Learn about Northampton’s Transport Heritage at new archive collection

An archive recording the history of Northampton’s public transport is now open following a 15-month fundraising campaign, boosted by a £4,000 grant from Northampton Town Council’s Community Grant Scheme.

The Northampton Transport Heritage charity operates the archive, which is located at the Doddridge Centre in St James’ and open to the public every Thursday between 10am and midday.

The charity has gathered many boxes of records kept by the Northampton Corporation (Tramways) Transport Company between 1904 and the early 1990s, including tramways operation, conversion to motor buses, waybills, running cards, bus routes, transport committee minutes and pay books.

Many of the records were stored at the Old Bus Depot and Tram Shed on St James’ Road, which was acquired by Church’s Shoes and latterly by West Northamptonshire Council.

Neil Farmer, Archivist for Northampton Transport Heritage, said: “Some of these documents and records were given to us by the First Bus group in 2013 before they closed the depot and were due to be thrown in a skip until we intervened.

“The remainder were donated by Church’s Shoe Company in 2023, who allowed us to spend several days in the dark and dusty bus depot loft, winching many bags and boxes down from a great height to save them for the community, with guidance from the County Records office.

“We are very grateful for the public donations we’ve received and for the grant from the town council, which have allowed us to lease a room at the Doddridge Centre and purchase archiving equipment.

“We’d also love to hear from any previous employees of Northampton Transport/First Bus, to record or write down their experiences – whether of working on the buses or in the depot itself – so we can add this information to our archives for the benefit of future generations.”

In the long term, the charity is hoping to create a small museum and a permanent home for the records, alongside its collection of vintage buses, many of which are ex-Northampton Transport Corporation vehicles.

Cllr Jane Birch, Chair of the Community Services Committee at Northampton Town Council, said: “These documents paint a rich history of the operation of the Northampton Transport Corporation and are an invaluable record of municipal transport operations in the town, helping to tell the story of its success and growth over time.

“We understand that the County Records Office did not have room for these documents, so we are glad to support Northampton Transport Heritage to preserve them for future generations.

“The town council’s grant schemes are in place to help enhance and protect the town’s history and culture, along with supporting and promoting communities within the parish of Northampton.”

Anyone wishing to visit the Northampton Transport Heritage archive should contact Neil Farmer on 07875 283934 or by emailing: archives@ntheritage.org

Please visit the town council’s website for information about its grant schemes: www.northamptontowncouncil.gov.uk/grants