Location of Southwark (VE) bus garage (Kentish Bus)

Southwark (VE)
Located opposite the junction of Balfour Street and Victory Place, today the site is a residential development accessed by John Maurice Close.
Also known as Newington Butts, Bricklayers Arms, Nine Elms.
At the end of 1989 from Sunday 31st December, the 42 and P4 were transferred to a new site at Newington Butts which Kentish Bus called Southwark but retained the ‘VE’ code used for Victoria, this was near to the junction of Balfour Street and Victory Place, the site was owned by BRS and Kentish Bus was one of the tenants.
The site had at one time been used as a bus garage by Thomas Tilling until 22nd January 1916.
In 1990 the 22A was taken over by Kentish Bus from 20th January using now Olympians based at Leyton, the Sunday operation of the 42 was transferred to Leyton from 21st January allowing Southwark to be closed on this day.
Kentish Bus also took over the 22B and 55 from 24th February using new Olympians from Leyton, the Saturday operation of the 42 also moved to Leyton.
British Road Services then announced the sale of the site, the P4 was transferred to Dartford from 17th November with part of the Mon-Fri share of the 42 moving to Leyton but Southwark also took back a share on Saturdays.
The last day was 15th December, from 16th December Leyton took over full operation of the 42 and it was converted to Metrorider.
However, London & Country had moved in from 10th November when they took over the 78 and 176, they called the site Newington Butts (NB), although it was closed, London & Country continued to use it for parking as an outstation of Croydon.
Operations then moved to the re-opened Walworth from 13th December 1992.
Source - various newsletters from the London Omnibus Traction Society (LOTS).
Elmers enD.
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[@paulwithers3658]

Hi Ed, thanks for latest videos VE & NB. I have more suggestions. Armchair of Brentford and one i know very little about is maybe a bus terminus or coach /lorry park at kings Cross area in Norhdown Street or end of Collier Street approximately. I think it may have appeared in tv show years ago. I know you have done several in that area already.

[@ElmersEnd]

The sites in Kings Cross were covered because of Green Line route 727 and I wondered where they were - any other coach coverage tends to be connected to bus operations. I am confident that I know less about coach operations than you do. Don't forget that Armchair was acquired by Metroline via ComfortDelGro in November 2004, remember DP 962 running around on Potters Bar routes 84, 234, 384 and W9 in orange after the 485 was lost to Go-Ahead in 2006?

[@paulwithers3658]

Hi again Ed, I was thinking of Armchair as a bus operator. I've never been to there yard. My latest suggestions are the Boroline Maidstone Depot at North Greenwich (according to Ians Bus Route sight may be code MS ?) I can find very little info on this Depot. Also Blue Triangles original Ferry Lane Rainham FL Depot use later on TFL Contracts I believe. Many thanks in advance as always Paul.

[@ElmersEnd]

The Greenwich base was Ordnance Wharf, I've been looking into it, sometimes you get lucky and some intrepid photographer has gone there, but not in this case, it was only used for one year. If I could find a good source of aerial photographs from the late 80's/early 90's things would be easier as I could show the viewers that image as groups of red (or any other colour) rectangles on the ground gives a good idea of where the site was. Rainham took a bit of time to sort out geographically, the whole area has been eradicated and a new access road has been built through it, luckily the current Stagecoach site is very much active so you can cross link the location as they had a common boundary in a couple of areas.

[@paulwithers3658]

Thanks Ed, I shall look it up on the map. I took a look at the 188 route on Ians Bus Route site and be called it GR Code. For the 108 route MS is a bit of a mystery for me as it ran with the 188 from Greenwich. Another ex driver who now works at Go ahead Morden Wharf depot. He said the Boroline depot is now where a car park for the dome is. I will have to visit the area. I'm waiting more info from him on a bus site.

[@ElmersEnd]

@@paulwithers3658 Apparently the 188 moved there from Crayford which meant that Lynx could appear on the route, it was re-tendered one year early by LRT, but Boro'line then got the 272/472 instead. All the takeovers resulted in some of the ex-Boro'line Volvos ending up at Walworth where they could appear on the 188 again.