It’s not that I’m difficult to please or anything, but I was never keen on this sort of thing …I mean commemorative liveries, or anything with a whiff of "heritage" or tourism-mongery about it. This Gardner-engined LD, new in 1956, was withdrawn on the last day of 1972 and rebuilt as an open-topper. They were planning ahead, for 1973 was to be the year of the "Bristol 600" celebrations ..the 600th anniversary of …what was it? …the granting of the charter that made Bristol a county? The signs on the boundary as you entered Bristol used to announce "City & County of BRISTOL", but I would guess that the county status disappeared the following year in Mr Heath’s reforms of local government. Has anyone asked the question?
An "open-top tour", route number 600, was introduced. Everyone made approving mooing noises and a photographer from the Evening Post (everyone loves free advertising) probably came round to take one of those photographs of the General Manager posing in front of the bus, shaking hands with the driver. The driver, by the way, would have been "Father" Williams, of the Lawrence Hill Miscellaneous roster, which was a kind of anteroom to retirement. He, Sam Cocking and Tommy "Dogger" Davies managed to get in on every cushy number that was going. The service was retained the following, non-commemorative, year and by the date of the photograph, Friday 27th August 1976, had become the "Open Top Circular". The bus had just returned from a day of plying the attractions and was to be be parked under the roof of Lawrence Hill depot’s Shed, off right of this view; it might rain in the night and wet seats on the top deck were to be avoided. A glimpse in the distance of LS no. 3000, which had been withdrawn at the end of March and never re-entered service after having that brand new panel fitted on the front. Have you spotted the Paint Shop’s little pun? The foot step behind the front wheel corresponds with the position of the tunnel portal under the Suspension Bridge on the Bristol – Portishead railway line.
