Bures-online.co.uk
Serving the communities of Bures St Mary and Bures Hamlet

 

Chambers ceased trading and
Site for Sale

 

 

 

 

Chambers ceased trading on
2nd June 2012


H.C. Chambers & Son Ltd
Bus and Coach Operator in Bures


 

 

 

H.C Chambers & Son Ltd was founded by the present owners great great Grandfather in 1877. In addition to operating horse drawn buses and carts, a thriving livery stable and saddlery business was operated

 

Chambers purchased their first motorised bus in 1918. It had previously been used as an ambulance in France during the first world war.
Taken in North Street, Sudbury with Mr H. Chambers, the founder of the bus comany
Soft Tyres, roof rack and carbide lamps

 

 

 

The end of the 1st World War with the advent of motorised buses, they increased frequency of services to twice weekly to Sudbury and Colchester.

Between the Wars, bus services were increased to operate to such places as Halstead and Haverhill and further expansion into the general haulage, farming and coal merchants.


Chambers Bus outing to Clacton

 






Maybe the same vehicle outside
Bury Abbey gardens dated 1919


Open top charabanc
Dated 1920

The period from the end of the 2nd World War, up until early sixties saw the farming, general haulage and coal merchants gradually disappear and the operation of buses and coaches increase. From the early seventies the bus services were concentrated on the Bury St Edmunds to Colchester service, which is one of, if not the longest bus route operated by an independent company in the UK.

Modern day services include the Colchester via Bures to Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury via Nayland to Colchester and Clare to Bury St Edmunds.

Since the introduction of motorised buses, the bus and coach fleet has progressed from the open top charabancs of the 20’s, to today’s Air Conditioned Touring coaches fitted with every comfort and modern comfortable Double Deck Buses and Minibuses.

Adjacent to the main office, Chambers have their own fully equipped workshop which could accommodate any type of repairs, the vehicles warranted

 

Chambers as its known locally, was an independent bus and coach operator based in the village.
On May 28th 2012, it was announced that Chambers had been acquired by Go-Ahead Group, this making them the fourth East Anglian independent to become part of Go Ahead Group., after Konectbus, Anglian Bus and Hedingham Omnibuses.

A spokeswoman for Go-Ahead confirmed the firm had acquired Chambers, which is said to be the oldest bus company in the UK and has 27 vehicles and 33 staff, on Saturday.

She added that the Chambers depot in Bures had not been part of the deal and the company would be operating from units already owned in Chilton Industrial Estate.


The last bus to operate from the Bures depot, returned from its route on the evening of Saturday 2nd June.


Research by Alan Beales 02/06/2012