Museum brings back memories of golden age of Manchester travel

Once upon a time, Greater Manchester’s bus shelters and stations were brightened by artistic travel posters promising express coach travel to London, or promising grand days out at Lyme Park or Peel Tower.. or even telling you where to buy a Clippercard ticket. And anyone can now have a retro travel trip back in time thanks to the Museum of Transport Greater Manchester.

From the fifties to the nineties, carefully-designed posters with bright colours were displayed with information or to encourage people to travel by bus and coach. The internet ended their appearance, but even today older residents of Greater Manchester know that they could buy a Saver Seven from bus stations, or that Yelloway coaches would whisk you away in comfort to London or North Wales.

Most posters ended up being torn down, but the Museum has a unique collection and has been scanning and repairing them to their full colourful glory – and it’s even making reproduction print available from its online souvenir shop.

Museum chairman Dennis Talbot explained the background: “if you’re waiting at a bus stop, you’re a captive audience for a poster with an eye-catching message. So bus companies would promote their own services – whether that was to hire a coach, or even go for a day out on Sundays.”

The 1970s and 1980s age of Greater Manchester Transport was especially creative – telling passengers to ‘hound around for a pound’ using an all-day ‘Sunday Rover’ ticket, or – and this is a bit of a stretch – taking a bus on a rainy day to visit Greater Manchester’s indoor attractions.

“What we love about these old posters is that they were usually drawn by hand, with vibrant colours to attract the eye. Our conservationists have spent hours repairing blemishes and rejuvenating faded colours digitally before adding to our shop, so that anyone can have a reminder of their childhood days out by bus on the wall.”

The Museum’s shop now stocks over 40 restored posters for online purchase at www.motgmshop.uk/posters.