Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. It stretches from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset, a distance of about 96 miles, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in mid-December 2001; the site spans 185 million years of geological history, coastal erosion having exposed an continuous sequence of rock formation covering the Triassic and Cretaceous periods. At different times, this area has been desert, shallow tropical sea and marsh, the fossilised remains of the various creatures that lived here have been preserved in the rocks. Natural features seen on this stretch of coast include arches and stack rocks. In some places the sea has broken through resistant rocks to produce coves with restricted entrances, in one place, the Isle of Portland is connected to the land by a narrow spit. In some parts of the coast, landslides are common; these have exposed a wide range of fossils, the different rock types each having its own typical fauna and flora, thus providing evidence of how animals and plants evolved in this region.
The area around Lulworth Cove contains a fossil forest, 71 different rock strata have been identified at Lyme Regis, each with its own species of ammonite. The fossil collector Mary Anning lived here and her major discoveries of marine reptiles and other fossils were made at a time when the study of palaeontology was just starting to develop; the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre provides information on the heritage coast, the whole length of the site can be visited via the South West Coast Path. The Jurassic Coast stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of 96 miles. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001, the Jurassic Coast was the first wholly natural World Heritage Site to be designated in the United Kingdom. At Orcombe Point, the "Geoneedle", an acute pyramidal sculpture, marks the western end of the heritage site; the cliffs on this part of the coast are being eroded as sections crumble away and landslides occur.
These processes reveal successive layers of sedimentary rock, uncovering the geological history at the modern coastline over a period of 185 million years, disclosing an continuous sequence of rock formations covering the Triassic and Cretaceous periods. The fossils found in the area and the coastal geomorphologic features of this dynamic coast, have advanced the study of earth sciences for more than two hundred years; the area covered by the designation comprises the land between the mean low water mark and the top of the cliffs or the back of the beach. The fossils found in abundance along this coastline provide evidence of how animals and plants evolved in this region. During the Triassic this area was a desert, while in the Jurassic it was part of a tropical sea, in the Cretaceous it was covered by swamps; the fossilised remains of the animals and plants that lived in those periods are well preserved, providing a wealth of information on their body shapes, the way they died and the fossilised remains of their last meals.
Fossil groups found here include crustaceans, molluscs, fish, reptiles and a few mammals. At Lulworth Cove there is a fossil forest of tree-ferns and cycads; the Jurassic Coast consists of Triassic and Cretaceous cliffs, spanning the Mesozoic, documenting 185 million years of geological history. The site can be best viewed from the sea, when the dipping nature of the rock strata becomes apparent. In East Devon, the coastal cliffs consist of steep cliffs of red sandstone from the Triassic, at Budleigh Salterton, the gravel cliffs contain red quartzite pebbles which accumulate on the beach below as Budleigh pebbles, locally protected. Further east at Ladram Bay, more sandstone cliffs give rise to spectacular red sandstone stacks. Around Lyme Regis and Charmouth the cliffs are of Jurassic clays and shale, landslips are common. Chesil Beach is a good example of a barrier beach and stretches for 18 miles from Burton Bradstock to the Isle of Portland; the beach encloses an intertidal lagoon, an internationally important Ramsar Convention site known for its biodiversity.
At Lulworth Cove, the waves have cut their way through the resistant Portland stone and created a horseshoe-shaped cove by eroding the softer sands and clays behind. Another feature of this part of the coast is a natural arch. Sea stacks and pinnacles, such as Old Harry Rocks at Handfast Point, have been formed by erosion of the chalk cliffs; the highest point on the Jurassic Coast, on the entire south coast of Britain, is Golden Cap at 627 ft between Bridport and Charmouth. This coast shows excellent examples of landforms, including the natural arch at Durdle Door, the cove and limestone folding at Lulworth Cove and a tied island, the Isle of Portland. Chesil Beach is a fine example of a storm beach; the site has stretches of discordant coastlines. Due to the quality of the varied geology, the site is the subject of international field studies; the many sedimentary layers on this coastline are rich with fossils, the remains of the animals and plants present in the area whose tissues became immersed in deposits of mud which hardened into rock.
At Lyme Regis, for example, geologists have identified 71 layers of rock, each one containing fossils of a different species of ammonite. At the end of the 18th century Georges Cuvier showed th
Gosport
Gosport is a town in Hampshire on the south coast of England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,622, it is situated on a peninsula on the eastern side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite the city of Portsmouth, to which it is linked by the Gosport Ferry. Gosport lies south-east of Fareham, to which it is linked by a road; the Rowner area of the peninsula was settled by the Anglo-Saxons, is mentioned in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle as Rughenor. Both Rowner and Alverstoke, the name coming from the point where the River Alver entered the Solent at Stokes Bay, were included in the Domesday Book. Rowner was the earliest known settlement of the peninsula, with many Mesolithic finds and a hunting camp being found, tumuli on the peninsula investigated. Bronze Age items found in a 1960s construction in HMS Sultan included a hoard of axe heads and torcs. A three-celled dwelling unearthed during construction of the Rowner naval Estate in the 1970s points to a settled landscape. Next to the River Alver which passes the southern and western edge of Rowner is a Norman motte and bailey, the first fortification of the peninsula, giving a vantage point over the Solent, Stokes Bay, Lee-on-the-Solent and the Isle of Wight.
The former Rowner naval married quarters estate, now demolished, HMS Sultan were built on a former military airfield, known first as RAF Gosport and as HMS Siskin, which gives its name to the local infant and junior schools. The barracks at Browndown were used in the ITV series Bad Lads' Army. Gosport is believed to derive its name from "goose". An alternative etymology of "gorse" is not supported by the regional name for the plant, "furze". A third theory, claiming a derivation from "God's Port" is believed to be a 19th-century invention; until the last quarter of the 20th century, Gosport was a major naval town associated with the defence and supply infrastructure of Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth. As such over the years extensive fortifications were created; the first fortifications were in 1678 during the reign on Charles II. These consisted of two forts, Fort James and Fort Charles, a series of bastions and double ditches to encircle the town, known as the Gosport Lines. During the Georgian period in 1751 and 1752 they were rebuilt and extended.
Further additions were made in response to the French invasion threat of 1779. By 1860, the Gosport Lines had 58 guns. No.1 Bastion, for example, had mounted 14 guns in brick lined emplacements firing over the parapet. The 1859 Royal Commission on the Defences of the United Kingdom proposed the completion of a line of forts to protect the outer approach to Gosport town, making the earlier defences redundant. However, they were retained to constrain any expansion of the town towards the new line of forts. From the 1890s road widening meant some parts of the ramparts and gates were demolished. Further sections were demolished in the 1960s. Today, the little are protected ancient monuments; the town is still home to HMS Sultan and a Naval Armament Supply Facility as well as a Helicopter Repair base. Most of the former naval and military installations have closed since the Second World War, leaving empty sites and buildings. In response to this, museums have opened, many of the fortifications and installations have been opened to the public as tourism and heritage sites.
One of the more recent additions is the Diving Museum at No 2 Battery at Stokes Bay, bidding to become the National Diving Museum for the British Isles. Several sites have been redeveloped to provide housing, including the New Barracks, the Royal Clarence Victualling Yard and Royal Hospital Haslar. Forton Barracks is now St Vincent College. There has been extensive redevelopment of the harbour area as a marina. In November 1850, two ships of the Ottoman Navy, Mirat-ı Zafer and Sirag-i Bahri Birik, anchored off the Hardway near Gosport; the visit lasted several months and during this time some of the members of the crew contracted cholera and were admitted to Haslar Hospital for treatment, where most of them died. In addition, some other sailors died because of training accidents. In total 26 were laid to rest in the grounds of Haslar. At the turn of the 20th century the bodies were exhumed and transferred to the R. N. Military Cemetery, Clayhall Road, in Alverstoke. In the first week of June 1944, scout cars and wheeled vehicles of the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, Canadian Army loaded Landing craft tanks in Gosport.
Convoys of vehicles had been concealed from German discovery in the areas further inland, in daylight on 3 June moved through Titchfield and Stubbington to G3 Hard on the Gosport waterfront. There, the M4 Sherman tanks were backed into position in preparation for the Channel crossing; the initial plan was for the invasion to begin on 5 June, but bad weathe
Leyland Atlantean
The Leyland Atlantean is a double-decker bus chassis manufactured by Leyland Motors between 1958 and 1986. It pioneered the design of rear-engined, front entrance double deck buses in the United Kingdom, allowing for the introduction of one man operation buses, dispensing with the need for a bus conductor. In the years following World War II, bus operators in the United Kingdom faced a downturn in the numbers of passengers carried and manufacturers began looking at ways to economise. A few experimental rear-engined buses had been produced before the war but none made it beyond the prototype stage; the need to minimise the intrusion of the engine into passenger carrying space was a priority, leading to several underfloor-engined single-deck designs. However, such designs raised the height of the floor of the vehicle, forcing additional steps at the entrance. On double decker buses, these problems were amplified, causing either an increase in the overall height of the vehicle or an inadequate interior height.
In 1952, Leyland began experimenting with ideas for a rear-engined double-decker bus. A prototype was built, with a body by Saunders-Roe, to the maximum permitted width of 7 feet 6 inches, it was fitted with a turbocharged version of the Leyland O.350 engine, transversely mounted at the rear of the sub-frame. The chassis was a platform-type frame of light alloy with deep stressed side-members. An automatic clutch and self change gearbox were fitted; the vehicle was designated the PDR1. In 1956, a second prototype was constructed, this time with a Metro-Cammell body and, again equipped with an O.350 engine fitted across the frame. It had Pneumocyclic gearbox and angle drive; this vehicle was 13 feet 2.75 inches in height, with a 16-foot-2.875-inch wheelbase and overall length of 29 feet 10 inches and had a seating capacity of 78. Leyland christened this prototype the Lowloader. Though two prototypes were tested, the same problem of a front-engined bus remained, they had rear entrances with the space alongside the driver being wasted.
An amendment to the Construction and Use Regulations in 1956 saw the maximum length for double-deckers increased to 30 feet, allowing a wider entrance to be located ahead of the front axle. This was to allow the driver to supervise boarding whilst the conductor collected fares, but it became apparent that the design would allow for one man operation. Leyland took advantage of the new regulation to launch the first prototype Atlantean at the 1956 Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court Exhibition Centre. Though it featured the front entrance design that would redefine the bus industry, several factors prevented the bus going on the market; the main problem was the high level of engine noise inside the lower saloon, as the engine was still inside the body, with the compartment being used for bench seating. Mechanically, the prototype Atlantean was similar to the Lowloader with an O.600 engine transversely mounted at the rear with a pneumo-cyclic gearbox situated in the rear offside corner providing drive in a straight line from the engine.
The Atlantean had strong fabricated frame. Light alloy floor plates were rivetted directly to the framework, fulfilling the dual purpose of reinforcing the frame and providing a foundation for the saloon floor; the platform-type sub-frame concept from the Lowloader was retained for the prototype. A drop-centre rear axle allowed the flat floor, only one step up from ground level, to continue for the full length of the bus; the prototype was demonstrated around the country to various operators. It had an unregistered sister vehicle, used as a testbed. Both were subsequently scrapped. By 1958, Leyland had overcome most of the problems and moved the engine to a rear-mounted compartment outside the main body and the first production Atlantean PDR1/1, with a 16-foot-3-inch wheelbase, was launched at the 1958 Commercial Motor Show, it had simpler mechanical specification than the prototype, with conventional front and rear axles, leaf springs all round and a channel section frame. Glasgow Corporation, James of Ammanford and Wallasey Corporation each put their first example of the type into service in December 1958.
From 1964, a drop-centre rear axle was available as an option for the Atlantean. In 1967, Leyland launched the Atlantean PDR2/1. In 1965, London Transport purchased a fleet of 50 operating on routes 7, 24, 67 and 271 before being transferred to Croydon. Though some operators continued to buy front-engined vehicles for reliability, the Atlantean became popular. Though the National Bus Company and the Scottish Bus Group favoured the Bristol VR and Daimler Fleetline the Atlantean proved popular with municipal operators. Aberdeen, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Newport and Plymouth Corporations purchased large numbers of the type. London Country Bus Services had purchased the Leyland Atlanteans, as a competitor of Daimler Fleetline, there are 387 first hand Leyland Atlanteans, 15 of them are second-hand, purchased between 1972 and 1985. With the breakup, Kentish Bus began to invest in new Olympians, substantial withdrawals of its Atlanteans started during March 1988, completing the job in December 1997 before the merger with Arriva.
London Country North East was privatised to AJS Holdings in 1988, a strike over worsened working conditions resulted in the loss of three LRT tenders: the 313 was lost to Grey-Green. LCNE'rationalised
Bridport
Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, 1.5 miles inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre and of fishing from West Bay. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 13,568. In the 21st century, Bridport's arts scene has expanded with an arts centre, theatre and museum, it features as Port Bredy in Thomas Hardy's Wessex novels. The town is twinned with France. Bridport's origins are Saxon. During the reign of King Alfred it became one of the four most important settlements in Dorset – the other three being Dorchester and Wareham – with the construction of fortifications and establishment of a mint. Bridport's name derives from another location nearby. In the early 10th century the Burghal Hidage recorded the existence of a fortified centre or burh in this area, called'Brydian', accepted as referring to Bridport.'Brydian' means'place at the Bride', this name may have come from an earlier burh in the Bride Valley a few miles to the east, abandoned or not completed in favour of the harbour site at Bridport.
A probable location for an earlier burh is at Littlebredy. In 1086 the Domesday Book recorded that the town was called'Brideport'. At a date, in a reversal of a more typical derivation, the town lent its name to the river on which it stood; the Domesday Book recorded. In 1253 the town was awarded its first charter by Henry III, by the subsequent reign of Edward I Bridport sent two members to Parliament. In the 14th and 15th centuries, like other Dorset coastal towns, Bridport suffered heavy losses due to frequent outbreaks of the Black Death. Around this time the town was subjected to attacks by raiding French and Spanish forces. Since the Middle Ages Bridport has been associated with the production of rope and nets; the earliest official record of this industry dates from 1211, when King John ordered that Bridport make "as many ropes for ships both large and small and as many cables as you can". The raw materials needed and hemp, used to be grown in the surrounding countryside, though they were superseded in modern times by artificial fibres such as nylon.
Bridport's main street is wide due to it having been used to dry the ropes, after they had been spun in long gardens behind the houses. Ropes for gallows used to be made in the town, hence the phrase "stabbed with a Bridport dagger" being used to describe a hanging. In the English Civil War the population of Bridport supported the royalists. At the end of the war in 1651 Charles II stayed in the town as he sought to escape Parliamentarian forces after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester. Many buildings in Bridport in the main street, date from the 18th century. Bridport Town Hall was built in 1785-6, with its clock tower and cupola added about twenty years later. Older buildings can be found in South Street, include the 13th-century St. Mary's parish church, the 14th-century chantry and the 16th-century Bridport Museum. During the 19th century Bridport's population grew little, unlike many Dorset towns, although many sturdy buildings were constructed at this time, showing that at least parts of the population remained prosperous.
In 1857 the Bridport Railway was opened, which joined the town with the existing national rail network. This brought cheaper goods such as coal to the area. In 1884 the line was extended from Bridport's station to a new terminus on the coast at Bridport Harbour, renamed West Bay as part of attempts to promote it as a resort; the West Bay extension closed to passengers in 1930 and all traffic in 1962. The entire Bridport line closed in 1975. In the UK national parliament, Bridport is within the West Dorset parliamentary constituency, represented by Oliver Letwin of the Conservative Party. In local government, Bridport is governed by Dorset Council at the highest tier, Bridport Town Council at the lowest tier. In national parliament and local council elections, Dorset is divided into several electoral wards, with Bridport forming two of these: Bridport North and Bridport South. In county council elections, Dorset is divided into 42 electoral divisions, with Bridport being within two: Bridport Electoral Division and Bride Valley Electoral Division.
Bridport is in the county of Dorset in South West England. Measured directly, it is about 14 miles west of the county town Dorchester, 15.5 miles SSW of Yeovil in Somerset, 33 miles east of Exeter in Devon and 1.5 miles inland from the English Channel at West Bay. The town centre is sited between the small River Brit and its tributary the Asker, about 0.5 miles north of their confluence, at an altitude of 10–15 metres. Another small tributary, the River Simene joins the Brit to the west of the town centre. Bridport is composed of several small suburban districts, some of which used to be separate villages; these include Allington, Coneygar, Bradpole, Court Orchard and St Andrew's Well. One and a half miles from the town centre and within the town's boundary is West Bay, a small fishing ha
Red Funnel
Red Funnel, formally the Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited, is a ferry company that carries passengers and freight on routes between the English mainland and the Isle of Wight. High-speed foot passenger catamarans, known as Red Jets, run between Southampton and Cowes, while vehicle ferries run between Southampton and East Cowes. Red Funnel's main competitor is Wightlink whose services operate from Portsmouth to Fishbourne and Ryde, from Lymington to Yarmouth; the other major Solent ferry company, operates between Southsea and Ryde. Both provide a frequent service to the Isle of Wight, but neither serve Southampton, Cowes or East Cowes; the origins of Red Funnel date back to 1820, when the Isle of Wight Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was established by Cowes interests to operate the first steamer service from there to Southampton. In 1826, the Isle of Wight Steam Packet Company was formed in Southampton, by the following year the two companies had started co-ordinating their operations.
In 1860, the Southampton, Isle of Wight & Portsmouth Improved Steamboat Company was created to compete with the two established operators, the threat posed caused the two older companies to merge. They subsequently acquired the assets of the Improved Steamboat Company in 1865. Formed in 1861, called The Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited, the merged company's name remains the longest for a registered company in the United Kingdom; the shortened name Red Funnel was adopted after 1935 when all the company's ships had a black-topped red funnel. The longer name remains the company's formal name; the company operated a paddle steamer ferry service between Cowes, Isle of Wight and Southampton. During its history the company has operated other routes connecting the Isle of Wight and the English mainland, together with a sizable excursion steamer business along the South Coast of England including day trips from the Isle of Wight to France, but today services are concentrated on two routes.
In 1931 it introduced the MV Medina. Ferries have increased in size to the current Scottish-built Raptor class operated between East Cowes and Town Quay in Southampton. Between 1969 and the 1990, the company ran Italian-built hydrofoils between Town Quay and Cowes; this route is now served by passenger-only catamarans. In 1867 Red Funnel instituted a service crossing the River Medina between East Cowes; this service was operated by a series of small launches over the years. The service ceased on the outbreak of war in 1939 when the vessels involved were requisitioned by the Admiralty. In 1868 the company took over the Cowes Floating Bridge Company and operated the floating bridge until 1901. In 1885 the company bought the New Southampton Steam Towing Company and operated tugs and tenders under the subsidiary Red Funnel Towage. In 2002 Red Funnel Towage was sold to the Adelaide Steamship Company passing to Svitzer Marine. In 1946 Red Funnel acquired a controlling interest in Cosens & Co Ltd, a rival pleasure steamer operator based in Weymouth.
This enabled the combined company to coordinate their excursions and gave Red Funnel access to the Cosens' marine engineering and ship repair facilities. Excursions came to end in 1966 but the engineering side continued until sold off in 1990 to a management buy-out. In 2001 the company was sold to JP Morgan Partners Inc. by Associated British Ports Holdings, which had acquired the company in 1989 as a white knight to fend off a hostile takeover by Sally Lines. In 2004 the company was sold again in a management buy-out backed by the Bank of Scotland for £60 million. On 12 April 2007, the owners of Red Funnel announced. In June of the same year, the company was sold to the Prudential's infrastructure specialist, Infracapital, in a deal valuing the business at more than £200m. In 2017 the company was sold to a consortium, including West Midlands Pension Fund and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of the Province of Ontario, for an undisclosed sum. In the same year, construction work began on renovating and enlarging the terminal at East Cowes, completed in 2018.
The house flag was inspired by the names of the early paddle-steamers, Emerald and Pearl. A simple rhyme was the guide to flying it correctly: "Blue to mast, green to fly, Red on deck, white to sky." The Red Eagle collided with Humber Energy in the Thorne Channel, near Southampton Water, on the evening of 21 December 2006. Coastguards said nobody was injured and neither vessel was badly damaged. Richard Pellew, of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said: "Having examined the minor damage sustained to the Red Eagle we are advising Red Funnel on the repair work the ferry needs before it can resume normal service." On 10 March 2006 the car ferry Red Falcon, collided with the linkspan at the Southampton Town Quay terminal. Eight passengers and one crew member were injured and significant damage was caused to the Southampton end of the Red Falcon and to the linkspan; the collision caused a 5-metre hole above the buckling of the car deck doors. The accident occurred 9 years and 1 day after the Red Falcon collided with the dredger Volvox Hansa in Southampton Water with limited visibility due to fog.
On 5 November 2016 a man on a personal water craft collided with Red Jet 4. No one was injured and no damage was caused; the Red Eagle was involved in a collision in thick fog on 27 September 2018. It was reported that the ferry had ploughed through the moorings of three yachts and a channel marker was struck; the following month, the Red Falcon hit several yachts in thick fog, sinking one of t
First Greater Manchester
First Greater Manchester is a bus operator in Greater Manchester. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. A timeline overview of public transport in Manchester, prior to 1993, is given here. Before deregulation in 1986, buses in the Greater Manchester area were publicly funded and went under the name of Greater Manchester Transport. In 1986 Greater Manchester Transport became known as GM Buses, owned by the metropolitan borough and city councils of Greater Manchester, but were at arms' length from the local town halls. In December 1993 GM Buses was split in GM Buses North and GM Buses South, it was planned that the two companies would compete against one another, but in reality they stuck to the sides of Manchester as indicated by their names. In April 1994 GM Buses North was sold to a management buyout. By this stage many competitors were operating GM Buses routes following deregulation. In March 1996 GM Buses North was rebranded First Manchester. After a period of experimentation with the livery, an orange livery was adopted.
First Manchester soon ended up managing two other FirstBus subsidiaries, First Potteries and First Pennine. That included many GM Standard Leyland Atlanteans making their way to those two fleets; the First Pennine and Manchester subsidiaries were merged, adding a number of routes in the Tameside area to First Manchester. A new management team was put in place and First Manchester was relieved of its responsibility for the Potteries subsidiary. Various depots have been closed over the past 12 years including Atherton, Bolton Crook Street, Knowsley and Trafford Park sites at Lowton and Manchester Piccadilly have been used temporarily for either acquired fleet in 1998 or for the Commonwealth Games in 2002; as of September 2010 First Manchester has taken over the management of the Cheshire and Merseyside depots of First Potteries with the Staffordshire depots transferring to the management of the new First Midlands division. The Cheshire and Merseyside depots fell to a First Manchester licence. In February 2012, the company came under fire from Department for Transport North West's traffic commissioner after a performance survey found an average of 26% of First Manchester services were not running on time.
The company were fined £285,000 in March 2012 for their poor reliability. In Spring 2012 First Manchester was rebranded as First Greater Manchester. In June 2012, it was announced that FirstGroup were looking at selling off some of its operations, which included First Manchester's Wigan depot. On 2 December 2012, Stagecoach Manchester purchased the Wigan operation; the transaction saw 300 employees, 120 vehicles and the Wigan depot purchased by the former A Mayne & Son legal entity. On 1 August 2013, FirstGroup announced that subject to regulatory approval by the Office of Fair Trading, it had agreed to purchase the bus operations of south Manchester based company Finglands Coachways; the purchase included the lease of Finglands's depot in Rusholme, South Manchester routes and 100 members of staff, but no buses. The deal was approved on 27 January 2014 with First taking over Finglands services on 9 February 2014. On 19 February 2019, First Group announced that they had sold the Queens Road depot, Cheetham Hill, to Go Ahead group for £11.2 million, this included all assets at the depot and routes it operates, including around 163 buses.
Go Ahead Group will operate the depot as Go North West. The date of the transition across is not yet known. Bolton Queens Road, Manchester OldhamIn April 2017 Bury and Tameside depots closed with operations transferred to Bolton, Queens Road and Oldham depots. In January 2019 Rusholme depot, acquired as part of the Finglands purchase, closed with services 41 and 53 transferred across to Queens Road Depot; the Fleet of ADL Enviro 400's and Wright Streetlites were allocated elsewhere within Greater Manchester.. In February 2019, it was announced that the Queens Road bus depot would be sold with 163 buses to the Go-Ahead Group with Go North West to take over subject to receiving regulatory approval; as at February 2019, the fleet coaches. Over half are Volvos. First Greater Manchester followed the lead of Travel West Midlands in using low-floor articulated buses with the delivery in 1998/99 of 15 Wright Fusion bodied Volvo B10LAs; these were used on route 135 between Manchester and Bury, these transferred to Bolton and were used on route 8 from Bolton - Manchester via Pendlebury and more on route 582 Bolton - Atherton - Leigh.
Their introduction on the 582 was somewhat controversial, with users claiming that the reliability and frequency of the service had suffered. In April 2009 these Volvo artics were placed into storage in Bolton moved the Wigan depot, with the possibility of them being cascaded within FirstGroup however this never happened and they were moved to Leeds Cherry Row Depot where they were sent off to be scrapped; the last Wright Fusion operated with First Aberdeen in 2014 before being withdrawn, joining the rest of Aberdeen's Ex-Glasgow Fleet of Fusions to be scrapped. In 2005, 18 Scania OmniCity articulated buses arrived to take over operation of route 135. A single Wright Solar Fusion bodied Scania L94UA articulated is owned and was again used at Bury but has been used since on routes 8 and 582 from Bolton, it has since been reallocated back to Bury for use on the 471 routes. On 9 December 2016 X401 CSG was involved in an accident on the M60 motorway in the Heaton Park area; this bus
Fareham
Fareham is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham, it was an important manufacturer of bricks, used to build the Royal Albert Hall, grower of strawberries and other seasonal fruits. Current employers include Fareham Shopping Centre, small-scale manufacturers, HMS Collingwood and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. Archaeological excavations around the old High Street area and the church of St Peter & Paul on high ground over the Wallington Estuary have yielded evidence of settlement on the site contemporary with the Roman occupation. No extensive programme of investigation has been possible due to the historic nature of the buildings in this area; the town has a documented history dating back to the Norman era, when a part of William's army marched up from Fareham Creek before continuing to the Saxon capital of England, Winchester. Known as Ferneham, it was listed in the Domesday Book as having 90 households.
The ford of Fareham Creek was the location of the Bishop of Winchester's mills. Commercial activity continued at the port until the 1970s, continues on a smaller scale. By the beginning of the 20th century, Fareham had developed into a major market town. In the 1960s, Fareham experienced a huge amount of development, as it was one of the areas highlighted for major expansion in the South Hampshire Plan; the idea was to create many thousands of homes as a base for the many people who were looking to move away from the traditional urban centres of Portsmouth and Southampton. During this era that the large housing areas of Hill Park, Miller Drive, much of Portchester grew until there was a continuous urban conurbation from Portsmouth to Southampton. By this time Fareham had expanded to encompass the surrounding villages of Funtley, Titchfield and Portchester. In the late 1990s, a settlement called Whiteley, straddling the boundaries of Fareham Borough and the City of Winchester, was developed to the north of Junction 9 of the M27 motorway.
It is predominantly residential. In 1995 Cams Hall and Cams Estate were turned into a modern technology park. An urban renewal initiative began in 1999, renovating the town centre and historic buildings to include a new entertainment and shopping complex, it featured a major iron sculpture park installed in 2001 to celebrate the work of influential Lancastrian iron pioneer, Henry Cort, who lived in neighbouring Gosport but who had an iron rolling mill in Funtley, on the outskirts of Fareham. There is a school named after him, Henry Cort Community College. Fareham is home to Ferneham Hall, a multi purpose venue with a capacity of over 700; the hall opened in 1982 and has hosted live music, theatre shows, comedy and conventions. The Ashcroft Arts Centre, on Osborn Road, has a 150-seat theatre, a gallery, a dance/music studio and a licensed bar, it offers a varied programme of events including films, theatre and workshops. The pedestrianised area of West Street, in the town centre, is home to a permanent exhibition of the work of 12 blacksmith artists celebrating the achievements of Henry Cort, the 18th century ‘man of iron’ who pioneered the iron refining process at Funtley near Fareham.
The puddled wrought iron sculptures are themed on Fareham’s market town history and the exhibition is the largest of its type in Britain. The village of Wickham, 3 miles north of Fareham, is host to the annual Wickham Festival; the first festival environs. Artists performing included Spiers and Boden, Richard Thompson, Sparks, Steeleye Span and The Larry Love Showband. After moving to Stokes Bay in 2008 and 2009, the festival returned to Wickham in 2010, has since featured James Blunt, 10CC, Lightning Seeds, KT Tunstall, Steve Earle and Jools Holland. In 2017 Fareham College was rated by OFSTED as "Outstanding". Fareham has a hockey club, they are in the Men's Conference West Division. Fareham enjoy close access to a thriving Tennis Club in nearby Wickham, many of the Club members are Farehamites,https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/WickhamCommunityTennisClub. Fareham has a Non-League football club, Fareham Town F. C. which plays at Cams Alders. It has a cricket club and Crofton, which plays at Bath Lane.
The town has a Rugby Union club, Fareham Heathens, which plays at Cams Alders. There is a competitive swimming club, Fareham Nomads Swimming Club, affiliated to the Amateur Swimming Association, ASA South East Region and Hampshire County ASA; the Club was formed in 1974. Due to the lack of a home pool the club took its name because in the early days it led a'nomadic' existence, using various pools throughout the area for training until 1980 when Fareham Leisure Centre was opened. Since the Club has grown and today has a membership of around 250 children, young adults and masters swimmers. Additionally, it has a tchoukball club based at Fareham Academy called Fareham Rhinos. Fareham is well served by rail networks; the M27 motorway passes around the northern edge, is the main traffic artery into and out of the area. It provides easy access to both Portsmouth and Southampton, from there to London via the M3 and A3; the A27 was the original route along the south coast before the building of the
