The Beacon Museum is celebrating a century of bus and coach services in Cumbria with a new exhibition.
The Whitehaven museum is working with Workington Transport Heritage Trust to present “CMS100” to celebrate the work of Cumberland Motor Services (CMS) and its current owner Stagecoach.
The exhibition in The Portal annexe gives a flavour of how the company expanded from the original Whitehaven Motor Services to serve the west and north of the old county of Cumberland.
CMS was registered on June 1, 1921. Following takeover by Stagecoach the operating area has expanded to cover all of Cumbria such as the excellent network of Lakes routes, including regular summer open top buses around Keswick and Windermere.
Services to places such as Dovenby Hall, Ennerdale Bridge, Harriston, Netherwasdale, Pica, and Sunderland may be long gone but the local and county network has survived and adapted to keep it fit for present day needs.
Did you know?
In 1938 the company bought Wordsworth House in Cockermouth with a view to demolishing it and building a bus station but, unsurprisingly, was unable to gain planning permission.
The Bransty Arch pub at Whitehaven is built in an ex CMS engineering workshop – the pits are still in place under the pub floor.
The exhibition
Entry is free to the exhibition, which will feature photographic displays, slideshows, and a book sales stand. A preserved ex-Cumberland single-decker Leyland National bus built at Lillyhall will be parked outside for visitors to experience.
Opening hours on June 19 are 10am-4pm. On the Sunday it is open 11am-4pm.
The Beacon Museum is now open daily except Mondays.
