The Eastbourne Borough Council Omnibus Service Garage is a symbol of the importance of bus transport to the development of outlying areas. In the early twentieth century, trams dominated intra-city public transport, and the bus was relegated to a support role. Yet in outlying areas, where it was uneconomical to lay tramlines, it was the bus that prompted the opening up and expansion of new settlements.
The Eastbourne Borough is located across the harbour from central Wellington and, between 1886 and 1913, access to the settlement was via a regular ferry service. In 1925, road access was upgraded and the firm Sievers & Bosher started a regular Eastbourne-to-Wellington bus service. Two years later, the service was purchased by the Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC). The move reflected a general trend towards the centralisation of bus services by local authorities.
In 1937, foreseeing the future profitability of the service, the EBC took out a loan to construct an omnibus garage at 'Burdan's Gate'. The centralisation of bus services had produced some purpose-built workshops, few yet could compete with the facilities provided at Eastbourne. Designed by Mitchell & Mitchell & Partners and built by D. Daily, the new Omnibus Garage cost approximately £9,000 and was formally opened on 24 May 1939. The building was constructed from concrete with wooden joinery, and consisted of a single-storey garage and a two-story block complete with two workshops with work pits, a paint shop, offices, and accommodation flats for the drivers.
Because of the importance of transport in Eastbourne, the Omnibus Garage was a high profile structure and featured prominently in publications about the suburb. Integral to the bus service, the importance of the Garage was enhanced as the ferry service became increasingly irregular during the Second World War and, from 1948, finally stopped altogether. This was reflected by the construction of extra facilities at the Garage to accommodate the increased fleet.
In the 1980s, the central role of the Garage lessened when new workshop facilities were constructed at Waterloo. Despite this, the building continued to play a central part in the bus service. In 1992, responsibility for the Omnibus Garage was transferred to the new Hutt City Council (HCC), which had absorbed the EBC in 1989. Prompted by the value of the land, the HCC developed plans to sell the blocks of flats and subdivide the land. This proposal was resisted by residents but, in 2004, the Garage outbuildings were demolished. A permit was issued to remove the Omnibus Garage the following year. In August 2005 the efforts of local residents convinced the HCC to halt the development of the subdivision to allow alternative proposals to be put forward. These proposals were rejected by the Council and the future of the Omnibus Garage remains uncertain.
The Eastbourne Borough is located across the harbour from central Wellington and, between 1886 and 1913, access to the settlement was via a regular ferry service. In 1925, road access was upgraded and the firm Sievers & Bosher started a regular Eastbourne-to-Wellington bus service. Two years later, the service was purchased by the Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC). The move reflected a general trend towards the centralisation of bus services by local authorities.
In 1937, foreseeing the future profitability of the service, the EBC took out a loan to construct an omnibus garage at 'Burdan's Gate'. The centralisation of bus services had produced some purpose-built workshops, few yet could compete with the facilities provided at Eastbourne. Designed by Mitchell & Mitchell & Partners and built by D. Daily, the new Omnibus Garage cost approximately £9,000 and was formally opened on 24 May 1939. The building was constructed from concrete with wooden joinery, and consisted of a single-storey garage and a two-story block complete with two workshops with work pits, a paint shop, offices, and accommodation flats for the drivers.
Because of the importance of transport in Eastbourne, the Omnibus Garage was a high profile structure and featured prominently in publications about the suburb. Integral to the bus service, the importance of the Garage was enhanced as the ferry service became increasingly irregular during the Second World War and, from 1948, finally stopped altogether. This was reflected by the construction of extra facilities at the Garage to accommodate the increased fleet.
In the 1980s, the central role of the Garage lessened when new workshop facilities were constructed at Waterloo. Despite this, the building continued to play a central part in the bus service. In 1992, responsibility for the Omnibus Garage was transferred to the new Hutt City Council (HCC), which had absorbed the EBC in 1989. Prompted by the value of the land, the HCC developed plans to sell the blocks of flats and subdivide the land. This proposal was resisted by residents but, in 2004, the Garage outbuildings were demolished. A permit was issued to remove the Omnibus Garage the following year. In August 2005 the efforts of local residents convinced the HCC to halt the development of the subdivision to allow alternative proposals to be put forward. These proposals were rejected by the Council and the future of the Omnibus Garage remains uncertain.
