came in April 1985, following over a year of consultation with county council members, regulators and when two new routes were introduced. One operated in competition with Alder Valley
Alder Valley
The Thames Valley and Aldershot Omnibus Company, trading as Alder Valley, was a former bus operator in England.-The NBC era:The Thames Valley and Aldershot Omnibus Company was formed by the merger of two National Bus Company subsidiaries, Aldershot and District Traction and Thames Valley Traction...
, while the other took the place of services withdrawn by other operators. Following these changes Tillingbourne became the only operator to serve Chilworth, Albury
Albury, Surrey
Albury is a village and civil parish in the borough of Guildford in Surrey, England, about south-east of Guildford town centre. The village is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Site of Special Scientific Interest....
and Shere. Two new vehicles were purchased for the routes. At the same time all of Tillingbourne's services were renumbered into a new two-digit sequence to avoid confusion with London Country
London Country Bus Services
London Country Bus Services was a bus company that operated in South East England from 1969 until split up and sold in 1986 under Margaret Thatcher's government's bus deregulation scheme.-Creation:...
routes. A year later the second of the new services, circular route 23/25, was reduced in frequency from hourly to two-hourly, although much of the route was covered by extending another route. Another new service, linking Cranleigh and Godalming, was also introduced. In August 1986 operation of a number of council contracted services, including a route from Redhill
Redhill, Surrey
Redhill is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead, Surrey, England and is part of the London commuter belt. Redhill and the adjacent town of Reigate form a single urban area.-History:...
to Reigate
Reigate
Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
and a local route in Horsham, was taken over from other companies.
Post-deregulation (1986-2001)
Following deregulationBus deregulation
Bus deregulation in Great Britain came into force on 26 October 1986, as part of the Transport Act 1985.The 'Buses' White Paper was the basis of the Transport Act 1985, which provided for the deregulation of local bus services in the whole of the United Kingdom except for Northern Ireland and...
in October 1986 a small number of service changes were made, with a new route from Guildford to Chiddingfold
Chiddingfold
Chiddingfold is a village and civil parish in the heart of The Weald in the Waverley district of Surrey, England. It lies on the A283 between Milford and Petworth...
introduced and a service to Gomshall withdrawn. At the same time a new brand name, Hobbit, was introduced for Tillingbourne's minibus operations. Barry King left the company in December 1986 and was replaced as Managing Director by Chris Bowler.
In early 1989 operations in Horsham were reduced following the loss of the tendered route to Barns Green
Barns Green
Barns Green is a village in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the Billingshurst to Itchingfield road north of Billingshurst. It is noted for the annual half marathon race of the same name, held around the end of October or beginning of November....
. A new service to Billingshurst
Billingshurst
Billingshurst is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies thirteen kilometres south-west of Horsham, and nine kilometres north-east of Pulborough....
was briefly introduced in February 1989, but withdrawn after two months. In July a new service between Guildford and the British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
site at Dunsfold Aerodrome
Dunsfold Aerodrome
Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, England, near the village of Cranleigh, was built by the Canadian Army and civilian contractors as a Class A Bomber Airfield for Army Co-operation Command...
was introduced. Further expansion eastwards came in November 1989, when the operation of eleven tendered routes requiring six buses was won from the county council. These were operated under the Hobbit name. A new service linking Normandy
Normandy, Surrey
Normandy is both the name of a civil parish in the borough of Guildford in Surrey, England and the name of the largest village in that parish. It lies close to the western edge of the county of Surrey close to the border with Hampshire and just north of the chalk hill known as the Hog's Back...
and Christmaspie to Guildford two days a week was introduced in October 1989. A second route to the two villages was added in 1995. In January 1999 a new route from Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
to Tongham
Tongham
Tongham is a small Surrey village located close to the north-east Hampshire and Surrey border. The village lies in a triangle between the A31 and the A331. Neighbouring villages include Ash and Badshot Lea....
via Normandy was launched, as was a direct service from the village to Guildford. In 1998 an outstation was opened in Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
following the award of contracted work in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
to Tillingbourne.
Tillingbourne introduced a new tourist route in the summer of 1995. Operating on Sundays for six months of the year, it provided a circular service linking Guildford, Godalming and Cranleigh with a number of nearby rural locations not served by other routes. Although similar services were operated by London & Country and Nostalgiabus, the new service was designed to avoid any direct competition. The route was operated with a Bristol SU single-decker acquired from a bus preservationist
Bus preservation in the United Kingdom
In common with cars and trucks, preservation of buses in the United Kingdom is a hobby activity enjoyed by many people, both actively or passively. The active preservation and operation of preserved buses is undertaken by private individuals, organised trusts or societies, and even commercial...
.
In September 2000 Tillingbourne controversially reduced the number of journeys on contracted route 516, which linked Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
, Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
and Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
. Although this was within the terms of the contract, it was criticised by residents of intermediate villages, who claimed the communities relied in particular on a cancelled morning journey. Operations were moved to a new larger site, still located in Cranleigh, in February 2001. The company believed this would reduce operating costs and allow for future expansion.
Closure
On 19 March 2001, Tillingbourne abruptly ceased operations and was placed in the hands of receivers Begbies TraynorBegbies Traynor
Begbies Traynor is a firm specialising in corporate restructuring. They were formed in 1989, expanded through mergers and organic growth and were floated in 2004. The company employs over 500 people and has 45 offices around the United Kingdom.-History:The company was formed as Traynor & Partners...
. This followed two years in which the company had lost around £450,000. The receivers blamed the losses on increasing costs, low subsidies from local councils and falling passenger numbers. The closure left 140 staff unemployed and caused large numbers of passengers to be stranded. Replacement services were organised by Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 80 elected councillors.The council is controlled by the Conservative party.The leader of the council is David Hodge....
and four bus operators, with the majority of routes being covered within days by temporary contracted services. Some schoolchildren were forced to find other means of transport, although workings on routes 62 and 63 were covered by Aventa Transport.
It was initially thought that Tillingbourne would be sold to another operator, with four companies reported to be interested. However, by early April 2001 it became clear that this would not take place, as the offers submitted were lower than the value of the vehicles owned by the company.
Begbies Traynor was criticised by Council members for refusing to keep the company operational while replacement services were being arranged. Mole Valley
Mole Valley
Mole Valley is a local government district in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Dorking.The district, named after the River Mole, was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the urban districts of Dorking and Leatherhead and most of the Dorking and Horley...
councillor Hazel Watson stated that the withdrawal of services at short notice was "totally unacceptable", while Shere county councillor David Davis described the closure as a "local tragedy". Council leaders also denied the claim that the subsidies had been too low.
Related operations
Tillingbourne Valley CoachesIn 1933 the bus and coach operations of what was then Tillingbourne Valley Services were split. The coaching unit was taken over by Lionel Rhees, previously an employee of Tillingbourne, and operated from a depot in Chilworth under the name Tillingbourne Valley Coaches. This company bought three second-hand coaches to run on excursions and private hire operations. After 14 years of operation it launched a bus service between Guildford and Blackheath
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
. Rhees died in 1953 and Tillingbourne Valley Coaches passed to his wife, who sold out to established operator Rackliffe of Guildford a year later. Rackliffe was itself taken over by Cookes Coaches in 1955, and the Blackheath service withdrawn.
Tillingbourne (Metropolitan) Ltd
In February 1981 the long-standing operator Orpington & District collapsed due to financial difficulties, so Tillingbourne decided to launch a test operation of three former O&D services. These proved successful so more services were added and two new AEC Reliance
AEC Reliance
The AEC Reliance was a single-deck bus or coach chassis with a mid-underfloor-mounted engine, built by AEC in Southall, west London, England between 1953 and 1979. The name had previously been used between 1928 and 1931 for another single-deck bus chassis....
coaches purchased for the operation. In July 1981 the Orpington operation was given a separate license, under the name Tillingbourne (Metropolitan) Ltd, with six vehicles allocated to it. By 1983, however, it became clear that the local area management of Tillingbourne (Metropolitan) wanted to develop the business in a different way to that of the main company. On 24 September 1983, the Orpington operation's directors, Gary Wood and Peter Larking, bought out the subsidiary to form Metrobus Ltd.
Dorking Coaches
Following the takeover of Dorking Coaches is the late 1990s, a coaching division was set up using the same name under the management of former Traffic Manager John Gaff. It operated high-quality coaches, including three air-conditioned vehicles which joined the fleet in 2000, on coach hire and tour work.
Fleet
The first vehicle to be bought by Tillingbourne was a single-deck ChevroletChevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
with 14 seats, which entered service on the launch of the company's first route in 1924. It was joined by a similar Overland Automobile
Overland Automobile
-History:The Overland Automobile "runabout" was founded by Claude Cox, a graduate of Rose Polytechnic Institute, while he was employed by Standard Wheel Company of Terre Haute, Indiana, USA, in 1903. In 1905, Standard Wheel allowed Cox to relocate the Overland Automobile Company to Indianapolis,...
bus later in the year. Two further vehicles had been purchased by 1928, when a depot fire destroyed three of the four buses. They were replaced by second-hand buses including an 18-seat Dennis
Dennis Specialist Vehicles
Dennis Specialist Vehicles is a major British coachbuilder and manufacturer of specialised commercial vehicles based in Guildford, England...
and several Thornycroft
Thornycroft
Thornycroft was a United Kingdom-based vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses, and trucks from 1896 until 1977.-History:Thornycroft started out with steam vans and lorries. John Isaac Thornycroft, the naval engineer, built his first steam lorry in 1896...
A2 vehicles. From November 1934 until the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, these were progressively replaced by new buses, also built by Thornycroft. The first double-deck vehicle to be bought was a Bristol K Type, which joined the fleet in 1959. Eight Guy Vixens were bought from London Transport
London Passenger Transport Board
The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1933 to 1948...
between 1963 and 1964 to replace the entire previous fleet. These were succeeded by a wide variety of types, with Bedford
Bedford Vehicles
Bedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a subsidiary of Vauxhall Motors, itself the British subsidiary of General Motors , established in 1930; and constructing commercial vehicles. Bedford Vehicles was a leading international truck manufacturer, with substantial export sales of...
coaches and buses the most numerous.
In the period shortly before and after deregulation, a range of types were used. As well as a large number of Bedford vehicles, which continued to be bought new until the late 1980s, the fleet also included the AEC Reliance
AEC Reliance
The AEC Reliance was a single-deck bus or coach chassis with a mid-underfloor-mounted engine, built by AEC in Southall, west London, England between 1953 and 1979. The name had previously been used between 1928 and 1931 for another single-deck bus chassis....
, Leyland Leopard
Leyland Leopard
The Leyland Leopard was a mid-engined single-deck bus and coach chassis built by Leyland between 1959 and 1982. It was popular with bus and coach operators throughout the British Isles...
, Leyland Tiger
Leyland Tiger
The Leyland Tiger, also known as the B43, was a mid-engined bus and coach chassis which was built between 1981 and 1993. This name had previously been used for a front-engined bus built between 1920s and 1950s. It replaced the Leyland Leopard, which had been in production for over 20 years...
and Volvo B10M
Volvo B10M
The Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...
models, and the first two Dennis Lancet
Dennis Lancet
Dennis Lancet is a name given to several different single-deck bus chassis produced by Dennis. It was first given to a front-engined chassis, and later, in the 1950s and early 1960s, to the underfloor-engined Lancet UF....
single-deckers to be built. The company bought its first minibus, a 16-seat Ford Transit
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a range of panel vans, minibuses, and pickup trucks, produced by the Ford Motor Company in Europe.The Transit has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe for 40 years, and in some countries the term "Transit" has passed into common usage as a generic term...
, in 1985. The Tillingbourne fleet in the late 1980s and early 1990s also included two rare Dennis Dorchester
Dennis Dorchester
The Dennis Dorchester was a mid-engined heavy-duty single deck coach or bus chassis built by Dennis in small numbers between 1983 and 1988.About two thirds of the total number built were bought by Scottish Bus Group subsidiaries Western Scottish, Central Scottish and Clydeside Scottish...
s bought new, and a Volvo B10M
Volvo B10M
The Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...
coach with the last Plaxton Derwent body built.
The fleet was substantially updated shortly prior to the company's closure. Two Volvo B6
Volvo B6
The Volvo B6 is a midibus manufactured by Volvo between 1991 and 2000. Its low-floor variant, the Volvo B6LE, was first built in 1994.The Volvo B6/B6LE chassis was built to compete with the Dennis Dart/Dart SLF chassis. It could be fitted with Volvo TD63E/TD63ES engine...
single-deckers were bought in 1994. These were followed by a number of Optare
Optare
Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....
products including the Metrorider
Optare MetroRider
The Optare MetroRider was a midibus built by Optare between 1989 and 2000. Optare based the original design on the MCW Metrorider after Optare bought the rights following a decision by MCW to end bus production. This model also replaced the less successful StarRider.The MetroRider was an integral...
minibus and four of the last Optare Vecta
Optare Vecta
The Optare Vecta is a single-decker bus body produced for the MAN 11.180/11.190 chassis. Most were built on the 11.190 variant. Only two were based on the less powerful 11.180, both being K-regs for Reading...
single-deckers built. The most common type in the fleet in the late 1990s was the Mercedes-Benz 811D
Mercedes-Benz T2
The Mercedes-Benz T2 is a transporter built by Daimler-Benz. The T2 is also known as the "Düsseldorf transporter", since it was built until 1996 in Düsseldorf. The third series, built from 1996 at Ludwigsfelde, is branded the Vario. Some units of the T2 are assembled by Daimler-Benz Espana S.A. in...
minibus; by 1998 21 were in use out of a total fleet of 65. Tillingbourne bought its first low-floor buses, two new Optare Excel
Optare Excel
The Optare Excel is a low-floor full-size single-decker bus manufactured by Optare.Manufactured as an integral bus, the Excel was launched in 1995 as one of the first low-floor single-deck vehicles. The styling of the body was in keeping with existing Optare products, especially at the rear...
s, in 2000.
Legacy and subsequent history
Tillingbourne's routes were taken over by a variety of local operators. Arriva Guildford & West Surrey took over the majority of the operations in Guildford and Cranleigh, while the Arriva West Sussex division took over services in Horsham. Operations in and around Woking were taken on by Tellings-Golden MillerTellings-Golden Miller
Tellings-Golden Miller , a subsidiary of Arriva, is a bus service and coach operator in the United Kingdom.-Golden Miller:Reputedly, Fred Varney began the Golden Miller company with the winnings from a bet made on the horse Golden Miller, which won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in...
and Reptons Coaches. White Rose took over the route between Staines and Camberley, while Thames Travel
Thames Travel
Thames Travel is a bus operator based in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, in England. It is the third largest bus company in the county It operates a fleet of around 34 vehicles, and employs 75 staff. Running services across the Thames region, the company carries approximately 1.25 million passengers a year...
took over the routes into Reading.
Following the end of Tillingbourne's operations many of its newer vehicles were sold for further use. Buyers included Black Prince Buses
Black Prince Buses
Black Prince Buses were a family-operated bus company based in Morley, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1969 as a coach firm, it expanded into local bus operation following bus deregulation in 1986. Black Prince was taken over by FirstGroup in July 2005....
, which took three Optare Prisma
Optare Prisma
The Optare Prisma was a single-decker bus body produced for the Mercedes-Benz O405 chassis. 121 vehicles were built, the majority were bought by Tees & District ; Grampian Regional Transport ; Eastern Scottish, ; Leicester Citybus ; and East Yorkshire Motor Services.The front end of the body was...
s, and Islwyn Borough Transport
Islwyn Borough Transport
Islwyn Borough Transport was the provider of bus services around Blackwood and surrounding towns in the former borough of Islwyn, United Kingdom. It was formed in April 1974 when the Borough of Islwyn was created, and took over the operations of the West Monmouthshire Omnibus Board which had...
, which bought Tillingbourne's Optare Vecta
Optare Vecta
The Optare Vecta is a single-decker bus body produced for the MAN 11.180/11.190 chassis. Most were built on the 11.190 variant. Only two were based on the less powerful 11.180, both being K-regs for Reading...
s. One of the surviving Leyland Tigers was bought by Norfolk Green
Norfolk Green
-About Norfolk Green:Norfolk Green is a bus operator based in King's Lynn in Norfolk, England.It operates 31 public bus services across Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire as well as numerous school and collage services with a fleet of 73 low floor easy access buses, services include the...
. The biggest customer was Shamrock Coaches
Veolia Transport Cymru
Veolia Transport Cymru is a division of the Veolia Transport group , part of the French multinational Veolia Environnement. Formed by the purchase of a number of smaller independent coach and bus firms, the company has its headquarters in Parc Nantgarw, mid way between Cardiff and...
of Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
which took 27 vehicles, including the Mercedes minibuses and nine Optare Metrorider
Optare MetroRider
The Optare MetroRider was a midibus built by Optare between 1989 and 2000. Optare based the original design on the MCW Metrorider after Optare bought the rights following a decision by MCW to end bus production. This model also replaced the less successful StarRider.The MetroRider was an integral...
s. Some vehicles remained in Surrey, including two Dennis Dart SLFs leased from Surrey County Council which were passed on to Arriva Guildford & West Surrey, and two Optare Excels bought by Safeguard Coaches
Safeguard Coaches
Safeguard Coaches is a bus and coach operator based in the Surrey town of Guildford, England.Established in 1924, Safeguard currently provide a number of bus services around Guildford, some of which are jointly operated with Arriva Guildford and West Surrey, and coach private hire services over a...
of Guildford.
A fall in bus passenger numbers between 1999 and 2001 in the areas of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
served by Tillingbourne was in part explained as being a result of the loss of services caused by the company's closure.
The increased vehicle requirements at Arriva's Warnham
Warnham
Warnham is a village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England. The village is some three kilometres north west of central Horsham to the west of the A24 road...
(Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
) garage, which took over three of Tillingbourne's former routes, led to criticism from residents in the area and the suggestion that the site should be closed and operations moved to another location. The depot, buses and operation were sold by Arriva to Metrobus in September 2009, who moved all operations to their garage in Crawley and closed the site.
Both of Tillingbourne's former garage sites in Cranleigh have been converted for other uses. Permission was granted in February 2002 for the smaller site abandoned shortly before the company closed down to be taken over by a plant and vehicle hire firm. The larger site used in the final few months of operation was converted for use by a mail order firm, with permission for the change granted by the local council in November 2002.