PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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PLYMOUTH to ROBOROUGH
The route started at Millbay Station and ran via George Street, Russell Street, North Road, Houndiscombe Road and Mutley Plain to join the Tavistock Road. Stops were made at the corner of St Michael's Terrace, North Road, for the North Road Station, and at Mutley Baptist Chapel for Mutley Station. At 9am the first bus left Millbay, arriving at the George Hotel at 9.30. It left there at 9.35 and returned to Millbay at 10.05am. The second journey started at 11am and ran through to Roborough Village, where it was due to arrive at 11.38. It left there at 11.45 and arrived back at Millbay at 12.22pm. In the afternoon, the first journey left at 2pm for Roborough Village but on Wednesdays and Saturdays it was extended to Roborough Rock, at 2.55pm. It depareted from there at 3.15 and was due back into Plymouth at 4.07pm. The next bus left at 5pm, again running to the Village or the Rock, where it left at 6.15pm, arriving back at Millbay at 7.07pm. There were then two short trips to Crownhill Barracks only, leaving Plymouth at 7.15 and 10pm, which left Crownhill at 8 and 10.30, getting back to Millbay at 8.30 and 10.52pm. On Sundays there were only two journeys, 2.30 and 6.30pm, both running through to Roborough Rock. The last run left the Rock at 7.25 and returned to Millbay at 8.30pm. The timetable allowed 15 minutes to Compton Lane End, 7 minutes to Crownhill Barracks, 8 minutes to the George Hotel, 8 minutes to Roborough Village and 17 minutes to the Rock. There were no advertised connections to the GWR train service. The service between Roborough and Yelverton was the first to be cut back, the last day of operation being Wednesday September 27th 1905.
The Great Western Railway's road
motor from A Notice published in September 1911 gives some indication of the changes to the service. The first bus left Millbay at 10am, providing a largely theoretical connection with the 12 Midnight express from London Paddington and the 6.35am train up from Penzance. Intending passengers from the London train had to alight at North Road Station at 9.54am, dash to the Station Master's office and request that the bus be asked to wait at Mutley Baptist Church on Mutley Plain -- this was telegraphed through to Millbay -- and then hurry up to Mutley Plain, luggage and all. Passengers from the Up train had to inform the Station Master at Devonport Station, who would arrange for the bus to be held at Millbay until they arrived. Assuming that all that had gone according to plan, the bus was due at Crownhill at 10.30am, Plym Bridge Lane (for the Convalescent Home), 10.40am, the George Hotel at 10.45am and Roborough Village at 10.50am. The terminus was outside the Court House. The bus left Roborough again at 10.55am, the George at 11am, Plym Bridge Lane at 11.02am, and Crownhill at 11.15am and was due to arrive back at Millbay at 11.45am, in time for the 12.25pm train to Penzance. Once again passengers for London had to de-bus at Mutley Plain and dash, downhill this time, to North Road Station for the 12.32pm train to Paddington. Fortunately the connections off for the next bus were more relaxed. The 5.30am from Paddington was due at Millbay at 12.10pm and the 10am from Penzance at North Road at 12.25pm. The next bus left Millbay at 1.15pm and ran only as far as the George Hotel, where it was due at 2pm. It was extended to Roborough Village on Saturdays, from where it would return at 2.10pm, or 2.15pm from the George, and get back to Millbay at 2.55pm. A Down train left North Road at 2.55pm but the connection to the London train was not for an hour, at 4pm off North Road. There were two more round trips, at 3pm and 5.15pm, the last providing a connection with the 11.50am from Paddington. They returned from Roborough at 4.10 and 6.10pm. The latter provided connections into the 7.20pm train to London and the 7.55pm to Penzance. After that there were only short trips. Passengers off the 1.30pm from London and 2pm from Penzance trains could get as far as Plym Bridge Lane on the 7pm bus. On Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays the last bus of the day left Millbay Station at 11pm and ran as far as Crownhill, due 11.30. But on Saturday evenings there were additional services at 8.30 and 9.45pm, returning from Crownhill at 9 and 10.15. The last bus on a Saturday night left Crownhill at 11.30pm and although it probably returned empty, it did in fact provide a connection into the 12.10 am train to London. Sundays services did not start until the afternoon, as was common at the time. There were round trips to Roborough at 2.15pm and 4.35pm and a short trip at 8.20pm as far as Plym Bridge Lane, which could be held at Millbay to await the arrival of the train from Penzance. This one got back to Millbay at 9.35pm. Fares from Millbay Station were: to Compton Lane End, 2d; to Tor Lane, 3d; to Crownhill, 4d; to Plym Bridge Lane, 5d; to the George Hotel, 6d; to Woolwell Cottages, 7d; and to Roborough Village, 8d. Books of 24 reduced price tickets were available. For example, the Bayly family, travelling regularly from their home at Torr House, could buy a book of 24 threepenny tickets in to Plymouth for 5s 3d, a saving of nine-pence. After putting Mr Baskerville's horse bus out of business sometime around 1912, the GWR ran their final service on Sunday August 6th 1916, leaving the route to the Devon Motor Transport buses on the Tavistock to Plymouth service.
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