South Notts Centenary Celebratory Weekend

A special celebratory weekend to mark the centenary of South Notts will be taking place on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th July 2026.

A cavalcade of preserved and associated South Notts vehicles will operate along the Nottingham to Loughborough route, passing their former Gotham Garage, on the Saturday. Buses will also visit Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre at Ruddington, where parts of two former South Notts buses are stored, before completing the day operating one of South Notts former routes into Clifton Estate.

Nottingham Heritage Vehicles Charity in Hucknall will host an Open Day on the Sunday, with former South Notts vehicles on display. The charity is currently undertaking a significant preservation of former South Notts “80” which recently moved to Loughborough, where work on the mechanical side of the vehicle will be completed.

Vehicles confirmed for being part of the cavalcade include:

• Leyland Lowlander SN82 

This bus arrived at South Notts in September 1963 and was one of five Lowlanders to join the fleet. South Notts were one of a very small number of operators in England who bought this bus type, with their unique technical layout and specification making them a rare batch of buses. It operated for around a decade on front line service on the “main road” - the current South Notts 1 route – before being used on less intense services ahead of retiring in the early 1980s.  After being purchased by a Mr Riddler in 1981, it was acquired by Brian Catchpole and Paul Baker in 1999 (with Paul latterly passing his share to Roland Graves) and a decade later a full body rebuild, major repairs to the chassis and an engine replacement began, undertaken by volunteers from The North Kent Vehicle Preservation Group. In summer 2021, 82 returned to Gotham for the first time in twenty years and was able to access the former Gotham Garage where it had been based some 60 years before. 

• Leyland Royal Tiger SN64

This Leyland Royal Tiger coach with a Duple Roadmaster body joined the South Notts fleet in 1957, second hand from Jackson of Castle Bromwich. It arrived with a similar coach, SN63, and was almost identical to SN42, which was new to South Notts in 1951. 

It was withdrawn in 1969 and passed to the Gotham branch of The Royal British Legion, where it was a familiar sight parked in the village for many years. It was subsequently acquired by The Walsh Brothers and restored to the condition seen today in a red and cream livery. The coach then passed to James Baile who will be driving it in the cavalcade. 

SN64 will operate the 10:44 from Loughborough, 11:45 from Nottingham and 14:08 from East Leake to Loughborough 

• ADL E400 641

Nottingham City Transport’s commemorative centenary liveried bus, 641, joined the NCT fleet in 2015. These ADL E400s were the first new dedicated buses purchased specifically for South Notts route 1 for several years and features a unique internal specification for the route. To mark the 100th anniversary of South Notts, the bus was painted in a traditional South Notts livery, which was unveiled 100 years to the day of the first South Notts bus and operates along the Nottingham to Loughborough route.

• Barton Transport - TBC

To recognise the involvement of Barton Transport in the early days of South Notts, the Nottingham Area Bus Society, based at Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre will be joining the cavalcade with an appropriately aged Barton’s bus or coach. 

The cavalcade will provide an opportunity for people to photograph and see former South Notts and associated vehicles along a route that has operated for a century. The vehicles will not be providing public bus rides. 

The approximate timetable for Saturday 18th July is:

• Depart Nottingham, Beastmarket Hill at 09:25 calling at Gotham 10:00, East Leake 10:10 and arriving into Loughborough at 10:31
• Depart Loughborough, Baxter Gate at 10:44 calling at East Leake 11:00, Gotham 11:09 and arriving into Nottingham at 11:45
• Depart Nottingham, Beastmarket Hill at 11:45 to Gotham only, arriving at 12:20
• Photograph opportunity at Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre, Ruddington 13:00-13:30
• Depart East Leake at 14:08 to Loughborough 14:31
• Depart Loughborough, Baxter Gate at 14:44 calling at East Leake 15:00, Gotham 15:09 and arriving into Nottingham at 15:45
• Depart Nottingham, Beastmarket Hill at 15:45 operating as a 68 to Clifton along Wilford Lane

On Sunday 19th July, the Open Day at Nottingham Heritage Vehicles Charity will run between 10:00 and 16:00, with SN82 and NCT 641 in attendance. NHVC is home to 55, a unique former Nottingham City Transport Leyland Atlantean that was converted to single deck and entered service with South Notts in March 1994. 

A commemorative booklet celebrating a centenary of South Notts will also be available to buy, with profits donated to NCT’s Charity of the Year, When You Wish Upon a Star. Located at Portland Road, Hucknall, NG15 7SF, Nottingham Heritage Vehicles Charity have a large collection of preserved local buses and run regular open days throughout the year. 

Anthony Carver-Smith, NCT Head of Marketing and Projects said, “We are delighted to be celebrating a centenary of South Notts with a special weekend in July. The return of preserved South Notts vehicles to the area operating along a route that’s been a key service for a century will be a real treat to enjoy. We pass our thanks to all parties who are supporting the celebrations on what is going to be a truly memorable weekend”.