Wigan Album

You say designed by a Standish resident, but all these buses were copies, derivatives, of an original design all looking more or less identical.

The bodies of these buses surely are designed by Massey Brothers of Wigan Lane, and later Northen Counties of Pemberton.

Lovely photo and story Barrie, there’s always one who takes pleasure in attempting to burst one’s bubble.
I wonder if the museum would be interested in preserving your findings?

Alan, I would suggest that you read the following histories of Bus building in the Wigan Area from the early 1920's to the late 60's /70's. The books are :- Northern Counties of Wigan written by Eric Ogden (1976); Northern Counties by Bob Rowe (2006); Massey Bros Coachbuilders (2011) also After the War was Over: The Pearson's of Liverpool Storey by Alan Farnshaw & David Hayward (2008). Each company had to comply to the existing rules and specifications laid down by the Government of the era on construction of passenger vehicles depending on weight, size, passenger numbers being carried etc. This particular vehicle for SMHD based on an Atkinson Chassis was a one off. Most of the Atkinson chassis during this era of 1950-55 were for single decker body work. Father had rejoined NC in 1953 for the 4th time in his bus & coachbuilder career having started on the shop floor as a body builder in 1926 when he moved up to Wigan from Maidstone. He studied draughtsmanship/design (his books & certificates I've still got) during his time on the shop floor. When rejoined NC as a draughtsman, he must have been involved with what SMHD senior management had suggested. I assume having centre doors on a double decker as based on the single decker buses of the time was one of them. From reading his comments within his diaries, he was not pleased at the outcome.
Colin, When I visited the museum in 2021 I did give some information to the staff on duty but due to the ill heath of my wife I put it to the back of my mind. May be one day I will revisit the museum.

I think this is the only double deck Atkinson bus ever built, and it was for operator SHMD on the other side of Manchester, that stands for Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield in the Tameside area and had unusual centre entrance. Blackpool was famous for having centre entrance Leyland double deckers up to the 1950s. Lancashire United had 40 Atkinson single deckers in the 1950s.

I beg your pardon Barrie, I feel such a fool.
Your Father was a clever designer.

Barrie's dad must have designed ALL the buses in the whole of the country then. You better tell the London Bus Museum they got it all wrong.

Alan, you have the companies and their locations the wrong way round. Northern Counties were based on Wigan Lane and Massey Bros in Enfield Street, Pemberton. Northern Counties later moved to Pemberton after they had bought out Massey's and rebuilt the factory.

Thank you Stuart...apologies.

To a certain poster, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit in our family.

Liverpool buses were like this green, looks more like a greenhouse.
One of the worst colours was the GMB that Wigan inherited (after Wigan Corporation) Tangerine and White,
horrible combination.

Leyland buses the best and what we were brought up with here in Wigan, Maroon and white. I remember the chassis going to Pem having the bodies built. Great days.

Very much like an old Liverpool bus, the livery gives it away. Green with yellow band line. Looks great.

Old Chester registration number plate
MA.

"I hate you, Butler"!

"I hate you Blakey"!

I have posted this question on another thread, but as said thread is now getting a bit old, if I might beg your pardon to so do, I will also ask here.

I have just been reading that the maker, 'Dennis' had manufacturing plant in Wigan. (OK, not their main plant).

Something which I had previously been unaware of.

Anyone know owt about this?

Dennis is a name in bus building, though also seemed to be pursuing the same market and product type that Pagefield's vehicles aimed for.

Maybe purely coincidental.

No doubt one of our learned members will clarify things.

Dennis was a truck manufacturer in the midlands, they also made refuse vehicles. Dennis is now owned by Terburg, Wigan Council use Terburg now to empty our wheely bins.
I believe Dennis made fire engines too.

Dennis (wiki)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Specialist_Vehicles

Their main location was Guildford, but wiki says plants also at: Warwick, Scarborough, Anston, Blackpool, Wigan, Falkirk, Belfast

Remember the Dennis fire engine Square cab and bin lorries.

Dennis Eagle Trafford park Manchester.

Unusual for the doors to be so far back from the front of the bus, looks weird.
And could be dangerous I suspect. The driver can't see passengers getting on and off, I much prefer our Wigan Leyland buses.

Martin, one has to remember that this is in the 1950's era when we had bus conductors & clippies who took the fares and rang the bell for passengers to alight safely and rang the bell again to inform the driver it was safe to pull away. I think they were done away during the late 60's early 70's.
When I moved up to Paisley in 1965 to work on the next motorway construction project, I rode on a lot of Wigan built buses owned by Western SMT that ran in the wider Glasgow region. (Home from Home)

The driver doesn't need to see the passengers boarding, that's the job of the conductor. He or she is in charge of the passengers safely.

Does anyone know what the ‘foothold’ and reinforced mudguard was for?