Life in the bus shelter
This incredible conversion of a double decker bus by twin brothers means the extra large vehicle is now just the ticket for a first class holiday in Yorkshire. Sharon Dale reports. Pictures by James Hardisty.
THE children who regularly boarded this double decker Arriva bus that took them to and from school each day will not have given a second’s thought or two hoots as to its future when it was decommissioned. At 21, the vehicle was classed as old and past it and its most likely fate was being sold for scrap and plundered for its parts until two remarkable men rode to its rescue and gave it a new life.
David and Andrew Kelly have transformed the extra large vehicle into a quirky and truly fabulous holiday let, while retaining many of its original features.
No spring chickens themselves, the 66-yearold twins are proof that age is just a number and their hands on conversion of the bus is testimony to their boundless energy, can-do attitude and remarkable abilities.
The journey began in 2021 when they were keen to add another holiday let to the three they already had at Dromonby Grange Farm, their idyllic rural home just minutes from the pretty market town of Stokesley.
Converting another farm building wasn’t possible due to planning restrictions but adding a moveable structure was, which is when creative thinking sparked the hunt for a bus they could convert into a home on wheels.
They loved the idea of tackling a new project and it was also imperative in making their business viable and to retain the farmstead that has been in their family for decades.
They and their five siblings had inherited the property from their parents but only David and Andrew wanted to keep it. “We bought our siblings out of the farm so we could keep our homes there and that meant we had to make it pay,” says Andrew.
Converting some of the farm buildings into holiday lets was the obvious route to take, not least they are in a beautiful spot overlooking the glorious Hambleton Hills and because the brothers knew they could do all the work themselves using heritage materials.
Their late father, a stockbroker, was a gentleman farmer but David and Andrew had no interest in jobs that required them to wear suits and sit at a desk.
By their 20s, they had each set up their own business using their talent for everything from bricklaying and carpentry to welding, roofing, plumbing and mechanics.
You name it and between them they can turn their hands to it and that also includes interior design as they also fitted out and decorated all the rooms in the holiday lets. “I’m more specialist in mechanics and boilers and David is construction, carpentry and bricks and mortar,” says Andrew.
After putting the word out that they were on the lookout for a bus, they got a call from a friend to tell them about a recently retired double decker for sale in Peterlee, which was originally built by Trident Cummins in Lancashire and had carried up to 87 passengers.
David headed up there and met the mechanic who had bought it from an auction. He checked it for leaks, found none, and sealed the deal.
The Kelly twins set to and within six months the bus, which sleeps four, had been transformed into a home on wheels complete with all mod cons and plenty of original features.
The driver’s cab, seat and steering wheel are still there much to the delight of both children and adults who can’t resist ringing the original bell. “We’ve also kept the wheel arches, which are often ripped off bus conversions,” says David.
To ensure that it’s cosy whatever the weather the bus has been fully insulated and panelled and a central heating system running on LPG has been installed.
On the ground floor there is a first class fitted kitchen with wood cabinets painted in anthracite grey and reclaimed marble worktops. There’s also a full size oven and hob along with a fridge freezer and a microwave. The latter sits snugly in the luggage hold.
David made the dining table and seating and at the far rear of the ground floor and there is a cosy bedroom that is home to two single beds with
Upstairs is a large sitting room with a TV, plenty of seating, including two original bus seats, plus a desk, shower room and a wardrobe and drawers.
At the rear is a double bedroom lined with Sapele wood and a comfy bed with a base that was handmade by David to include