A Bus or Coach Station that was Built in Brum but never used (it is still there)

[horsencart]

Many years ago I was told of a Bus or Coach Station that had been built in Brum  but never used, the entrance to this Bus  or Coach Station can still be found in Paradise Circus  it is still there,   the entrance as with the rest of the Station has a high ceiling (ideal for Double Deck buses), so lets take an imaginary view from a coach and a passengers view point,  making our way into the station on the left is long shelter made out of concrete, the concrete bus shelter was for many years a favourite of Midland Red, sadly I do not know of many that are still exist, the last that I know of were in Royal Leamington Spa and they have long since gone,

Having arrived at that station we exit by one of two? means the first is by escalator, the two  escalators that were installed at the Bus or Coach Station are still in position and were never used originally the escalators were open to the elements,  they have since been boxed up?,  there were in other parts of Brum three other escalators open to the elements sadly they did not last long,   back at the station the other means of exiting the station is by a stairway, this stairway is again still in position it was designed  to move the people in volume and could not be described as an emergency stairway,

Having departed the Station this would mean that the passengers would be able to make their way way to say New Street Railway Station or Snow Hill Station both within a reasonable walk, a little different from the walk from Digbeth Coach Station its all up hill, a word here should be made about Digbeth Bus and Coach Station for it was once both it is not known if the original plan was to close Digbeth or to keep it when the new bus or Coach Station opened,

Now again from the passengers view point what what would have happened if they made their way to a Coach or Bus at the station, again they would have used either the stairway or the escalators to the waiting Bus or Coach  and this sadly is why the Station would have failed again this is from the perspective of the passenger  on the Bus or Coach, the vehicle would have made its way  to the exit this  would have been a little awkward as the exit would have been in the tunnel that runs from Great Charles St to the Bristol Road

Now this would have meant that a set of lights would have operated in the tunnel to stop the traffic either at the entrance or a part of the way into to tunnel the Bus or Coach would then made its way from the Bus or Coach Station, it was decided that this was not practicable  as you could not keep stopping the traffic if you think that this is just a bit fancy full the next time you go through this tunnel there is a part the way a flat section of the tunnel   were it look as if  an exit may have been 

Why that just did not have the traffic turn around and got out the same way it cam in I do not know a set of light here would not have caused to much of a problem,  now I did put the theory of a Bus or Coach Station to another forum and I was told that I as talking out the back of a certain part of my anatomy, if this is so then why were two Escalator built but never used why build a  heavy duty  Staircase there are no shops down there it is not a public area, the library that is built above the Bus or Coach Station  is due to close in September this does leave the possibility that the area beneath the library may be redeveloped ? ( and so disappear)

So I will leave it to others  to decide if there would have been a Bus or Coach Station there here are a few photos that prove or disprove the theory

See what you think

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9151163161/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9151167369/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9151169829/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9153395694/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9153399714/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9151179253/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9153406458/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/9153408862/in/photostream/

[D10]

Thanks for the links through to the photos.

I have heard about this before, but never really knew exactly where the station was planned. The escalators are particularly interesting as this seems to show that this was an area meant for public use and not just a private car parking area as now.

Of course the Bull Ring Bus Station had been opened in 1963 and all Midland Red services except the Dudley Road routes moved in there. The B82 etc continued to use the traditional Edmund Street terminus, so Paradise Circus would have been a good nearby replacement terminus for those routes.

I wouldn't have thought that other MIdland Red routes would have moved as the Bull Ring Bus Stations would still have been relatively new then. Digbeth of course was older, and very much still in use a a busy garage as well, so yes it seems possible that Coach services could have moved to a newer and more convenient location, leaving Digbeth purely as a garage again.

Of course there used to be rumours that the Bus Station was just a ploy and really a concrete nuclear bunker was built there. Then if the bomb was dropped, key staff from the City Council could go down to the bunker and run what was left of the city from there!

[Stu]

I've seen this before, but never considered it a bus/coach station. Wouldn't have been very appealing in it's 'brutalist' design.

Interesting though that I always remember the bus stops just by there, on a kind of slip road off the main road. I seem to remember some buses stopping there, or passing through to avoid the traffic.

[richie]

Good idea but its a relic of the 60's unable to be modernised and no doubt in this day an age a hive of anti social behaviour.

[horsencart]

This a shot of a bus on that slip road the road is still there but tends to be used by coaches theses day
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/8356487283/in/set-72157632427995441

I've seen this before, but never considered it a bus/coach station. Wouldn't have been very appealing in it's 'brutalist' design.

Interesting though that I always remember the bus stops just by there, on a kind of slip road off the main road. I seem to remember some buses stopping there, or passing through to avoid the traffic.

[Tony]

This a shot of a bus on that slip road the road is still there but tends to be used by coaches theses day
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dofartshavelumps/8356487283/in/set-72157632427995441

I've seen this before, but never considered it a bus/coach station. Wouldn't have been very appealing in it's 'brutalist' design.

Interesting though that I always remember the bus stops just by there, on a kind of slip road off the main road. I seem to remember some buses stopping there, or passing through to avoid the traffic.

I remember this being built (The original Birmingham City Centre Travelshop was above it as well) The Council wanted all bus routes terminating on the ring road with the Centrebus linking them and the city centre (hmm sounds familiar lately) and all Broad Street service were supposed to terminate in that new Bus Station. WMPTE though had other ideas and refused to use it and it remained empty until used as a car park.

The style of it was very similar to Greyfriars in Northampton which now is probably one of the most uninviting bus stations in the country. Paradise Circus probably would have been the same horrible place now

[Justin Tyme]

I seem to recall that there were plans for four city bus stations in the early 1970s.   WMPTE quite rightly decided that buses needed better penetration into the city centre, and the plans were dropped.  Paradise Circus was the only one that was started as far as I know.

[sonic84]

I've seen this before, but never considered it a bus/coach station. Wouldn't have been very appealing in it's 'brutalist' design.

Interesting though that I always remember the bus stops just by there, on a kind of slip road off the main road. I seem to remember some buses stopping there, or passing through to avoid the traffic.

I'm pretty sure the X20 used to terminate at the Copthrone Interchange off Paradise Circus.

[fleetline6477]

Immediately before deregulation I think that the 35 also terminated at Paradise Place. All routes serving Broad Street also stopped there enroute into City.

[busfan2847]

Immediately before deregulation I think that the 35 also terminated at Paradise Place. All routes serving Broad Street also stopped there enroute into City.

And before that the 1 (Acocks Green via Five Ways), 35 (Pool Farm via Leopold St) and 48 (Druids Heath via Balsall Heath) all terminated at Paradise Circus in the little bus pull in at the north end of the island. The 35 replaced the 49 (Kings Heath via Leopold St). 48 & 49 (with 50) were tram replacement bus routes. On 24th Oct 1981 the 48 was withdrawn and the 35 rerouted via the 48 route through Balsall Heath and the 50 was extended to Druids Heath.

[Kevin]

You know what, I genuinely used to think it was always meant to be a car park underneath paradise circus.... I have learned something

I seem to recall that there were plans for four city bus stations in the early 1970s.   WMPTE quite rightly decided that buses needed better penetration into the city centre, and the plans were dropped.  Paradise Circus was the only one that was started as far as I know.

HA! Buses needed better penetration into the city centre (aside the obvious innuendo) I cant help but think of the situation we have now with various just-on-the-edge-of-the-city-centre "interchanges"

[Mike K]

Immediately before deregulation I think that the 35 also terminated at Paradise Place. All routes serving Broad Street also stopped there enroute into City.

And before that the 1 (Acocks Green via Five Ways), 35 (Pool Farm via Leopold St) and 48 (Druids Heath via Balsall Heath) all terminated at Paradise Circus in the little bus pull in at the north end of the island. The 35 replaced the 49 (Kings Heath via Leopold St). 48 & 49 (with 50) were tram replacement bus routes. On 24th Oct 1981 the 48 was withdrawn and the 35 rerouted via the 48 route through Balsall Heath and the 50 was extended to Druids Heath.

Some of the less frequent Harborne services also used to terminate at Paradise Circus up until the early 80s. The old 22, City to Selly Oak via Harborne and Weoley Castle did until it was replaced by the 29, at which point I think it was extended to Colmore Row. The short lived 72 City to Kitwell via QE and Quinton Road also terminated there until it was replaced by what is the present day 22.

My memory fails me but I'm not sure whether the 21 (RIP) Bangham Pit service also used to finish at Paradise Circus in the 70s.

[Justin Tyme]

Some of the less frequent Harborne services also used to terminate at Paradise Circus up until the early 80s. The old 22, City to Selly Oak via Harborne and Weoley Castle did until it was replaced by the 29, at which point I think it was extended to Colmore Row. The short lived 72 City to Kitwell via QE and Quinton Road also terminated there until it was replaced by what is the present day 22.

My memory fails me but I'm not sure whether the 21 (RIP) Bangham Pit service also used to finish at Paradise Circus in the 70s.

Yes, the 21 and 22 both terminated at Paradise Circus until the Weoley scheme of 1980.  The 21 was then extended into the city centre along with the 29, which as you say replaced the 22.

The 101 Centrebus also served Paradise Circus, bravely crossing over sharply on exiting there to get into Great Charles Street.