Bus Services
Historical Notes
Stage Coaches
Stage coach services enjoyed great popularity in the 19th century, reaching a peak in 1836. In that year daily departures of long-distance stage and Royal Mail Coaches from London amounted to 259, augmented by several hundred departures to local and country destinations. Some of them covered enormous distances such as The Lord Wellington from London to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 278 miles with a journey time of 31 hours, and The Hope from London to Halifax, 196 miles in 23½ hours. But most coach lines operated over more modest routes with journey times generally of 10 hours or less. Esher and/or Kingston were stopping points for many coach lines such as The Duke of Richmond, The Independent, the Express, The Union, The Diligent, The Rocket, The Regulator and others from London en route to destinations like Chichester, Gosport, Portsmouth, Guildford and so on.
While it is recorded that a coach service operated through Claygate as late as 1920, even though most stage coach lines had by then been forced out of business by the railway or omnibus, there are no records of any coach lines serving the old village of Claygate in earlier centuries. However, from Bowles's Post-Chaise Companion published on 2 January 1782, it would appear that the route from London to Portsmouth passed at that time through Thames Ditton and the hamlet of Hare Lane, by-passing Esher village on its way to Cobham. This was probably the so-called 'alternative route' of the Portsmouth Road from the Scilly Isles along what for many years has been called Littleworth Road, but which might have been the original route of Hare Lane in earlier times, across Hare Lane Green, and then along Milbourne Lane, Claremont Drive and the Blackhills to rejoin Portsmouth Road.
This alternative route, it is said, was inspired by the Duke of Newcastle when he was owner of Claremont from 1714 to 1768, with the aim of diverting the aristocratic traffic from the old Portsmouth Road via Esher to pass through his own estate. Milestones from Newcastle's era still exist on the west side of Littleworth Road (marked 16 miles to Cornhill), in front of 24 Milbourne Lane (marked 17 miles to Cornhill), and in Claremont Park itself. So it would seem that if the old village of Claygate was not directly on a coach route in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the hamlet of Hare Lane Green probably was for a number of years.
Claygate was served by a coach line called The Venture in the early part of the 20th century. The Venture's timings, set down and pick up points, and mileage from London were as follows:
| 10.45 | Hotel Victoria, Northumberland Avenue | |
| 11.20 | Hammersmith Bridge | 5½ |
| 11.45 | Bull Hotel, East Sheen | 9 |
| 11.55 | Sheen Gate, Richmond Park | 9½ |
| 12.05 | Robin Hood Gate, Richmond Park | 11½ |
| 12.15 | Coombe Woods | 12 |
| 12.40 | The Plough, Worcester Park | 15 |
| 12.55 | Ruxley Farm, Chessington | 17 |
| 13.00 | Bones Gate, Chessington | 18 |
| 13.15 | Claygate | 21 |
| 13.30 | Esher Common | 23 |
| 13.45 | Thames Hotel, Hampton Court | 25 |
In 1920, The Venture line operated daily except Sundays. Eleven seats, which were bookable at the Wine and Cigar Department of the Hotel Victoria and at Thames Hotel, were available for passengers at a single fare of 10/6d and a return fare of 17/6d. One box seat, next to the coachman, could be reserved at an extra charge of 2/6d each way. Most coaches of this type carried eleven passengers on top and four inside. Perhaps the inside was used for the carriage of goods or mail.
The horses, four to a team, were changed at East Sheen and at Ruxley Farm, the latter not to be confused with the old Claygate farm of that name. Driving a team of four, with a full load of twelve passengers, plus a guard, baggage, mail and other goods, at speeds of up to 20 mph or more at times, was obviously a highly skilled job of some standing for which ex-army officers were often employed.
Buses
A daily single-decker, two-man crew bus service, with the route number 206, was first introduced between the Windsor Arms, Esher, and Church Road, Claygate, by London Transport on 27th May 1936. London Transport had been created by an Act of Parliament and came into being on 1st July 1933.
On 25th March 1942, the 206 service was extended at peak periods to Lower Green, Esher, and on 30th September of that year, further extended, on weekdays only, to Imber Court. It was not until 11th September 1946 that Claygate had a direct seven-day service to Hampton Court.
Other changes introduced were the extension of the Claygate terminus from Church Road to the far end of Coverts Road on 21st June 1950, and a diversion of the route, via Moore Lane and Lower Green Road, to Hampton Court on 1st December 1954. But by the early 1960s, the economic pressures were building up on London Transport, resulting in the introduction of a reduced service as from 16th August 1961. The service from Monday to Friday provided buses every 12 minutes at peak hours, a 20-minute service between times, and a half-hourly service in the evenings. Further economies were achieved when the 206 route was converted to a one-man operation on 18th November 1964.
During the 1960s and the 1970s many criticisms were levelled at London Transport for the standard of service provided. But the rapid growth in car ownership had resulted in a diminished passenger traffic, particularly in off-peak hours, and a loss of revenue. This was small comfort to non-car owners for whom the bus service was a vital link with neighbouring towns. However, the situation improved somewhat when Esher Council agreed in 1973 to offer concessionary travel facilities to all senior citizens on a personal application basis, while London Transport played its part in 1976 by replacing their old buses, which due to breakdowns had been the cause of many late or cancelled services.
This improvement was short-lived, and by the late 1970s the operating losses had grown to such proportions that serious consideration was given by London Transport to eliminating the 206 service entirely. The Claygate Village Residents' Association played an important role in helping to formulate an alternative solution. In this respect, for some years the Association and many individual residents had felt that what the local community really needed was a direct bus service to Kingston — a journey which by train or bus involved several tedious and time-consuming changes. While there was nothing that could be done a practical way to facilitate easier travelling to Kingston by train, a direct bus service to Kingston was a realistic possibility.
So a campaign led by the Residents' Association, was mounted to obtain a through bus service to Kingston. The stark alternative was no bus service for Claygate whatsoever. The campaign succeeded and much credit for this must be given to Hugh Ashton, a committee member of the Residents' Association, who by his persistent and patient arguments with the Surrey County Council and London Transport over several years, finally persuaded them that a direct service to Kingston was a viable solution.
Accordingly on 27th October 1978 the 206 route was operated for the last time, and on the next day was replaced by a modified 215 route.
This route operated initially between Kingston bus station, via Surbiton station, Long Ditton, Hinchley ood and Claygate, to Esher High Street, with an extension to Hampton Court during the day on Mondays to Saturdays; evening and Sunday services terminated at Esher. The scheduled frequency of both the replacement 215 service and the 206 service immediately before its withdrawal was every 20 minutes during peak hours on Mondays to Fridays and during Saturday shopping hours, with a half-hourly service at other times, except on Sundays.
On Sundays the 215 service operated every 40 minutes, compared with 80 minutes for the 206, both for a limited period during the day. To assist passengers, London Transport also introduced, on the 215, yellow destination blinds for buses going to Kingston while buses to Esher show normal black destination blinds.
The popularity of the 215 service was substantially greater than the service it superseded. Surrey County Council assessed that in its first year of operation, savings, which included consequential changes to other related services, amounted to over £100,000.
Although the new service was, in general, warmly received, nevertheless representations were made for the 215 route to be extended to include, as the old 206 service had in the past, the Coverts Road, Holroyd Road and Glebelands area. This was achieved on 23rd April 1979 when a few Monday to Friday buses had this short extra leg added to their journeys. Subsequently, in September 1980, the Sunday service was withdrawn, as was the section between Esher and Hampton Court, except for a few journeys to Lower Green or Giggs Hill for the benefit of children travelling to schools in these locations.
The last and most recent changes, introduced on 29 January 1983, followed months of research and consultation by Surrey CC on the whole of the county's bus services. The changes made to the 215 service were not too drastic in the final event, thanks once again to representations by various residents, and in particular by Hugh Ashton on behalf of the Residents' Association. Surrey's intention to axe the 'spur' services down Coverts Road and from Esher to Lower Green was modified to provide one bus serving each spur during the morning and afternoon peak periods, but the special school service to Thames Ditton was withdrawn. The frequency of the 215 service was also reduced to a half-hourly basis at certain times of the day including Saturday shopping hours.
Sources
- Peebles, Malcolm (1983). The Claygate Book. (Millennium edition). Stockbridge: by BAS Printers Ltd. ISBN 0-9508978-0-9.
- Many thanks also for the photos, many supplied by Terry Gale, from the Claygate Local History Facebook group.
