Transport archive opens after fundraising drive

A new archive documenting the history of public transport has opened following a 15-month fundraising campaign.

Run by the Northampton Transport Heritage charity, the archive is housed at the Doddridge Centre in Northampton and is supported by a £4,000 grant from Northampton Town Council.

The collection includes records from the Northampton Corporation (Tramways) Transport Company dating from 1904 to the early 1990s.

Neil Farmer, archivist for Northampton Transport Heritage, said: "Some of these documents and records were given to us by the First Bus group in 2013 before they closed the depot and were due to be thrown in a skip until we intervened."

Many of the records were stored at the Old Bus Depot and Tram Shed on St James' Road, which was acquired by Church's Shoes and latterly by West Northamptonshire Council.

Documents detail tramway operations, the transition to motor buses, waybills, bus routes and transport committee minutes.

The charity is also appealing for former employees to share their experiences of working on the buses or in the depot.

In the long term, it hopes to establish a small museum alongside its collection of vintage Northampton Transport Corporation vehicles.

Labour councillor Jane Birch, chair of the community services committee, said: "These documents paint a rich history of the operation of the Northampton Transport Corporation and are an invaluable record of municipal transport operations in the town."

She said the grant scheme aimed to preserve Northampton's history and culture for future generations.

The archive is open every Thursday between between 10:00 and 12:00.

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