Blackpool's hidden bus station

No its not the former Talbot Road Bus Station now posing as a retail development. When Stanley Park opened in 1926 the Tramways Department were quick to add a seasonal service from the Promenade to the main gates. The new route utilised diminutive open cross bench buses initially. The public demand (on sunny days) was so great that a further fleet of six Guy 'Freighters' was quickly delivered to deal with the queues.

At the Park's main gates a generous road layout allowed buses to park up to await the tea time returning crowds wishing to get back to their 'digs'. Built in to the Park's outer walls was what was generously called a 'Bus Station' but in fact this consisted of nothing more than a boxed in space utilising cast iron panels.

Amazingly the structure still exists quietly hidden behind foliage and undergrowth.

In Corporation green paint (now peeling of course) the one time 'Bus Station' is a lingering monument to the early days of the Park - and the initial bus services which handled millions over the years.

More details of this small aspect of Blackpool's transport heritage are included in the rarely covered 'Blackpool Corporation Tramways - Motor Bus Operations from 1921 to 1932' - a new title available now from Rigby Road Publications online price £24.00 as a limited edition.