Taking a bus trip down Memory Lane

I ENJOYED your recent 1959 photograph depicting the top end of Charles Street, including the City Police Headquarters.

My particular interest was seeing the Midland Red Bus Company double decker bus standing on the right hand side near the lamp standard.

At this time Midland Red used this location for a variety of services which, in most cases, would travel out of the city along London Road to Oadby with a selection of termini in the village and a wide range of villages beyond including Great Glen, Fleckney, Kibworth, The Langtons and finally Market Harborough.

Route numbers L10, L32, 611, 639 and 654 may be memorable to passengers of the day, but this is only a selection of numbers.

This location was known as Northampton Square and was used by Midland Red for many years into the 1970s during which era you may have seen route numbers 10, 83, 86 and 610 to 615.

In the late 70s, services were relocated to St Margaret’s Bus Station as Midland Red was reducing its number of city termini that had been positioned outside the immediate city centre area.

By the mid-1980s, after the redevelopment of St Margaret’s Bus Station, when services had been dispersed for the building work, some services most of which had been renumbered, were allocated stops in the city centre e.g. local routes to Oadby.

Nowadays you will see the selection of services 31/A, 49 and X3 operated by Arriva Midlands providing travel in the same direction, although the 49 to Fleckney goes via Welford Road and The Langtons are served by Centrebus.

I hope this brings back memories for your readers.

John Breen, Leicester