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Shrewsbury Depot

Abbey Foregate

• Garage formerly leased by the Allen Omnibus Company.
• Garage control passed to Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) on Saturday 1^st April 1916, with the business and operations of Allen Omnibus Company. This also included one vehicle, a Tilling-Stevens TS3 single-deck.
• Allocation of 3 vehicles by December 1916
• Site vacated in July 1919 when the lease on the Abbey Foregate site expired.

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Roushill

• Operated on a temporary lease by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) from Tuesday 1^st July 1919, following the closure of the Abbey Foregate site. Initial allocation of three vehicles.
• Allocation increased to 4 vehicles.
• Site closed in November 1920, and all operations transferred to a purpose built garage at Ditherington.

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Spring Gardens, Ditherington Road, Shrewsbury

• Purpose built 2-bay garage, brick built around a steel frame, with a single-story office block.
• Opened by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) on Thursday 11^th November 1920.
• c. 1925, the single-story office block is extended upwards with a second floor, matching the design of the original building.
• Expanded in 1929, with the addition of two more bays, matching the design of the original building. Garage capacity is increased to 53 vehicles.
• Building partly under the control of Ministry of Aircraft Production, Castle Bromwich, from 1940 for the production of aircraft components. BMMO rented additional garage space during this time.
• Vehicle allocation of 57 by 1947, with the narrow forecourt being used for outdoor overnight parking due to lack of space indoors.
• Additional outdoor parking space adjacent to the garage acquired in the early 1950s.
• Site used for a special bodywork department, carrying out overhauls from BMMO garages in the area.
• Vehicle allocation of more than 70 vehicles during the late 1960s.
• Company renamed to Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) on 29^th March 1974, with a depot allocation of 68 vehicles and approximately 198 staff at this time.
• Depot control passed to Midland Red (North) Limited when the Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited split up on 6^th September 1981.
• Midland Red (North) Limited is privatised and sold to Drawlane Transport Group Limited on 27^th January 1988. Drawlane Transport Group was later acquired by British Bus Group Limited.
• British Bus Group Limited acquired by Cowie Group PLC on Thursday 1^st August 1996.
• Cowie Group PLC renamed to Arriva PLC on Thursday 6^th November 1997, with Midland Red (North) Limited operations becoming Arriva Midlands North Limited soon after.
• Site passed to Shrewsbury Council in March 2011 for £2.3m, to make way for the £30m redevelopment of the adjasent Flax Mill site.
• New depot opened in Battlefield, with the Ditherington depot closed on Sunday 3^rd June 2012 and later demolished.

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