Does anyone remember this bus? or, more importantly, know what happened to it?



It was converted in the early 1960s from a Wallasey Corporation Leyland PD1 bus from a batch of 12 buses bought in 1948.

The bus was painted pale green and yellow, the same as the boat, and it travelled around the wirral throughout the 1960s. I last saw it in the mid 1970s, parked on a garage forecourt at Queensferry.

Does it still exist, and if it does, where is it now?

Now THAT'S what I call a... erm... bus.

There was a guy on dock rd that restored old buses. Had a work shop by the jag garage at one time. He had open top buses over in I.O.MAN on lease.(do know his name)

THINK IT GOT SUNK ALONG WITH THE BOAT, HA HA

wow what a beast

The Royal Iris (the last proper one, not the renamed Mountwood) is still afloat (just) but is rotting away at a pier in Woolwich.



The boat is on the Historic Vessels at Risk Register, but little (if anything) is being done to rescue and preserve this unique vessel. It is questionable if she will reach her 60th birthday on the 28th April 2011. (See the thread on the Iris here)

i had so many good nights out on the royal iris, its such a shame.

I thaught it was a bus...Not a boat.

The Royal Iris was a Wallasey Corporation ferry/cruise boat which entered service on the 28th April 1951, it was unique amongst the ferries, not only in its appearance, but it also had diesel electric propulsion (i.e. the propellors were turned by electric motors, with diesel generators providing the electricity at 1000 volts to the motors). She had both class III and class V certificates which allowed her to leave the river for short trips at sea.(although her passenger capacity was reduced from 2,296 to 1,000 when used at sea). The Royal Iris ran a farewell evening cruise on the 12th January 1991 and was put up for sale. She ran one final trip on the 21st Aril 1991 for the Zeebrugge raid commemoration. She was sold in November 1991 as a floating nightclub, but it didn't work out, and she has been left decaying in Woolwich ever since. Like the Manxman, she should be returned to Merseyside but Peel Holdings, who own most of the docks have no place for Merseysides maritime history in their plans.

The bus, which I was asking about, was converted to look like the Royal Iris as an advertisement for the cruises run by Wallasey Corporation.

My uncle was the captain on the Royal Iris late 70s early 80s Johnny Green....He even let me steer it. It would be a big no no now days....

I dont have a clue about any of this so...

In the mid 50s when us Teds where out enjoying ourselfs. the royal iris was known as the fish and chip boat. trouble was if you went on a river cruise and a rival gang where on board as well, you where stuck if things got nasty unless you thought you could walk on water and jumped over the side

Velvet collar and Ducks arse, i wonder what that was like?

dont forget the white shirt neatly ironed at the chinese laundry to go along with the velvet collard suit and ironed tie. none of this wandering round in scruffy tracky bottoms and trainers. Long side burns and clean shaved as well

Not forgetting the Brothel creepers to kick someones head in

Drapes

Some on here will think you mean curtains DD

I thinks some of them started off their lives as curtains

Pull yourself together DD

I thought the Teddy Boys wore Winkle pickers

I just missed that period

I got my first pair of winkle pickers about 1963 and the school telling me to get home and change them.

Ah those were the days, fights at the New Brighton fairground being chased up Borough Rd on yer bike with a slipping cog. After the Teds we had the Mods and the Rockers(Teds but not as well dressed) Mmm.

I remember it!......infact I have been on it! It used to be kept in one of the sheds at wallasey docks, my friends dad was a bus driver and an enthusiast, he had an old bus kept there too that he was working on, we used to go at weekends and "play" in the buses, the royal iris being one of them, it wasnt in very good condition, but I can still remember the "old musty smell".

wingle pickers came later, they where not part of the teds outfit, Thick brothel; creepers where the normal shoe wear in the mid 50s. Heavy leather belt with a big brass buckle was what you used, no kicking in those days.

Great to see the photo of the 'Royal Iris Bus' I was a bus conductor in the late 60's and did 1 or 2 shifts on the 'Bus'taking passengers along the embankment from New Brighton to Wallasey village during the summer of 1964/5.
Sad to see the Royal Iris in such a sorry state, maybe the WIKIWIRRAL could approach The National Lottery for funding to have her restored to her previous 'Sea Green' glory.

The bus was originally converted by the apprentices at the wallasey bus depot (where Asda is now) It was destroyed by fire caused by an eletrical fault in the late 70's or early 80's It was privatly owned by then. I think I still have some more details on it and will dig them out

.

I remember hiring the "Iris" myself for a Buffs night out. I had people working behind my back trying sabotage the night, mainly by calling it the "Fish and Chip" boat. Anyway, managed to sell enough tickets so that we didn't lose any money. We had the "MerseySSippi Jazz Band" as the entertainment and it was a great night. The Iris was painted green then.

just a bit more info on this,was told today that this bus had been made to look like a isle of man ferry and was at heysham docks waiting to go to the i.o.m. when it caught fire and burnt out,am waiting for a pic of it looking like the i.o.m. ferry and will post it if found..

this is i believe the bus before it went on fire at heysham docks on route to the I.O.M.

2 more pics at heysham docks

Cool pictures John, that bus is awesome!

Eddie Taubman was the regular driver of the Royal Iris Bus while I was at Wallasey Corporation Buses in the 60's