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Transport

Hayfield Bros, Omnibus Operators, of Newport Pagnell wrote to the Council in January 1930 seeking support for their application to Northampton Borough Council to run a daily service from Newport Pagnell to Northampton. The Council gave this and the service started. The route was eventually taken over by Wesley's of Stoke Goldington. Yorks of Northampton bought out Wesley's and finally passed the route to Stagecoach (United Counties), who are running the service in 2001.

In November 1946 the Council tried to improve the bus service by asking Eastern National Omnibus Co. if their 2.20pm service from Newport Pagnell to Bedford could be diverted via the village instead of straight up Chicheley Hill. The plea seemed to fall on deaf ears for, except on Sundays, when the bus route changed. However in the late 1990's the service was re-routed from Chicheley Hill down through the village to the Knoll and out on the Newport Road.

In December 1947 Hayfield's were requested "to be good enough to change their Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday services, as per other days, via Sherington as these were the visiting days for Northampton Hospital and the only means for the parishioners to visit their friends". (By 1996 the Council were being asked to support a move by Olney Town Council for Stagecoach to improve the service to Milton Keynes so that parishioners could get to the now local hospital. It seems that the problem has gone full circle) The Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays service to Northampton was run by Wesley's of Stoke Goldington, but this was discontinued in March 1966 without notice. Wesley's said that there were no passengers carried, so why bother to advertise the withdrawal.

At the same meeting the Council were asked by a member of the public if it could erect a bus-shelter on The Knoll and it was decided to seek planning permission to erect one where the Fire Hut stood during the Second World war. The Fire Hut was actually an old chicken shed used by the Auxiliary (later National) Fire Service as a place where they could attend for duty. The location was on the corner of The Knoll and High Street opposite Haynes Garage. By March 1948 the plans for a shelter to accommodate 15-20 persons were requested by Bucks County Council but it was not until August 1949 that it was decided that an advertisement asking for tenders, by the middle of September, for the construction of the shelter should be placed in The Bucks Standard.

Two tenders were received: Messrs S Brandon at £192 and W T Revitt Ltd at £122, the latter being accepted.

In 1953 it was not uncommon, even in rural areas for bus services to be run quite late into the evening. In May of that year the Council supported a request from Emberton that the 8.30pm from Bedford on route 132 (via Chicheley Hill and Astwood) and the return from Stony Stratford at 9.45pm be routed through Sherington, Emberton and Olney instead.

It was not until May 1961 that an actual bus-stop sign was placed on The Knoll, when United Counties supplied the sign provided the Council would erect it.

The busses were certainly used and public services carried school children. In October 1961 complaints were made that of the 28 children that attended Newport Pagnell County Secondary School (in Cedars Way) a number were often left behind when the 4.15pm from Newport Pagnell was full-up. The Education Office said that it was not their responsibility as school busses were only provided where distances exceeded three miles and Sherington was within this radius. After representation from the Council to City of Oxford Motor Services "the largest bus permitted for rural routes" was used on this service and the problem was solved.

Once again the Council asked if the 132 could be routed through the village instead of going down Chicheley Hill. Once again this was turned down on the grounds that Chicheley Road was only 13' wide.

The shelter had by 1966 become quite dilapidated and the glass panels kept being kicked in. The Council in May decided that protective mesh should be placed over the glass. This seems not to have been done for in March 1967 the same matter came before the Council and the same solution offered. Six months later the shelter was described as being 'very dirty and unhygienic' and the village lengths man, Jack Pateman, was offered 5/- (25p) a week to clean it. Three years later it was reported that the shelter was continually being vandalised, but no action was suggested to counter this.


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Latest Revision: 31 December 2006