This picture was sent to us by Lizzy.
She wrote
The man who used to own Gee Cross Motors only ever had two coaches and he was called Mr Utley. He used to live in the cottagey type house on School Lane by the triangle bit and he used to keep the coaches in a yard that was sort of behind the house but you had to get to it from Rowbotham Street. The livery was green and yellow; this was the bigger one, the other one had only about 20 seats.
He made a lot of money at Hyde Wakes Week when the coaches would all be lined up outside the Queen Addy to take the workers away. His was the only company who had a private hire license for Hyde, and the Joint Board (SHMD) could not use their buses and so they had to loan them to him and advertise that they were on loan to GX Motors. There used to be about 20-30 coaches lined up to take people on holiday; you wouldn't think that there were that many folks in GX in those days.
I don't think I should take any of the glory, it was really a joint effort between Tom and my dad, I was just the go between! Thank you anyway
ReplyDeleteTake the glory Lizzy, I was well stuck about the company.
ReplyDeletebrings back memories, have traveled on David Uttley's coaches a number of times.
ReplyDeleteA coach with character. It's strange how old vehicles always seem to have 'faces'
ReplyDeleteA little bit of history from then to now. Gee Cross Motors ceased many years ago and the garage off Rowbotham Street was taken over by 4 men who used to repair cars mainly at weekends. One fateful weekend in 1987 one of them was welding a car inside when the interior went up in flames and a very short time after the garage with it. Despite the best efforts of 4 Fire Engines, who were there within minutes of the alarm being raised, several vehicles and the building were destroyed in the blaze. It was big news in the local Reporter newspaper.
ReplyDeleteShortly after that the whole site, but not the house on School Lane, was bought from the Utley family by a local family and a new garage was built on the same site which was there until 2005. At that point the land was developed into 4 new bungalows. One of these still remains in the same family. In Peter Kays words "Mum wants a Bungalow" and so I gave up my garage business there and Mum got one!
Hi I found a colour photo of the bus OWU 771 was Red and White/Cream ,but im interested in the Kitsons Coaches next door has anybody any info on them thanks
ReplyDeleteThis coach was built by Sentinel in Shrewsbury. They were a company which started out building steam vehicles and railway engines. Sentinel buses and coaches were never very plentiful and this was quite a late example. It was new to a company called Schofields at Marsden near Huddersfield. The bodywork known as the "Seagull" was built by Burlingham coachworks at Blackpool.
ReplyDelete