Tetleysmooth:
There used to be a BRS depot in Temple Mill Lane, Stratford, London E15.
Then it became the Stratford L.I.F.T. and Stratford Freightliner depot. It’s all gone now. It’s all part of the Olympic Site.
I lived in Temple Mill Lane from 1953 until 1963. Me and my mates used to watch them burning old railway carriages on the BRS site. Great fun. What a blaze they used to make.
Did BRS used to have Scammel Scarabs? I think my uncle used to drive one.
didnt know the LIFT had gone.how long ago ?
It looks like the Channel Tunnel rail link has devoured it as well as a lot of mud and holes.
curnock:
didnt know the LIFT had gone.how long ago ?
I drive for Tesco now, but before that I was off the road for eight years shunting.
One of our routes takes us through Temple Mill Lane. It was only then I realised it had all gone, so I don’t know exactly when. Been gone some time I would imagine.
London Road, Beccles (by the railway crossing, between Wash Lane & Cromwell Road) Not been that way for a while so not sure what the current usage is. Looking at Google Earth there’s a few motors and trailers kicking about there, although it depends on when that particular image was taken. If it’s anything like where i live it was about 10 years out of date til last month!
There were two main BRS depots in Bristol. Unit F19 was housed in premises at Cheese Lane, St. Philips. These premises were later used as a car repair workshops and later the headquarters of the Police R.T. department. They have very recently been demolished for the building of more office blocks. Less than a mile away was the other depot in Days Rd… This was originally the headquarters of Pioneer Transport owned by Harold Russett who became Divisional Manager for BRS. and, with denationisation, formed Premier Transpot before selling out to Gregorys.
Most of the overnight trunk services ran from Days Rd. whereas general haulage was operated from Cheese lane. The other depot was that of BRS Parcels in Albert Rd. (also in St. Philips). Both Days Rd. and Albert Road sites were swallowed up for road improvements many years ago.
Tetleysmooth:
There used to be a BRS depot in Temple Mill Lane, Stratford, London E15.
Then it became the Stratford L.I.F.T. and Stratford Freightliner depot. It’s all gone now. It’s all part of the Olympic Site.
I lived in Temple Mill Lane from 1953 until 1963. Me and my mates used to watch them burning old railway carriages on the BRS site. Great fun. What a blaze they used to make.
Did BRS used to have Scammel Scarabs? I think my uncle used to drive one.
didnt know the LIFT had gone.how long ago ?
Yes they did,my old man used to paint them by hand in the late 50s.He worked in bolton,they were green with the old brs crest on the doors.Railway engine wheel with i think a lion mounted on top[could be wrong]
There was one just behind the Little Chef, off the Roundabout at Much Hool
Between Preston and Liverpool on the A59.
I remember this one in particular, because I was doing a night trunk down to here every now n then. One winters night, several months after the last time, I was asked to do this trunk again.
I eventually arrived after battling blizzard conditions all the way down, to be told it was no longer a BRS Depot .
I was lucky, the driver I had to meet was waiting for me in the old Leyland Truck Factory, in Leyland.
In Scotland, there was a depot in Falkirk, just off the main street, beside the canal. It’s now a group of small industrial units.
There was a depot at Granton in Edinburgh, just off Granton Square, on West Harbour Road.
Glasgows main depot was on Denmark St, just off Hawthorn Street. It was known as the Hawthorn Street depot though. It might still be an Exel Depot.
Inverness had one near the north end of Harbour Road.
When I worked for a bloke who did storage for Fisons fertiliser in Goole. We had a couple of spare fork trucks, so one day I was despatched down to BRS & report to the depot manager. He told me that I was to follow another driver to load some steel.
So off we popped down Aire Street and began to load steel onto BRS trailers. Soon we were surrounded by angry men and I still worry if I caused the 1980 dock strike in Goole. They were still working but Hull had been on strike for a few days, BRS was worried the steel could be stuck in a transit shed while Walter Cunningham led his men out.
The only threat they could use was to take my union card off me. my reply, “What Union card?” seemed to upset them even more
OK Curnock as i said on the other thread,
Coventry up to 1959/60 London Rd where the Mazda garage is now also in Quinton Rd Chyelsmore, Moved to Rowley Rd Baginton Car Delivery having a different depot to the genral side of it also BRS Parcels down the bottom, Mortons just along the road soon to become Mortons (BRS)
The Leamington Spa depot was in Rugby Rd but it was father along towards Warwick NOT where the Vauxhall garage is today.
My Dad started with H&H of Kenilworth until it was nationalised 60 years ago this year and was one of the first 10 to transfer to Car Delivery in 1959, and I went with him on the first trip 3 days after the M1 opened.
harry:
The Ipswich one is now Sainsbury ,I believe. The Colchester one in North Station Rd. is now newish flats. The alleyway is still there , Victoria Chase next to the old Victoria pub. The Elmstead Branch is ,I think ,is a truck junkyard.Whitings.
wasn’t the ipswich one just off brunel rd, not where the sainsbury’s is but on the back of the ind est behind it.
curnock:
somebody once told me what is now asda at junction 2 m5, was a brs depot
is that right
Not quite sure it was there, i know there was a BRS depot somewhere, i thought it was where the Toys r us place is, i know the ASDA as it is now used to be the old AEC factory, and after that it was UK car auctions, i believe all the ground was and is still owned by Richardsons
burton on trent had a brs depot in lichfield st,it closed in the late 70s its now the site of a b&q store.what i can remember of it ,it was a very small depot opposite glanfield & lawrence which was a large vauxhall dealer ship, now same as brs long gone.
curnock:
somebody once told me what is now asda at junction 2 m5, was a brs depot
is that right
Not quite sure it was there, i know there was a BRS depot somewhere, i thought it was where the Toys r us place is, i know the ASDA as it is now used to be the old AEC factory, and after that it was UK car auctions, i believe all the ground was and is still owned by Richardsons
There was a BRS depot there near the A4123 Wolves New Road and Wolverhampton and Birchley Rolling Mills across the road.I used to backload out of there in the 60s.
BRS Bristol with the fleet number RA was in Spring St Bedminster. Access from Spring st, exit to St Lukes Rd. Avonmouth Depot with fleet no: RB was in Smoke Lane.
You are right that the Peugeot dealership moved into Spring St and Avonmouth is still used as a distribution Depot. Both depots look the same and little change in 20 years.
I wouldn’t be surprised if you when in to find “Nobby” behind the desk with a docket to load Tea from Brook Bond. Nobby and Phil Church were the only two transport managers I know without a driving licence. But were terrific at there jobs.
I think I’m right to say that in the Industrial Museum Bristol, or when it reopens , is a old BRS truck from Bristol depot.
Paul, you are perfectly correct with the info on Spring St. and Smoke Lane, Avonmouth but I am probably speaking of the locations way before your time. When the Road Haulage Executive (as it was originally known) was formed in 1948? the original depots were as I have stated and Cheese Lane was Unit F19. The main costituent of F19 was probably H.W.Hawker who were in Albert Road previously. As I said Pioneer Transport (Russets) were the main company in Days Road but of course there were lots of other companies involved with each depot. My father used to own the Transport Cafe in Chapel St at that time and the nationalisation of the many transport companies in “The Marsh” finished him when it all moved away. As the need for more space occured within both of these depots they were indeed moved to Spring St., a purpose made site from wartime bomb-sites and later to Smoke Lane. College Motors (Standard/Triumph) were the first people to move into Cheese Lane premises after BRS moved out.
Just remembered. Vehicle repairs were carried out at The Old Tram Depot in Beaconsfield Road, St. George in the early years. Days Road was “East Bristol” group.
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