Europe’s longest bus route put in the picture
FANS have already made a song and dance about it.
And Birmingham’s famous number 11 bus has featured in at least one novel.
Now the iconic bus, which first ran on the city’s Outer Circle on April 26, 1926, has been immortalised in paint.
A self-taught Birmingham artist has held a world premiere exhibition showing his latest transport paintings at the very Birmingham bus garage that inspired him.
National Express West Midlands invited Christopher Holloway, from West Bromwich, along to its busy Acocks Green garage.
He showed off three of his recently created oil paintings to the hundreds of staff who drive and look after the number 11 buses featured in these original new works.
All the paintings operating at various locations on Birm ingham ’s famous number 11 Outer Circle bus route.
Last year was the 90th anniversary of the number 11 route, which recently took back from Coventry its title of Europe’s longest bus route.
Mr Holloway was joined at the exhibition by his son Phillip, who has been a bus feature buses driver at Acocks Green for the past three years.
Mr Holloway said: “It was a very proud moment for me to introduce my dad and his colourful paintings to my colleagues.
“Of course, I always thought his paintings were very good, but it was great to hear that so many other people agreed with me.
“Some people even thought that they were photographs rather than paintings, and everyone was wondering if it was them in the driver’s cab at that moment.”
With the original artwork now up for sale, Chris has also produced numerous prints and notecards from these and the many other transport paintings he produces throughout the year.
The number 11 inspired a song by The Woodbines in 1999, a dance by Kenneth Reid from the Birmingham Scottish country dance group and at least one novel – the recent satirical bestseller called Number 11 by West Midlands author Jonathan Coe.