I took the 1005 London Bridge train all the way and then at 1034 caught a North Greenwich bound Jubilee line train. As I approached the stop for the No 335 a bus on the route drew up and so I had to board without taking the customary photograph of it laying over or of the timetable.
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| Departing from North Greenwich bus interchange |
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| Next major location on the Greenwich Peninsula |
Thus at 1048 I was aboard Arriva London's HV149 which headed through Millenium Village and then went through the Millenium Leisure Park. After this the bus went under the A102M Blackwall Tunnel approach road and turned into Combedale road with the intention of heading up to the Blackheath Royal Standard passing Westcombe Park railway station as it did so.
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Running toward the Blackwall
tunnel approach road |
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| Blackheath Social club |
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| Looking SE across Blackheath |
This was at times narrowed by parked vehicles and at 1100 we were waiting at Kirkdale Road for other buses to come down the hill.Taking Stratheden Road at the Royal Standard we met Shooters Hill Road on the NE corner of the the heath of Blackheath and then swung left so as to access Kidbrook Park Road at the traffic lights before the Sun in the Sands roundabout. We passed Thomas Tallis school where roadworks closed the bus stop and next stopped near Kidbrook station before heading into the newly built and currently building estate south of the station.
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| Artwork commemorating Stephen Lawrence |
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| New building at Kidbrook |
The bus exits the estate and headed back the way it had come before taking Weigell Road and running through another building site area to terminate at Wingfield school at 1119.
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| Journey's End for the No 335 |
I was in two minds as to how to reach Catford Bridge station from where the next bus started. Should I get the train to Lewisham or the bus. I attempted the former only to just miss the train, so then boarded the next B16 to Eltham Road where I caught a No 321 to Belmont Hill in Lewisham. I could have caught the 1154 train to Catford Bridge from Lewisham but it was looking like I would just miss it so I 'jumped ship' and took one of the new electric No 199s to Catford town centre instead, arriving at the bus stop in Thomas Lane at 1207.
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| Thomas Lane bus stop but no timetable for the 336 |
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| Stagecoach 36618 arriving |
At 1212 Stagecoach 36618 arrived to convey me to Locksbottom. This bus almost immediately set off on its own once it was across the South Circular down Canadian Avenue. It then took a right down Fordmill Road under the railway and over the river Ravensbourne and this road morphed at one point into Brookhowse Road which the bus then followed across Randlesdown Road and finally left at Southend Lane.
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| Brookhowse Road sign at Randlesdown Road junction |
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| Market at Catford Wanderers Sports Club Southend Lane |
The bus crossed straight over the A21 and headed up Whitefoot Lane which was quite a long drag. At the top the bus turned right into Haddington Road and then spent quite a while meandering around post war or inter war housing estates in the south of Lewisham borough. Much of these roads the bus seemed to serve only one way with other roads covered by northbound buses.
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| Nice church like models at Churchdowns |
It was only when we reached Rangefield Road that we met other No 336s coming the other way and at times the road was so narrow buses had to mount the pavement to pass.
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| The change from Lewisham into Bromley 20 MPH speed limit becomes 30 MPH and blue road name signs become green |
At 1238 the bus crossed Valeswood Road and entered the London Borough of Bromley. Rangefield Road continued until we met Southover and then the bus went right and met up with Burnt Ash Lane which enabled us to reach Bromley North station at 1246. From here the bus followed the usual route of Kentish Way and Elmfield Road to take us down the High Street proper. Emerging onto the south of Kentish way we followed the A21 to its next major junction and then went left along Holmesdale Road. Once again the No 336 was on its own as we passed the dump ar Waldo road past Tescos and took the right turn at the mini roundabout at Page Heath Villas,
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Page Heath Villas where my parents
procured my piano from in 1978 |
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Behind Southborough library the dance studio
where I met my future wife on 13th Jan 1980 |
This road leads under the railway again and then after a dog leg up to Southborough Road where we turned right for Southborough Lane. After only a very short time on this road the bus went off again on its own up Turpington Lane. This was its final foraty on its own though as emerging onto the A21 it took that to the Fantail crossing with the A232 then right at the BP garage and pulled up at the bus stop next to Locksbottom Sainsburys behind what is now the PRU Hospital at 1315.
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| Stagecoach 36618 at rest at Locksbottom |
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| Countryside as we approach the Fantail junction |
At 1327 I was on a No 61 bus heading for Orpington station and this delivered me at the station at 1332 just in time foie the fast London train from platform two at 1334. Thus I reached Waterloo East in enough time to walk to the mainline station where I boarded the 1403 Windsor and Eton Riverside service at platform 22. I arrived at Richmond at 1425 and thought with so much time to do the last bus I could afford to sit down in Costa and have a tuna melt and latte. This was a big mistake as it turned out.
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| The bus stop at the bus station where the No 337 should start from |
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| Timetable showing bus starting from here |
At 1445 I started to walk to the bus station and as I approached I noted there was a No 337 parked with its hazards on at the junction of Paradise Road. When I walked around to the bus stop I thought I could see why the bus wasn't laying over in the bus station, as it was already full.
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Bus pulling away without me aboard
in Paradise Road |
However, I waited and I waited and a No 337 didn't come, many buses of all the other routes came by repeatedly, so after half an hour I asked one of the drivers where the No 337 was and he told me, eventually after discussing with others that the bus was stopping where I had seen the bus with its hazards on. I walked briskly there and saw one waiting but it drove off just as I got to it. I followed the way it had gone and found the next stop was George Street. Here I waited until 1548, so almost an hour since leaving Costa London General's WHV157 arrived.
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Kind of message that should have been displayed
at bus station. This is for night changes, though. |
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| These notes were on a No 337 stop |
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Timetable at George Street stop
showing bus starting there |
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| George Street stop |
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| A No 337 finally arriving WHV157 |
The bus didn't go very far along this main shopping street of Richmond before turning right and heading east along Sheen Road. This bus unlike the last route doesn't take any road as sole user and follows east to Sheen where we join with the South Circular and pass Mortlake to Barnes. This is the now called the Upper Richmond Road at this point having been Sheen Road at first.
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| Interesting name for a barbers in East Sheen |
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Blue plaque on building commemorating
Captain Lawrence Oates of Antarctica fame |
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| Putney Methodist church |
Once past the crossroads by Rosslyn Park RUFC ground the bus meets up with just the No 430 for the run into Putney where we arrived at 1614. The No 430 bus route is exchanged for the No 37 from Putney onwards to Wandsworth where many other buses join as it goes around the one way system having descended West Hill, the A3.
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Rather unhealthy food offered on Wandsworth
one way system |
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| Railway bridge decoration East Putney |
Beyond Wandsworth the bus climbs East hill and then descends St Johns Hill towards Clapham Junction station beyond which the bus went right along St Johns Road until reaching Northcote road and coming to a stop at Bolingbroke Road at 1637. As I got down to the driver he called me to show me his phone. He had taken a photograph of the instruction displayed in the garage informing them to not use the bus station at Richmond. He had taken it for self preservation but I told him it was not fair on customers that there was nothing displayed at the bus stop in the bus station which should have been notified as being out of service.
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Two class 455s soon to be history at Clapham
Junction |
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| Final stop at Bolingbroke Road |
I then walked to Clapham Junction station and arrived just two minutes before the next train to Sutton at 1654 was due. Thus I arrived home at half past five.
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