A dark day in Bath's history - an event to which my grandmother bore witness after a trip to the Parade Gardens. Let me tell you the story.
The scene is Grand Parade, the time around 4 pm. A queue of people patiently awaits the No.203 bus en route from Bathford to Foxhill. The bus suddenly appears from Bridge Street but something is not right - it appears to be out of control and it is apparent that the double decker will not make it around the corner.
The driver struggles to retain control but all to no avail and the bus goes over on its side coming to rest on the bus shelters that lined Grand Parade in those days.
A few minor injuries among the passengers aboard the bus while the people in the shelters escaped completely unscathed - testament to the robustness of Victorian engineering.
Unfortunately, large sections of the famous colonnade didn't escape without damage and remedial works took some months to complete.
This was big news at the time and was front page of the Chronicle for weeks.
I will be remembering the incident this evening in my own journey home.
The scene is Grand Parade, the time around 4 pm. A queue of people patiently awaits the No.203 bus en route from Bathford to Foxhill. The bus suddenly appears from Bridge Street but something is not right - it appears to be out of control and it is apparent that the double decker will not make it around the corner.
The driver struggles to retain control but all to no avail and the bus goes over on its side coming to rest on the bus shelters that lined Grand Parade in those days.
A few minor injuries among the passengers aboard the bus while the people in the shelters escaped completely unscathed - testament to the robustness of Victorian engineering.
Unfortunately, large sections of the famous colonnade didn't escape without damage and remedial works took some months to complete.
This was big news at the time and was front page of the Chronicle for weeks.
I will be remembering the incident this evening in my own journey home.
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