On The Buses – Buses of Britain Book 7 – 22 December 2023
On the Buses – Buses of Britain Book 7 – 22 December 2023
Compiled and edited by Mike Forbes, this GBP 9.99 softcover from Kelsey Publishing Ltd assembles period photographs of London-area coaches from the 1950s, organised around three themes: Coronation Tours, A Day at the Races, and the Wembley crowds.
Three long-form photographic chapters document a vanished era of British road transport. All images are sourced from period negatives, credited primarily to Bill Godwin. The book is the seventh in the Buses of Britain series, which published alongside On The Buses magazine.
Content
Coronation Tours (p.6-41) — Coaches from across the country converge on London around the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The photographs show vehicles from small independent operators alongside the larger fleets, many carrying their original lettering and route boards. Transport historians will find the operator names and fleet livery variations useful for period-correct restoration reference.
A Day at the Races (p.42-60) — Coaches ferrying race-goers to Epsom Downs for Derby Day in the early 1950s. The variety of body styles — from pre-war chassis to early post-war designs — documents the transition period in British coachbuilding. The crowd and vehicle mix also captures street-level social history of post-war leisure travel.
We’re on Our Way to Wembley (p.61-end) — Spectator coaches arriving at Wembley Stadium for major sporting events in the mid-1950s. The photographs show the sheer scale of coach-based spectator transport before the motorway era. The street scenes around the stadium capture urban infrastructure that has since been redeveloped.
Editor’s Note
A tight, well-focused photo book for a specific niche. The three-theme structure avoids the scattershot feel of many transport photo collections, and the credited sourcing (Bill Godwin negatives, Mike Forbes editing) adds archival credibility. Weakness: there is no contemporary commentary or caption detail beyond location and event context — readers who want vehicle technical specifications will not find them here. Best for bus and coach enthusiasts, transport historians, and period-modelling reference; irrelevant for general road-transport readers who need mechanical or operational detail.
Strengths
• Three clearly themed chapters with focused period photographs
• Bill Godwin negatives provide consistent image quality and period accuracy
• GBP 9.99 price point for 80+ pages of archival transport photography
Weaknesses
• No technical captions — no engine types, body builders, or chassis details
• Single photographer source limits the variety of fleet coverage
Verdict: Selective read — A solid period-photography collection for bus enthusiasts; modellers and historians will want more technical data than the captions provide.
