Single-deckers were required both due to the low bridges at Clock House and Shortlands and the famous Chislehurst Water Tower at the top of Summer Hill, through which all traffic from Bromley to Chislehurst had to pass until it was demolished in 1963.  Although Clock House no longer provides a barrier, the bridge at Shortlands still only has a 12' headroom, leading to the route being the longest running single-deck operation in London.

The first route between Penge and Bromley was the 112, which ran using single-deck B-types from June to August 1914 and from December 1914 to January 1915.  The road was covered again by new route 109 in August 1916, which was introduced as a 'munitions service' from Penge Crystal Palace Entrance, via Beckenham, Bromley, Chislehurst and Eltham to Woolwich Eton Road.  Operation was by the General from Streatham garage (AK).  The route ceased operation after the first war ended, in February 1919, but was reintroduced in September that year to work between Penge and Bromley North, extended further to Chislehurst six months later on the familiar radial route round London's outskirts linking Penge, Beckenham, Bromley and Chislehurst Queens Head.

 

The first B-type buses used on the route could not manage the steep hill on Beckenham Road up into Bromley, so worked eastbound via Blyth Road until replaced by new buses in 1925.  The service was briefly extended westwards in 1921, to Sydenham and then to Forest Hill, and transferred from Streatham garage to be operated by Nunhead (AH), using some of the type-7 Bs that had proved too heavy for the 111. 

 

The 109 ran through the heart of Thomas Tilling territory.  In May 1924, the operation was transferred to Tilling's Bromley garage (TB), although formal agreement didn't follow until October 1925.  The General loaned 12 Bs until a dozen O-class 30-seat TS7 petrol-electrics arrived.  These were owned by General, and until 1930 were operated in General colours (at which time they were licensed in Tilling's name and repainted accordingly). 

 

See the photo archive page for more early history.

 

Under the Bassom scheme introduced on 1 Dec 24, the Penge terminus was registered as Crystal Palace Entrance, but the route ran (as the 109^A) only from Penge Crooked Billet.  On 16 Jun 26, the route was extended north from Chislehurst via Mottingham to Eltham High Street with a bus every 10 minutes and renumbered 109 (because the Crystal Palace Entrance terminus was withdrawn).  To cover the additional requirement, Tilling's TS7s were assisted by three General Bs from Sidcup (SP), these being replaced by K-types during 1927, until 1930 when the TS7s had been converted to pneumatic tyres and Sidcup's involvement ceased.  At the end of that year, a further frequency improvement required the addition of two buses from Elmers End (ED) plus extras from AH and ED at weekends.

 

Single-deckers were required both due to the low bridges at Clock House and Shortlands and the famous Chislehurst Water Tower at the top of Summer Hill, through which all traffic from Bromley to Chislehurst had to pass until it was demolished in 1963.  A batch of AEC Regals (3T3s, numbered T307-318 and specially designed to fit the Chislehurst Arch) was bought by General in 1932 for Tilling to operate and replaced the TS7s at TB between August and October; ED's and AH's Ks had been replaced in 1931 by a mix (over the next few years) of Ss, Ts and LT Scooters.  Tilling's operations were taken over by General in October 1933.

 

In May 1933, the route was extended from Eltham to Welling Guy Earl of Warwick; AH's involvement ceased from January 1934.

 

A sister route from TB, the 609, was added on 1 Apr 31, running between Penge and Bromley North Station but routed to the south of Shortlands (thus avoiding both the railway bridge and the water tower).  This route became the 229 in 1934 then the 254 until, in 1940 and by then cut back to Beckenham, it was double-decked as the 126.

The 109 was renumbered 227 in the new sequence on 3 Oct 34.  By now running every 7½ minutes over most of the route, larger buses were required and LT Scooters replaced ED's Ts.  However, it was not until 1936 that the Tilling Ts were moved to Kingston and replaced at TB by LTs.  At the same time, SP added three more Scooters on Saturdays, from 1929 the busiest day of the week.   

 

On 4 May 38, the route was cut back to Chislehurst Gordon Arms, running from the Common along Green Lane in both directions.  The sections to Welling was covered by new routes 160 and 161.  On the same day, the TB and SP allocations were withdrawn, leaving the route to ED's Scooters, in sole charge until 1951.  During this period, the vehicle requirement grew from 11 to 21 during the week, 17 to 24 on Saturdays.

 

On 2 May 51, the route moved wholesale back to TB, its home from then until today except for a five year contract 1992-97 with Kentish Bus out of Dunton Green.  The Scooters moved with it, Bromley's first single-deckers since the double-decking of the 254 (to 126) and 232 (to 138) in 1940, the duties replacing part of the 47 that moved to Catford, in turn replacing the 36 which moved to the brand new Peckham garage.

On 27 Jun 51, the 227 was extended from Penge to Crystal Palace, although this was a minority of buses, two or three turning in Penge for every through bus.  The LTL Scooters were replaced by new RFs in November 1951, with the first 3 buses licensed on the 5th and the remainder being delivered during the month (the last two were not licensed until 1 December).  It is interesting to note that the nickname 'Scooters' lasted to be applied to RFs at Bromley, but not generally elsewhere.

 

During 1954, there were detail changes to the route at Chislehurst.  The terminal working was unchanged (the stand was in Alexander Road, beside the Gordon Arms, with the buses leaving via Edward Road), but from May the route arrived and left via Albany Road and the High Street, changing again in October to arrive via Albany Road and depart down Green Lane to the Common.  Other than this, and a gradual reduction in weekend frequencies, the route remained unchanged for approaching 20 years.  For much of the period, Crystal Palace buses alternated with Penge Crooked Billet short workings.

 

Just before the end of the RFs, LOTS reported that 'RF348 was taken from outside Bromley garage at 3am one morning and the joy-rider ended up crashing into the front of a shop. When the RF was seen being towed through Bromley it looked a complete write-off. The joy-rider was not found.'  RF348 was indeed a write-off, it was one of two scrapped at Aldenham the following year.

 

The route was the second last crew-operated RF route (the last was the 236) when converted to OMO Swifts on 2 Jan 71, having been the only RF route operated out of Bromley for all that time.  The last bus in service was driven by the late Fred Chapman, a proud RF owner for years afterwards. 

 

 

The Swifts were replaced by Nationals after only 6½ years, these lasting until the route was won by Kentish Bus, operating from Dunton Green, in 1992.  At that time, the route was cut back from Chislehurst to Bromley North, leaving the route as operated today.  However, operation returned to TB, now as Stagecoach, in 1997, where it remains running between Crystal Palace and Bromley North to this day.

Garage journeys: to/from Bromley Market Place via High Street, Masons Hill, Bromley Common.

Crew change at Bromley Widmore Road.

 

Terminal working at Chislehurst: turn into Alexander Road to stand, leave via Edward Road to Green Lane

Terminal working at Crystal Palace: [? U-turn across Parade or use roundabout]

Terminal working at Penge: turning circle at Crooked Billet

 

PVR 1952 (Nov): Mon-Fri 24, Sat 26, Sun 15

PVR 1958 (Apr): Mon-Fri 24, Sat 23, Sun 15

PVR 1958 (Nov): Mon-Fri 20, Sat 23, Sun 12

PVR 1969 (Aug): Mon-Fri 23, Sat 20, Sun 7