Church Street Bus Bay – Abertillery

Church Street Bus Bay – Abertillery.
As Church Street was the main road through the valley and the center of a busy town, a bus bay had long been needed for passenger heading north. There was a sort of an official bus stop on the pavement opposite the vicarage, It was on the roadside behind metal railings but it was far from ideal for the many passengers queuing in the rain.

The queues of people also had to contend with the droppings of the many crows that made their nests in the trees that were in the church yard and over-hung the road along the bus stop. There were also complaints from shoppers who had to try and squeeze past those waiting for buses, pedestrians had to step off the curb and onto a busy road to pass those waiting for their bus.

The Proposals.
A bus bay was first proposed in the mid 1950’s and the concerns listed were put to the council and planning was put in motion.

St Michael’s Church Land.
In May 1961, it was agreed for a bus bay to be put in place (as seen in the main featured image above) an area of land that was owned by St Michael’s Church had to be acquired. The council put forth plans to enter into talks with the church authorities and to purchase the land in question.

The Land Valuations.
On Friday 5th of May 1961, the South Wales Gazette reported that the council had come to an agreement with the church authorities for land to provide a proper bus bay area and valuations were carried out.

The Delayed Start and the Cement Shortage.
On Friday 21st of July 1961, the South Wales Gazette reported that Mr R. H. Eke had informed the Roads and Bridges Committee of a delay in the building of the new shelter. The contractor engaged on the construction of the new bus bay in Church Street, Abertillery, required 160 tons of cement a week and could only obtain 70 tons a month and that he had been forced to lay-off 40 of his employees. Because of the shortage of cement, the contractor was not able to start work on the bus bay and that it was not advisable to begin work without sufficient materials. It was stated that the shortage of cement was due to such major constructions as the Llanwern Steelworks, the Heads of the Valley’s Roads and the Severn Bridge being carried out in the area.

The Costs.
On Friday 28th of July 1961, the South Wales Gazette reported – On recommendations by the valuer, the council should pay £450 for 217 square yards of land on which to construct a bus bay at Church Street, Abertillery. At the council meeting, Councillor W. H. Jones asked “I wonder what the old ones would say if they knew land at Abertillery was priced at £9,000 an acre?”.

Complaints of the Removal of the Trees in the Church Grounds.
During the clearing of the land behind Church Street, many concerns were raised over the decision to cut down the trees that were in the grounds of the church in order to make room for new bus bay. A letter dated 14th of August 1961 from a concerned reader was published in the South Wales Gazette read – “Trees being cut down, things of beauty being sacrificed for a bus bay, such precious heritage being destroyed, even a lumberjack would turn in his grave”.

The Opening of the Church street Bus Bay.
There are no news reports on the completion or opening of the Church Street Bus Bay, although on Friday 4th of May 1962, the South Wales Gazette issued a notice from the Abertillery Urban District Council stating the following – “Omnibus Stopping Places for the Cwmtillery Service” – As from Monday the 7th of May 1962, the omnibus stopping place for the above service will be transferred from the County Library, High Street, Abertillery, to the Church Street Bus Stop.

The New Bus Shelter and the Last Passenger Train.
The change over of the bus stops from High Street to Church Street after the completion of the new bus bay, coincides with the last passenger train through the valley the previous week on the 29th of April 1962, as a result of the closure of passenger train services.

Bus Drivers Complaints.
On Friday 15th of January 1965, the South Wales Gazette reported on local bus companies objecting against the use of Abertillery’s central Church Street bus stop as a changeover point by the Red and White bus company’s crews. Abertillery Council’s Roads and Bridges and General Purposes Committee, heard letters from Henley’s of Abertillery and Jones’ of Aberbeeg bus companies. They complained that because Red and White buses were left at the stop for some time, as long as twenty-minutes, awaiting fresh crews, the drivers seemed to think it was their own stop. At this time, the other buses were unable to unload their passengers in the correct place. The local drivers had confronted the Red and White drivers over the issue but they were met with abuse.

The Town Center Improvements and the Urban Aid Programme.
On Thursday 13th of December 1979, the Gwent Gazette reported on the proposed demolition of some houses within the Urban Aid Programme in a draft plan to produce to the Welsh Office before the council can get approval to start the improvements in the area.

It was recommended that Bywaters Row, Mitre Street, King Street and possibly Parsons Row should be demolished as well as road widening proposals and car parking facilities. Other plans include improving the industrial areas of the Warwill Foundry at Church Street and Old Aberbeeg Road to improve the visual impression when entering town.

There is also plans for a by-pass to take some of the traffic out of the town center of Abertillery and the clearance of the former Scala Cinema to provide a site for amenity, landscaping, a footbridge over the river to the library, bus bays and manned public conveniences. The old railway bridge at Bush Hill to be removed so that there is better circulation to the town center and one-way traffic. It was also mentioned that there may be an extension of the amenity area at Division Street next to the miners hall to give car parking spaces and a seating area.

The Eastern By-Pass.
On Thursday 13th of May 1982, the Gwent Gazette reported on an urgent need to start the eastern by-pass. It’s completion will remove a considerable amount of traffic from Church Street facilitating its pedestrianisation. A bus bay on the old library site, two car parks at Mitre Street and King Street and an extension of the High Street car park.

Church Street Bus Stop Discontinued.
On Thursday 5th of May 1983, the Gwent Gazette printed notification from the National Bus Company announcing that from May 1st 1983, following the completion of the Abertillery inner by-pass road and the pedestrianisation of Church Street, the Abertillery town bus stops have altered. Church Street is now discontinued and the bus stop and shelter in the town center has been moved to High Street (as seen in the image above left) for services going north.

Copyright Details.
The photograph of the bus bay and Henley’s Bus at the shelter, as seen in the main featured image above has been used though copyright is unknown. I have enquired on all known bus service websites yet no-one knows. The writing on the back of the photograph, which I had purchased many years ago, states “Ex S.W.T. 1968”. I have been in touch with the transport library but they have no such photograph on file. If the copyright owner has any issues with the posting, I will gladly remove the image.