busesrusuk
Member
As mentioned, it was Clapham bus garage which closed (along with others) as a consequence of the 1958 bus strike. Despite being completely rebuilt for bus operation it was operational for only 8 years(1950-1958!). I went there at least once when it was the transport museum and remember it well and always wondered why a building such as that was there (not knowing it was a disused bus garage until later in life).
Despite being in the middle of Clapham it laid empty for a number of years, becoming a go karting track before reopening as a bus garage once again to enable the rebuilding of both Streatham and Norwood garages from 1981 -1987; it was never intended to be a permanent reopening and the site was subsequently redeveloped as a Sainsbury's.
If you know where to look there are still some clues as to its former use as a bus garage. The entrance to the loading bays for Sainsbury's in Clapham Park Road has retained the original brickwork from the garage. Not sure if this link to google maps will work:
Google Maps
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here is another image I found of the entrance to the museum:
BRITISH TRANSPORT MUSEUM, CLAPHAM HIGH STREET, CLAPHAM - Landmark
The entrance to the British Transport Museum off Clapham High Street. The Museum opened in 1960 on the site of a former bus garage. It closed in 1973 when the collection was divided between the National Railway Museum in York and the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden.Ref: LBL/DTP/UD/2/1/7/186
When the museum closed the London Transport items went to a new LT Museum at Syon Park, later moved to Covent Garden.
I am sure I remember the Deltic prototype being in Clapham - did this go onto the science museum in Kensington upon closure?
HTIOI
