Drummer Street Bus Station in 1926 (Cambs Collection)

Drummer Street Bus Station, Cambridge

Drummer Street Bus Station

2 December 1924
The question of a parking place for buses and private motor cars was discussed at some length by Cambridge town council. The Watch Committee suggested that Drummer Street should be used as a parking place for motor cars and buses. The Surveyor submitted a plan which included taking in a portion of Christ’s Pieces. It was resolved that the scheme should not be entertained and a proposal be considered for constructing a parking place on Butts Green
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1924 12 02.

8 August 1925
The Corporation seems to have stirred up a good deal of indignation by their proposals with regard to the Drummer Street “motor park”. In a town like Cambridge it certainly seems unwise to do anything that may detract from its attractiveness. A suggestion has been put that the ‘park’ should be established on Butt’s Green and not at Drummer Street at all. A petition has been presented to the Mayor asking her to call at Town’s meeting and it is hoped that the request will be acceded to.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1925 08 08.

12 August 1925
The protest meeting against the taking of part of Christ’s Pieces for parking motor vehicles attracted a crowd of over 2,000 people to Drummer Street & was marked by a remarkable climax. After a resolution of protest had been passed the crowd voted a desire to take it to the Mayor that night. Speeches had been delivered from a four-wheeled waggon and the shafts were quickly manned and the waggon containing councillors who had spoken was dragged at a good pace to the Mayor’s house in Newton Road. Something like a 1,000 people followed in its wake.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1925 08 12.

Drummer Street Bus Station 1925

10 March 1928
A man told Cambridge magistrates he had been asked for some side screens for a motor car. He got into a Morris Oxford car in Drummer Street parking place, Cambridge, and drove it as far as the cemetery. He took the side screens out, rolled them up in a rug and sold them to an Ely man for a £1 note and an electric motorcycle lamp.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1928 03 10.

17 September 1928
Augustine Crossman, manager of the A.R.C. Knitting Works, Abbey Walk, Cambridge told the court he had left his Morris Oxford car at the Drummer Street parking place and when he returned it was missing. When found next day the spare wheel had been changed, the tyre being seriously damaged. The inner tube had been taken out and put under the rear seat. The body of the car had been strained, one of the doors leaving a gap when closed and the bonnet had dropped away from the radiator. A quantity of petrol and oil had been used and a pair of sun goggles stolen. The damage came to something over £10.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1928 09 17.

21 September 1928
Cambridge Watch Committee granted Messrs Brown Bros a further licence for a Lancia coach to ply for hire at Drummer Street on condition that only one of their buses is to stand there at any one time. But Ortona had six to 14 buses there at a time & Messrs Brown advertised fares at 6d to a shilling cheaper. Ortona paid the Council £250 towards the rates but if the public was being charged extra it was time this was dispensed with. A custom had grown up amongst police and other to give Ortona preference because they sent buses to various places, whilst the others went to only one.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1928 09 21.

21 March 1938
Eastern Counties Omnibus Company complained of difficulties manoeuvring their buses at the Drummer Street terminus. They suggested the Corporation reduce the width of the footpath. The Borough Surveyor disagreed. He suggested that the space reserved for the parking of cars should be reduced by 54 feet from the high kerb against the coffee stall. But the Watch Committee decided that the time was now approaching when Eastern Counties should cease to use Drummer Street and consider the provision elsewhere of their own bus station
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 38 03 21a.

25 March 1938
Drummer Street park was made for private cars, and now they seemed to be letting the Bus Company monopolise it; they should find a parking place of their own, a councillor urged. But Ald Starr said it was opened not for private cars but for the benefit of the working men and women who came into Cambridge by bus. Now it was used as a car park by professional and business people who left their vehicles there all morning and afternoon. Coun Stubbs said they were at their wits’ end to know what to do with the traffic. It was easy to talk about telling the Bus Company to find a new park, but where could they go?
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 38 03 25a.

4 October 1947
A bus driver who allowed his sympathy to exceed his caution was fined a total of £6 when he appeared before the Cambridge Petty sessions. PC Bert Patton was on patrol duty at 6.30 pm when he saw the single decker Premier Travel bus in Trumpington Street. He noticed it was a twenty seater being used as an express carriage. Besides those seated there were 20 adult passengers standing. Several more were sitting on the steps at the entrance, and on the right of the driver there was a passenger sitting on the emergency door, the window of which was open. The body of this passenger was protruding outside the bus for a distance of nine inches. The constable allowed the defendant to drive the vehicle to Drummer Street so as not to inconvenience the passengers. Here he pointed out that the vehicle was being used as an express carriage and there should have been no people standing. To this the driver replied “Well, you cannot very well leave them behind”
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1947 10 04.

10 October 1947
A proposal to improve Drummer Street bus station was discussed at Cambridge Town Council. Ald Briggs said “Drummer Street is already overcrowded and traffic is going to increase in the coming years”. The Committee had discussed a suggestion that a portion of Butt Green should be used as a bus station and had previously considered the use of New Square as a bus station. Coun Cutting considered that the proposal was too urgent to wait, “If you saw last year the thousands standing out in the cold in Drummer Street you would not have thought it was any credit to the town”
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1947 10 10.

3 May 1949
The Drummer Street bus station is a topic always sure of a lively discussion at Women’s Institute meetings. At the annual meeting of the Cambridgeshire Federation the present provisions were condemned in no uncertain terms. A Fulbourn member thought it would be a waste to spend more money on the existing system, which was all wrong. Advocating the use of New Square she spoke of the danger to children running across the road after school to catch buses. “There will be a fatal accident there before long, then perhaps something will be done”, she said
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1949 05 03.

29 June 1951
The new Civic mobile canteen was officially opened by Ald W.J. Briggs, chairman of the Cambridge Communal Feeding Committee. The brand new, beautifully equipped caravan will be a great asset to the city as a whole, and even more so to the people who use the Drummer Street bus station. It replaces the old stall which used to be there. The whole thing is in charge of the City Catering Officer, Mrs C. Howson. It is expected to be open from 8.30am to 10pm on week-days and from 2pm to 9pm on Sundays.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1951 06 29.

23 October 1952
Proposals for the bus station at Drummer Street, Cambridge, were discussed at the Planning Inquiry. The bus company preferred a station to be sited on New Square which was double the area of Drummer Street. But would passengers agree – and they are entitled to be considered sometimes. Half to two-thirds would use Emmanuel Street. The amount of bus traffic would increase if greater provision was made & there would be a traffic blockage at Four Lamps roundabout
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1952 10 23.

5 November 1952
Much of the congestion in the central area of Cambridge could be dealt with by providing car parks in the right places rather than the provision of extra circulatory routes the Chief Constable told the Development Plan inquiry. Closing of Magdalene Street would inevitably lead to an increased use of the Backs and the proposed spine relief road would not afford relief to traffic in the city centre. The police had received many complaints concerning the amount of noise at Drummer Street bus station late at night. By moving it to New Square this objection would be alleviated
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1952 11 05.

20 November 1952
Edward Lainson of Premier Travel told the Development Plan Inquiry that it would be highly undesirable to move the bus station from Drummer Street to New Square. Access would be difficult and the crossing of Emmanuel Road by a large number of people would constitute a danger. It would cause congestion because a lot of people who found the buses handy would start using their cars
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1952 11 20.

13 May 1960
Have you ever been shopping and wanted to get rid of the heaviest of your parcels, or needed somewhere to park a suitcase or bicycle? Here in Cambridge one example of private enterprise has a solution for this kind of problem. If you travel regularly to and from Drummer Street ‘bus station you will know Jim Wooders, who sits at the end of Christ’s Pieces and has been looking after parcels for well over 30 years
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 60 05 13c.

30 April 1965
Jim Wooders looks after parcels Drummer Street bus station for 40 years; started 1922
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 65 04 30e.

13 July 1977
A group of Cambridge residents have started a legal battle to stop buses using the narrow, congested Parker Street to reach the city’s Drummer Street bus station. They are trying to force four major bus companies to use an alternative route via Emmanuel Street and Regent Street. The leader of the objectors said: “Parker Street is fit only for local traffic, being narrow and with houses on each side. At the moment the pollution is disgusting. You cannot open a window and the noise is above acceptable limits”. The Eastern Counties traffic manager said: “Buses represent only a tiny proportion of the heavy traffic using the street, so why we are being picked on I don’t know”
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1977 07 13.

3 October 1978
Cambridge’ Drummer Street bus station may be extended on to the adjoining Christ’s Pieces within the next few years as County Council traffic experts and the bus companies have agreed that expansion of the present site is the best way of bringing it up to date. The facilities such as booking office, news-stands & toilets are scattered, cramped and unsightly and there are no proper information displays. The city council has suggested the station should be moved into the Kite Area and Conservation interests prefer disused land near the railway station should be used. But the County rejects both locations
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1978 10 03.

7 March 1979
A new double-decker bus station in the centre of Cambridge is being proposed by County traffic experts. Buses would wait only long enough to set down and take up passengers and long-distance buses would run from elsewhere in the city. This one of several options to sort out the chaos of Drummer Street. Others include expanding on to Christ’s Pieces, re-siting it to the Kite area or adjacent to the railway station. For years the bus station has been the subject of intensive criticism because of its lack of facilities and poor conditions. Now councillors have made it a priority.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 1979 03 07.

13 March 1980
New plans for Drummer Street bus station have provoked widespread criticism from councillors. The two-storey building to accommodate offices and waiting facilities is a large transparent structure with a domed roof. But Coun Peter Wright said: “It looks like a large greenhouse; to see anything like that going up in the middle of a conservation area is absolutely unbelievable”. Maurice Garner said: “I cannot say I like it – but nothing can be worse than what we have”. It would be difficult for handicapped people to reach the upper floor waiting rooms.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 80 03 13a.

8 July 1982
Chaotic Drummer Street is a nightmare for passengers and bus drivers during the busy rush hours. Nobody knows where their buses are and if you go to the information offices the queues are so long that by the time you get to the desk the bus will have gone anyway. Premier Travel driver Hedley Hammond said he was five minutes late already and couldn’t get round to his bay. Dismal and dilapidated the worn-out bus station just can’t cope with the traffic of the 1980s.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, references 82 07 08a & b.

27 August 1982
City councillors want a full-scale transport complex to give quick interchange for rail and bus passengers on long distance and local services to be sited at the railway station. There is plenty of parking with toilet and refreshment facilities already on hand. The County Council’s controversial plans to spend £400,000 on rebuilding Drummer Street bus station would still leave it a cramped site with poor access.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 82 08 27.

29 June 1983
Plans for a new main bus station with a ‘floating roof’ and a circular office block standing alongside, in the centre of Cambridge, have come in for fierce criticisms. The County Council is adamant that the new bus station should go on the present small and restricted site in Drummer Street but the Labour- controlled City Council want it moved to the railway station. The rebuilding will see the removal of the small island with its office and large trees from the centre of the road. But the City is refusing to sell the island site or to remove the trees as part of its opposition.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 83 06 29 p15.

22 October 1985
The Government has given the green light for the controversial £500,000 plan for rebuilding Cambridge bus station. They have given the County permission to buy a small ‘island’ of land in the centre of Drummer Street owned by the city council. It was the only thing standing in the way of the proposed rebuilding plans. But the scheme is unlikely ever to go ahead. The new County council administration wants to build a long-distance coach terminal at the railway station instead, saying it would ease city centre bus congestion.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 85 10 22.

2 April 1986
Drummer Street bus station – officially described as a ‘disaster area’ – is to have a major face-lift, the first since it was built 60 years ago. An island at the centre of the site with a number of small booking offices will be demolished and the central area refurbished. The aim is to tidy up one of the most prominent sites in the city centre, the one first seen by thousands of tourists. It currently has poor passenger facilities and operating conditions and is in urgent need of improvement.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 86 04 02b.

24 June 1986
Drummer Street bus station renovation criticised
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 86 06 24.

1 December 1987
Cambus has bought the entire coach operation of arch rivals Premier Travel. Premier, founded in 1936 has dominated the Cambridge travel scene in recent years and is expecting record profits. It has a fleet of 75 coaches based in Kings Hedges Road and all 129 employees in the coach division will become employees of Cambus. Earlier this year the two companies started a joint venture involving a travel centre at Drummer Street bus station.
Credit: Mike Petty Archive, Cambridge DRUMMER STREET Scrapbook, reference 87 12 01.