Bus Station Departure

Saturday 3rd April marked the last day in service for Wolverhampton Bus Station, which has now closed to undergo a 15 month redevelopment as part of the Wolverhampton Interchange project. As the old bus station had been part of my life on virtually a daily basis, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on my own memories of the place...

Over the years the bus station featured in countless journeys, providing a gateway to exploring Wolverhampton and the wider West Midlands, from exciting days out to the more mundane process of going to work or shopping up town. Certainly the station was always a welcome sight at the end of the working day as I looked forward to catching my bus home, although other days would bring a touch of sadness at the thought of another epic adventure drawing to a close.

My earlier memories of the station mainly involve waiting at stand Q (later to become stand S) for a 532 or 533, keeping half an eye out in case the 598 came first. I think the place back then was predominantly brown and yellow with corporate Centro green benches and metal dividers that created little mazes at the stands themselves. With the arrival of Network West Midlands branding came an updated colour scheme in shades of blue, enhancing the appearance slightly although the facility still looked bland and dated. Another more recent addition were the security announcements bringing me good news from West Midlands Police or telling me to keep my mobile phone out of sight whilst staying alert.

In terms of infrastructure, the station comprised four long rows of stands overlooked by the Queens Building. Main access was from Lichfield Street by the Britannia Hotel, buses arriving by the Pagoda then sweeping round the bend by the clock to the set-down stops. Centro and National Express had a joint enquiries office where I would often stop by to pick up a timetable, then there was the Spar store in Transport House and some curious concrete artwork lumps around the entrance opposite Queen Street. The bus parking area was at the far end by the courts, with a further vehicular access off Pipers Row - I quite liked this back area as there used to be a good chance of getting a Choice photo or two. Aside from my normal routes, the other stands I particularly remember are C (for the 559), F (for the 529) and R (the 79 stop where there was usually a big crowd gathering), whilst the 500 Market Bus used to go from the Pagoda until funding for the route was sadly withdrawn.

Perhaps it was overfamiliarity or the sheer volume of traffic, but looking back I don't think I really liked the station that much. It always seemed a soulless location to me, never particularly welcoming nor did it feel that safe (especially not on the evenings). As a place to take photos it never inspired me in the same way that somewhere like Stourbridge did - I prefer quieter spots where I can take my time and not get in the way - although it was infinitely better than the new Centro stations at Wednesbury and West Bromwich that seemed to make bus photography almost impossible. My fear is that the new interchange once finished will follow the trend and prove equally as restrictive. In time I expect my affection for the old station will grow, looking back through rose-tinted glasses and all that, so we'll see what transpires.

Saying that, the new interchange is definitely an exciting development and will apparently offer world class facilities, whatever that means!! I look forward to seeing the transformation taking shape and hope to record the various stages of construction process, some of the photos might even prove to be quite historical. The interim period also provides opportunities, as buses will call at temporary locations across the City Centre including Queen Street, Stafford Street and Pipers Row, and I'm hoping to capture these arrangements on camera too.

I couldn't let the bus station close without marking the occasion though, so Saturday brought with it a farewell photography session. Routes such as the 532, 517, 505, 513 and 574 all featured alongside some general station scenes. The honour of my final bus shot went to the 512 route about to depart for Warstones, and then it was time to catch my last bus. Stand H and the 525 brought the curtain down on my own personal experiences of the bus station, and it felt rather strange boarding the bus knowing that I wouldn't be sampling those familiar surroundings again. It was a bus station departure in more ways than one...