WikiWirral yrs online 24/7 365 days a year.
Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics76,550
Posts1,034,389
Members15,038
Most Online244,501
May 17th, 2026
Who's Online Now
6 members (2 invisible), 118,242 guests, and 670 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters
sunnyside 45,164
MattLFC 22,315
Mark 21,270
granny 17,811
_Ste_ 16,348
Newest Members
WaddyJ, manjadolan, Tommcdonough, Russell1, heywirral
15,038 Registered Users
New General Forums
?? ??????????? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ??????
by JunxinH - 29th Sep 2026 10:18am
The lone house on Illchester Road
by Bluesman - 9th Aug 2011 10:11pm
New Wirral History
A Trip Down Memory Lane (via Oxton Road)
by DanLongman - 5th Jan 2012 4:42pm
eli birkenhead market.
by cathcart - 8th Feb 2011 9:23pm
Wallasey bus accident 1950s
by nightwalker - 5th Nov 2010 1:37pm
309 The Dell
by Mark - 29th Dec 2008 3:56pm
Top Posters(30 Days)
bert1 5
Marie1 1
Topic Replies
Wallasey bus accident 1950s
by RobMc - 12th Oct 2026 5:00pm
The lone house on Illchester Road
by diggingdeeper - 12th Oct 2026 12:57am
A Trip Down Memory Lane (via Oxton Road)
by bert1 - 8th Oct 2026 6:00pm
Vape, Heads up
by diggingdeeper - 6th Oct 2026 7:56am
Titan Saw Blade.
by BultacoAstro - 23rd Sep 2026 7:57am
eli birkenhead market.
by Marie1 - 17th Sep 2026 4:25pm
309 The Dell
by diggingdeeper - 16th Sep 2026 4:18pm
October
M T W T F S S
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31
Top Likes Received (30 Days)
Mark 1
bert1 1
Top Likes Received
bert1 34
Mark 6
casper 4
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#480264 4th Mar 2011 7:00am
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 392
Old Hand
OP Offline
Old Hand
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 392
my dad was a fireman and he used to drive coaches part time for hardings in the 50s,when they were in charring cross,i wonder has anyone got any photos of the coaches and the garage.

Google Ads
cathcart #480265 4th Mar 2011 7:36am
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 683
Likes: 1
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 683
Likes: 1
Harding's Coach from the 1950s

Attached Images
hardings1.jpg (178.52 KB, 377 downloads)
cathcart #480272 4th Mar 2011 8:29am
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,447
Forum Guardian
Offline
Forum Guardian
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,447
Do we need a host site to upload pictures too first` or not,thanks

Vanmanone #480291 4th Mar 2011 11:43am
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
Forum Veteran
Offline
Forum Veteran
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,868
Originally Posted by Vanmanone
Do we need a host site to upload pictures too first` or not,thanks


No. At the bottom of the "Reply" page is a heading "upload manager". From there you can upload pictures from your computer, using the "browse" button. Instructions are there when you open the upload manager.


Carpe diem.
cathcart #480318 4th Mar 2011 12:34pm
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 708
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 708
I don't remember their garage place but they had a workshop in the late'50s behind the houses somewhere off Derby Road, possibly where St. Catherine's Gardens now is. It was run by a really nice mechanic who, as a favour, welded the decaying chassis of my first motor, a split-screen Morris Minor van. No MOT in those days!
I'd like to know his name, as my memory is not what it was!
Bri

bri445 #480345 4th Mar 2011 2:48pm
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 683
Likes: 1
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 683
Likes: 1

A couple more Harding's coaches/buses. The first is from the 1930s and the second, the double decker, is from 1940s.

Attached Images
hardings2.jpg (164.18 KB, 298 downloads)
hardings3.jpg (288.74 KB, 295 downloads)
uptoncx #480346 4th Mar 2011 2:52pm
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 887
Wise One
Offline
Wise One
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 887
That first photo is outside the Palace on the prom. I remember the little booking office they had there. I always thought it strange that people came to New Brighton and then went off to other "exotic" places like Llandudno.

Not 100% sure but think Dornings also had a place there as well? I can remember one of them having a miniture coach there once. Sort of advertising thing but kids could actually get inside.

Later in life I used Hardings to follow Liverpool away games.

Anyone remember Cox's coaches in Mason street, New Brighton? Always immaculate and up to date.

Helles #480356 4th Mar 2011 3:28pm
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,452
Forum Addict
Offline
Forum Addict
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,452
Anyone else get nostalgic over the word "Charabanc"?
I recall when I was a lil kid, thinking it was 'SharraBANG' - that was how everyone pronounced it...!

CVCVCV #480405 4th Mar 2011 6:02pm
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 683
Likes: 1
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 683
Likes: 1

Charabanc at Moreton Cross

Attached Images
chara1.jpg (282.44 KB, 265 downloads)
cathcart #480408 4th Mar 2011 6:05pm
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,024
Forum Guide
Offline
Forum Guide
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,024
We had Harding's, when we went on the street outing to Overton Hills and Ffrith Beach, Fred Smith was always the one who took us, the first stop to Ffrith beach was always the Queensferry Bridge pub for the grown ups,Overton hills was direct but the grown ups would disappear to a pub some where.

uptoncx #480415 4th Mar 2011 6:24pm
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,024
Forum Guide
Offline
Forum Guide
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,024
That bus is outside Hardings Offices in Atherton st/Oliver st,the reg is RN if I remember is Preston.

uptoncx #480420 4th Mar 2011 6:38pm
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,195
Forum Addict
Offline
Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,195
Excuse my stupidity, but on the side of the coach in the first photo it says 'Hardings Radio Coaches'. What exactly did that mean?



Geekus #480421 4th Mar 2011 6:45pm
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,024
Forum Guide
Offline
Forum Guide
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,024
I presume they had a big VHF Marconi valve transiever or maybe they had a valve radio to tune into the Light programme laugh

davew3 #480428 4th Mar 2011 6:56pm
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,195
Forum Addict
Offline
Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,195
Cheers davew3! I did wonder. laugh

cathcart #480429 4th Mar 2011 7:00pm
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 708
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 708
Purpose-made mobile radios only came in about the early '30s and were very expensive so radio entertainment in a coach pre-WW2 would have been quite a novelty and good for attracting customers. Journeys were slower in those days so radio would pass the time away!

Bri

Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  Mod 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Random Wirral Images

Click to View Topic.
Newest Topics
Vape, Heads up
by bert1 - 24th Sep 2026 10:46am
A Trip Down Memory Lane (via Oxton Road)
by DanLongman - 5th Jan 2012 4:42pm
The lone house on Illchester Road
by Bluesman - 9th Aug 2011 10:11pm
eli birkenhead market.
by cathcart - 8th Feb 2011 9:23pm
Wallasey bus accident 1950s
by nightwalker - 5th Nov 2010 1:37pm
For Sale & Free
Titan Saw Blade.
by BultacoAstro - 23rd Sep 2026 7:57am
Member Spotlight
Beaty59
Beaty59
Port Sunlight
Posts: 237
Joined: May 2009
Today's Birthdays
There are no members with birthdays on this day.
New Wirral Info
Vape, Heads up
by bert1 - 24th Sep 2026 10:46am
News : New Topics
New Enthusiast Forums
Popular Topics(Views)
10,910,645 CW Chat room thread
6,021,437 WIKI WALK CHAT
4,726,915 Spotted!
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5