William Shaw (1865 – 1918)
My wife’s great great and great grandfathers both worked for the London General
Omnibus Company in Paddington. The former as stableman and groom to the horses and his
son as a bus washer.
The London General Omnibus Company was founded in 1855 to amalgamate and regulate
the many independent horse-drawn omnibus services then operating in London. LGOC
began using motor omnibuses in 1902.
Operating a horse bus was an expensive business. Each bus required 12 horses to stay on
the road. As well as the cost of the horses and the omnibus itself (about £35 in 1893)
there were also the costs of stabling, food for the horses, and vet's fees to take into
account. The LGOC spent about £20,000 a year on horseshoes alone. Omnibuses would
continue in service until 1914 when the success of the motor bus made the large horse
workforce in public transport redundant.
Horse buses had been painted a variety of colours for different routes. From 1907 all
L.G.O.C. motorbuses were painted red and numbers differentiated routes. The
Metropolitan Police also insisted that every bus display route and destination boards
clearly front and back. The Red Bus was born !
“From London in 1880”
OMNIBUSES
Omnibuses from various quarters of London to other districts run
daily from 8 a.m. till 12 at night, at fares, according to
distance, from Id. to 6d. each person. Each fare must appear
distinctly painted upon some prominent part of the vehicle.
After 8 p.m. on Sunday nights the fares are in some instances
doubled. The following are the routes of the different
omnibuses, now chiefly owned by the London General Omnibus
Company; chief office, 6 Finsbury Square, B.C., whither all
complaints should be sent, addressed to the Secretary, A. G.
Church, Esq.
The last horse drawn “Blue Bus” of the London General Omnibus Company ran last from the
Queen Arms Yard in Maida Vale on Wednesday, 4th October, 1911. This photograph was
taken the day after and is being driven by William Shaw who lived at the Queen Arms Yard
and who worked as a bus washer and looked after the horses. William Shaw was Sue’s
great grandfather. His father had been the stableman and groom and the family were
living here from before 1881.
The last LGOC horse-drawn bus ran three weeks later on 25 October 1911.
On 4 August 1914, the last horse bus service in London ran from Peckham Rye to Honor
Oak Tavern. It was operated by Thomas Tilling, an independent operator, who also had the
new motor buses in his fleet of vehicles.
In 1912, the Underground Group, which owned most of the London Underground, bought
the LGOC. In 1933, the LGOC, along with the rest of the Underground Group, became part
of the new London Passenger Transport Board. The name London General fell into disuse,
and London Transport instead became synonymous with the red bus.
CENSUS - WILLIAM SHAW
1865
BORN Bayswater, London
1881
3 Queens Arms Yard,
Paddington
Father JAMES or JONATHAN
SHAW; mother ANN
SUMMERFIELD
16
stableman son
28th
MARRIED at St Saviours,
February Paddington
1886
Living with father JAMES (45)
“stableman (groom)”,
sister ALICE (13) and
grandmother SARAH (72)
Wife ELLEN SKINGLEY
(born about 1865)
1891
2 Queens Arms Mews,
Paddington
26
horsekeeper
Living with his wife ELLEN (26),
son EDGAR (5) and
twins ALFRED & DOROTHY (6
months)
1901
2 Queens Arms Yard,
Paddington
36
bus washer
Living with his wife ELLEN (36),
son EDGAR (15) errand boy,
surviving twin DOROTHY (10),
daughter EDITH (9),
his father JONATHAN (65)
widower bus washer plus
ETHEL TUNGATE (6) “grand
daughter” ? and
farrier lodger JAMES WHERRY
(24)
1911
London General Omnibus
Court Yard Saltram Crescent
Paddington
46
bus washer
Living with his wife ELLEN (46),
“nephew” (?) EDGAR (24) kitchen
porter,
surviving twin DOROTHY (20)
daughter EDITH (19) both packers
at custard makers, and
smith lodger JAMES WHERRY (34)
born Bodmin, Cornwall.
Above : Lichfield Mercury 4th October 1912