Todmorden Bus

The bus registered WT1843 , fleet number 20 is waiting for departure to Bacup from here outside the Church Street Bus & Parcels Office. It was a Leyland SGH2, being delivered in 1924 along with number 21. First recorded as having a Hickman body but another record shows it as a locally built Phoenix body? Possibly another body exchange? It was taken out of service in 1931. Photo taken outside the bus office on Church Street (now Rochdale Road), Todmorden. The Grapes Inn is on the right; this inn used to have a 6 day licence, Monday to Saturday, however, Sunday mornings were the busiest time for the pub, people would be queuing on the gantry from Water Street at the rear. The inn was compulsorily purchased for road improvements, but these did not take place for about 40 years. Note the entrance to the pub is about 4 feet below the level of the road, this is as the result of a series of road improvements which had raised the level. This row of buildings has since been demolished.