| We ran many services
into Esso's Fawley refinery. The area south
of Hythe was built up as a result of this
huge plant and our fifteen minute frequency,
much like that of a town service, was always
busy. Later, Esso would buy a fleet of old
buses to run its own local service to Hardley
cinema. |
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| Early
in the seventies, a new power station was
built between Fawley and Calshot. The men
employed on the site worked extremely hard
and when they stopped they wanted to drink.
On the last bus to Calshot one of the passengers
collected the fares from the others in the
pub at Blackfield and handed the collection
over when they got on the bus. Anyone who
did not pay walked, as did one conductor who
insisted on counting the money to see if it
was all there. He was unceremoniously dumped
at the side of the road to wait for the bus
on its return to the depot. |
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| The men lived in the
labour camp at Calshot. Some local people
objected to the name but that was what it
said on the sign. Calshot also had an RAF
station with married quarters. A volcanic
eruption on the island of Tristan da Cunha
had forced the evacuation of the population.
Many of these people were housed for a while
at Calshot. On their island they had no money,
if someone did something for you, you did
something for them. It took a while for them
to adjust and most returned home. Nice people,
a road in Calshot was renamed Tristan Close
in their honour. |
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| The beach
at Calshot was popular in the
summer and at the time it was
possible to walk all the way to
Lepe. Even in winter it was good
to take a short stroll and get
some sea air before making the
next trip. |
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| The car
park at Calshot was one of the
places where conductors sometimes
had a go at driving the bus. Outside
summer weekends the area was almost
deserted. There was a one way
system in and out of the car park
which you could drive round in
reasonable safety. Most people
who did this got away with it
but there was a ditch alongside
the road and every now and then
a driver would have to come up
with a reason why he wanted his
bus towed out .... |
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