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Thursday, 12 March 2015

#TBT Norfolk Motor Services VEX190L

Our Throw Back Thursday photo today features a coach owned by long gone operator Norfolk Motor Services

VEX190L was a Ford R1014 with Plaxton C45F bodywork and was new to Norfolk Motor Services in May 1973

My photo album narrows the date of the picture down to the early 1980's and it must have been taken during lunchtime on a summer's day. The location is outside the Britannia Pier where the operator had a presence to promote its tours to holidaymakers

From memory I believe Norfolk Motor Services (together with Granville Tours) was owned by the Blackburn Group of Companies. In the early 1970's the company was acquired by Bob Lewis as part of Sunrise Travel who also owned Trimdon Motor Services

I can remember its coaches parked outside Norfolk Motor Service's garage on the corner of Fullers Hill and North Quay. I also recall a fire breaking out at the depot during August 1984 with many vehicles sustaining irreparable damage.

The business continued to trade with the garage operations transferring to Southgates Road in South Denes. In the meantime, the old garage was demolished and the site redeveloped with a Comet store opening soon after. The building is now occupied by Staples

I would be interested to see if any photos exit of coaches operated by this company - the only one I can find on the internet is coincidently a black and white one of VEX190L in the yard at Fullers Hill
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2 comments:

  1. Mick12 March 2015 at 22:16

    I think you sum it up well Roy. I can remember them well, my parents used their extended tours for many years. Incidentally, my parents ran a shop and dairy on Fullers Hill. The NMS garage there was on the site of my former school and church, St. Andrew's, where I was chorister and altar boy.
    I can remember the Duple boded half-cab Tigers and Duple Britania Reliances. In later years the fleets was almost exclusively light-weight Fords.
    Granville were based in Grimsby and their vehicles wore the dark blue and cream livers of the Blackburn Group. A joint express service was operated between Great Yarmouth and Grimsby for many years, which I always thought an unlikely route, but I had relations who used it to visit other members of their family in Grimsby and the vehicles I saw on it were usually reasonably loaded.
    I'm sure there are many photos about - I had quite a few of the R.Simpson collection at one time

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  2. Mick12 March 2015 at 22:19

    I also seem to remember that when the company ceased, some of the newer Fords were snapped up by Cobholm Hire Services (Caroline)

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