| Date | 2 December 2011 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0009 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
A snapshot of Windsorian
Views of the past by Elias Kupfermann
I AM currently working on a project to digitise an archive relating to a Windsor travel company dating back to the Edwardian period.
The history of the firm is exceedingly interesting, and the photographic collection conjures up what it was like to travel from Windsor during the early days of motoring.
After the First World War, the fields just outside Slough were used as a dump for unwanted military vehicles; this area was later used as building land for the Slough Trading Estate, which was established from the 1920s onwards.
In 1919, Reginald Try, together with his brother Archie, purchased an old 1915 Sunbeam ambulance from ‘the dump’ for £412.
The ambulance was then converted into a bus or charabanc, and the firm of Windsorian Motor Coaches was born.
The Sunbeam coach was used immediately to offer a daily service between Windsor and Maidenhead, stopping at Dedworth, Fifield, and Bray Village.
The coach was first garaged in an old tin shed which was part of the old Windsor Corporation Nursery site at 123 Maidenhead Road.
The number of coaches was increased over the years, and permanent premises were found in Alma Road, Windsor, to house what had become a very large fleet of vehicles.
Over the years, Windsorian became famous for its day trips to places such as Bognor, Littlehampton and Brighton. Many of the companies on the Slough Trading Estate used the coach company to transport employees on annual day trips.
Windsorian Coach Services was sold to a private company in 1955.
The Windsorian name still survives to this day, although under different ownership, and its coaches are often used by the Royal family.
Images
