OLD PLYMOUTH . UK
www.oldplymouth.uk
 

TRAMWAY SERVICES IN OLD PLYMOUTH

THEATRE ROYAL to BEAUMONT ROAD

Commencement (see note A below)

April 2nd 1902. 

Original Route (see note B below)

Theatre Royal, Lockyer Street, Princess Square, Westwell Street, Basket Street, Old Town Street, Ebrington Street, Ham Street, Beaumont Road to the corner with Jephson Road.

For some reason it was decided that the central terminus should be at the Plymouth Market instead of Derry's Clock/Theatre Royal.

Subsequent development (see note C below)

On Thursday June 12th 1902 Major Pringle, from the Board of Trade, inspected the short length of tramway linking the Plymouth Corporation system to the PS&D track at Derry's Clock and passed it for traffic.  The following day, Friday 13th, the trams from Beaumont Road started to run through from their previous terminus at the Market to the Borough boundary at the New Palace Theatre in Union Street, under the terms of an agreement by which the Corporation had running powers over the PS&D track within the Borough.  The fares would be one penny from Beaumont Road to Derry's Clock and 1½d to the New Palace Theatre.  It was planned to construct a proper terminus at the Manor Street end and to extend the Compton Lane End and Prince Rock services to there as well.  So as not to hamper the PS&D service, the Plymouth trams were not allowed any waiting time at the New Palace Theatre.

In January 1905 Plymouth Borough Council received a memorial from the workmen residents in and around Beaumont Road.  They were praying for the workmen's cars from that area to be run through to the New Palace Theatre, which was at the eastern boundary of the Town.  This involved Plymouth Corporation trams traversing the tracks owned by the Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport Tramways Company as far as Manor Street.  A decision on this request was deferred and , in fact, was deferred several more times.  The service was started, however, although the Company not surprisingly objected and refused to pay its rates.   The Corporation laid plans to take them to Court but they paid up shortly before.

At the start mention was made of the extension of the Beaumont Road service along the track of the Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport Company as far as the Borough boundary at Manor Street.  A long discussion took place at the Tramways Committee meeting on Monday January 9th 1906, several Councillors asking that the service be given more time to prove its worth, especially as it connected one end of the Borough at the New Palace Theatre to both Prince Rock and Peverell at the other ends.  The objectors lost the vote and Plymouth Corporation trams were withdrawn from Union Street on Saturday January 13th 1906.

Unification with Devonport, 1916

On and as from Monday October 23rd 1916 the Theatre to Beaumont Road service became Route 4, Theatre Royal to Beaumont Road via Ebrington Street, 1 mile 50 chains in length.

Note A:  Wherever possible an exact date of commencement of a service is shown.  However, in a lot of cases no precise date has been recorded so reference will be made to official returns to the Council or other documentary evidence to narrow the date down as much as possible.

Note B:  This gives the roads and streets the service passed through.  A road or street name in brackets indicates that it has not been confirmed beyond doubt that the road or street was used by buses on this route but it is a "best guess" based on the author's knowledge of the practice at the time.  If it is subsequently confirmed by either documentary or photographic evidence that the road or street was traversed by this service then the brackets will be deleted.

Note C:  Where deviations to the original route are shown they will be from and to a road or street named in the "Original Route" section so that the alteration in route can be easily followed.