THE STORY OF THE BUS SHELTER

On 16th January 1953, a meeting was held to consider arrangements for the village celebrations of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The decision was made that a fund should be raised, part of which would be used for presenting a commemorative spoon to every child under fifteen, to provide a tea in the village hall and to purchase prizes for children’s sports. The rest of the money would be put towards a more permanent memorial and it was decided to erect a much-needed bus shelter. There were now few shopping opportunities in the village and most people caught the bus to Pewsey.

A committee was appointed to deal with these matters consisting of Mr L Cook (Chairman), Mrs Blanchard, Mrs N Grace, Mrs J Nash, Mrs D Wheeler, Mr Dick Nash (Secretary) and Sir Henry Bashford (Treasurer). A collection was made round the village and after expenses for Coronation Day celebrations, a balance remained of £33 0 1d.  Some months later, the proceeds from four village whist drives amounting to £4 16s 2d were added to this total.

The shelter was designed by Mr J Griffin FRIBA (Sir Henry’s son-in-law) an architect in Newbury, who kindly made no charge for his services. Letters of intent were sent to all the relevant authorities – Wiltshire County Surveyor, Wilts and Dorset Motor Services Ltd, Wiltshire Constabulary at Pewsey and Pewsey Rural District Council. Delays in erection resulted chiefly due to the straightening of the main road at the time but, after plans were agreed, the shelter was finally built in 1956 on a site kindly presented by Mr Reginald Pearce of Crossroads Farm.

Work on the shelter was largely carried out on a voluntary basis thanks to the skill and assistance of Messrs S Vallis, A Choules, H Blanchard and L Amor. As they were only available at weekends and to prevent further delay, it was decided to employ Mr A Vallis to complete the brickwork and to pay him for his services. The inset memorial stone was designed, carved and presented to the village by Mr Esmond Burton.

The total cost of the shelter amounted to £75 14s 9d with the remaining balance of £30 being raised from an anonymous village donor (probably Sir Henry Bashford) and a donation of £5 10s 11d from the Pewsey Carnival Committee. On 19th March 1957, the bus shelter was handed over by the Coronation Committee to Easton Royal Parish Council together with a cheque for £1 3s 6d to use as an initial insurance premium. This cheque was never cashed.

The Bus Shelter

Commemorative plaque