Meet the drivers - Martin

In the second of our series, Martin Denman tells us how buses – and choirs – have been central to his life in England and Scotland and why the sound of a good AEC engine is still music to his ears.

You got into bus preservation quite young, didn’t you?

Yes, I would log every detail of the fleet, and noticed one vehicle showed the unladen weight graphic was different on one side from the other. So I wrote to the Transport Manager about this discrepancy, and in his reply he suggested that I should join the Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society. This I did and made some long-term friends there. In the school holidays I would spend many hours helping to restore an ex Bolton Leyland TD1, and also became involved in other aspects of restoration. 

What are your earliest bus memories?

I was born in Lincoln and lived there until my early twenties. I was a bus spotter as a young boy and would go with my pal to the end of our road, which joined the Lincoln to Newark route A46 – where there were lots of buses and coaches heading for the Lincolnshire coast from the Midlands. We both had a little ledger, the ABC Book of  British Bus Fleets, and we’d tick off the ones we’d seen.  We just loved all the different liveries.

Lincoln Corporation had a fairly small fleet, mostly Leyland Titans, with some Guy Arabs too. Once the city went against the norm and bought four AEC Bridgemasters, which were low-height buses with exceedingly soft suspension. We nick-named them Bouncemasters.

I also loved visiting London in my teenage years and riding on RTs and RMs.

What happened after you left school?

I got a job with BBC Scotland as a sound engineer in Glasgow. Here I discovered many independent companies operating second hand half-cab buses – such as Grahams, Cunninghams, and McGills – but I didn’t get involved in preservation in an organised way until a group of five of us set up the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust in 2002. I became the first chairman of the group and we took occupancy of the only purpose built bus garage in Glasgow, at Bridgeton, Built in 1965. It was mammoth task to get the place fit for use again, but somehow we did it.

Did you get behind the wheel?

A friend of mine had started the first open top tours of Glasgow and I found myself driving on those when things were quiet in my day job. They were branded Discovering Glasgow Tours, which eventually became a franchise of the City Sightseeing brand.  I also did some long-distance coach driving too!

What’s it like with private hires on The Red Bus?

It’s much more enjoyable as there's an opportunity to interact with the passengers on a wedding hire or private tour. Many guests like chatting about the buses and I have to say I’m staggered how many beautiful castles and country houses there are around Edinburgh, places such as Dundas Castle.

On corporate tours, my favourites are when the guide doesn’t mind where you go – they leave it up to you and are happy to commentate on whatever’s around them. 

What’s your favourite kind of bus? No pressure!

It has to be the Routemaster. I do like the engine sound. It just feels good to drive; it’s such a well-designed vehicle. I get a buzz when Lothian drivers give you a wave. Occasionally they ask me through the window if I want to swap vehicles if we are stuck in traffic! However I do think they’re one of the most attractive vehicles and forever will be. 

Tell us about the singing

At school I was persuaded to join the local church choir (my father was the organist!) and my singing restarted many years later, in the 1980s, after I moved to Glasgow and joined a male voice choir in Bearsden. Twenty years later I moved to Erskine and sampled choirs ranging in repertoire from chamber music, to musicals, rock and jazz.

A short anecdote: once on the way to a wedding venue, we were held by traffic police due to an incident. To pass the time I led the downstairs passengers in singing 'O Flower of Scotland' !

Currently I’m in my eighth year with SingaLoud, a community choir based in East Dunbartonshire. 

Have you owned any vintage buses yourself?

Over time I’ve had a Fife Leyland National, a two-door London Transport National, which I sold to the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum. Then I had a Leyland Olympian for a number of years. 

Any other interests?

I also do voluntary work with Forestry and Land Scotland at my local woodland (called Boden Boo), where I am the warden. This entails maintaining the path network and the inevitable litter picking. 

Thanks Martin. It’s great to have you on board!

Meet the drivers - Gordon

In a new series, we get to hear from some of the drivers and conductors who play such a crucial role at The Red Bus. Our first interview is with Gordon Stirling, who joined us more than 10 years ago. Also a keen piper, Gordon was apparently interested in buses before he was even born!

The Red Bus driver Gordon Stirling with one of the buses on his birthday

When did you first get the bus bug?

At the very start of my life, if not before. My mum says that when she was pregnant carrying me, whenever she stepped on a bus I would kick like mad! Where we lived in Uddingston, in Lanarkshire, was near a bus terminus. When I was very small, if we were walking past the bus stand or at terminus I would be desperate to get on the bus and often the drivers would recognise me and they would lift me up into the cab and I would be in heaven. So basically I’ve been a lifelong bus enthusiast.

Did you have friends with a similar interest?

I was about 18 or 19 before I discovered there were other enthusiasts – before then, I thought I was the only one!

When did you first work on the buses?

I studied accountancy for a couple of years but it was always my ambition to be a bus driver. The first company I worked for was called Fife Scottish, or Alexander’s. I worked in their planning dept for a year, back in 1981. I worked on a big marketing project which was coming to an end when they took me on, and when that was finished I got made redundant. Somebody suggested that I move to Edinburgh and drive buses there, so I drove for Lothian Regional Transport between 1982 and 1990.

How was that?

I did the normal service work and I also did tours. Guide Friday arrived in 1986. That sparked fierce competition – Lothian Regional Transport had to quickly convert about eight buses into open top buses and we did the city tours; we had to drive, give a commentary, take fares, sell the tickets – it was a tough shift. I did that for three or four years.

Then you had a change of career. What happened?

Gordon and conductors Fiona and Calum on the way to Gosford House

Gordon and conductor Yana on another trip, this time to Barnbougle Castle

In 1990 I got attacked one night on a bus, a no. 41 bus at Barnton, of all places [Barnton is known as one of Edinburgh’s wealthier areas, and the home of J K Rowling]. I never got hurt physically but I got a real fright. These kids were throwing rocks and bricks at the bus, they ripped up all the for-sale signs in the gardens and they were throwing them at the bus. There were no passengers onboard – the bus had actually broken down. So that was quite scary. I then joined the ambulance service as a stop-gap measure and that went on for 28 years.

Gordon hard at work ensuring that the buses are shiny and squeaky clean, ready for events

What about buses?

In between times I always did a bit of bus driving. I also acquired and restored an old bus myself, a Western Scottish Leyland Leopard. I sold it to a guy who lives in Australia but it’s still stored at the Scottish Vintage Bus Musuem in Fife. He’s only taken it out a couple of times in the last 20 years or so!

How did you come to drive for The Red Bus?

In 2013 there was a road accident at Dunbar. Your nephew Patrick was there as a paramedic. He happened to mention to some of my colleagues in the Scottish Ambulance Service that his uncle owned a bus company in Edinburgh. One of them told Patrick: we’ve got a guy working for us who’s buses daft and if your uncle needs drivers, then Gordon’s the man!

What do you like about driving these vintage Routemasters compared with modern vehicles?

Wherever you drive in Edinburgh the bus just seems to catch people’s eyes – it will raise smiles, raise spirits. Everywhere you go people will point cameras at you. I love the acoustics of the engine. And I love driving them with sympathy – in my view it’s like an antique, it deserves respect. It’s been remarkably engineered so I just like to pay homage to that, drive it how it should be driven. It’s a joy, it’s such a pleasure. I also love the way you’re enclosed in the cab – you can concentrate on the driving and you get no grief!

Often people assume these buses must be hard to handle because of their age. How do you find them?

I find the Routemaster is effortless: the power steering, the semi-automatic transmission. It’s also a lovely size [smaller than most modern double deckers], so you can take it most places.

On set at Dead Shot during filming in Glasgow

Any particular favourite hires?

I loved the film one in Glasgow a few years ago [Dead Shot, starring Aml Ameen and Colin Morgan]. The makeup department went to great lengths, trimmed your hair, put a patch over your jacket. I thought, how close am I going to get to the camera? Sure enough, I never appeared in the final cut! But it was fascinating to see everyone at work, and I’ve never been so well fed.

Then there was an old bus driver’s birthday. That was a lovely one in West Lothian. We reversed into the guy’s cul-de-sac and his family were there. It was a surprise from his wife – the look on his face when he saw the bus! He’d done nearly 40 years in the industry and he absolutely loved that trip.

Another favourite was the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band, from Canada. I loved that. It was crazy from the start! We agreed to collect them at Market Street and they slowly started to filter towards the bus. I could see the pipers, drummers, dancers, the mums and dads. The bus was really starting to fill up. There were still a lot of people to get onboard. But they put drums on laps and everyone squeezed on. I was amazed the bus made it up the Queen’s Drive round Arthur’s Seat. They were so nice, so friendly. They played at Salisbury Crags. I made a video (below). That was an absolutely lovely hire.

Pipe bands are right up your street, aren’t they. Tell us more!

The pipe band world is like that hire with Sons of Scotland, that’s how they operate all over the place. They go into the community and make all these memories for the kids and their families. I’ve been involved since the age of about 12. I was initially a snare drummer but gave up when i was 16 or 17. Then when i was 44 i started to learn the pipes. I got involved in Haddington Pipe Band [in East Lothian]. The pipe major, who’s a lovely guy, offered private tuition on Tuesday nights for just £4. I thought it was a mistake it but it was true, so three or four of us had lessons at the rugby club. After three years or so I graduated to the band.

What did you enjoy most about the pipe band?

We started to visit France every two years. I would drive the coach to France and we went to visit Aubigny-sur-Nère, Haddington’s twin town. Haddington helped them form their own pipe band about 40 years ago, so there’s a close relationship between the two and when we went there, we were treated like VIPs. It was eight days of pipes and drums – barbecues receptions, parades. We were really busy – everyone was so friendly and it was absolutely lovely.

The French hospitality sounds incredible. Can you give us a bit more detail?

One memory that sticks out is when made our way to France in 2016 or 2017. We went Newcastle to Amsterdam, with two drivers. It was a Dutch bank holiday and the traffic was horrendous. The AA Routeplanner had estimated 7.15pm at night but we arrived about quarter past one in the morning. Everyone was emotionally drained. It had been a hot, hot day and the two drivers at the front, we just got fried. Though there was air con, the sun was beating in on you. When we arrived in Aubyigny, their pipe band struck up at quarter past one in the morning and then we had a civic reception! It was absolutely incredible.

We would normally arrive on the Thursday night then on the Friday night we’d be invited to the town hall, with drinks and canapes – a lovely spread for us. It was a kind of one horse town, nothing much happened but for this one weekend to coincide with Bastille Day. On Friday the other bands would start to come in from France, Switzerland, Belgium. We’d form a guard of honour to welcome them, then form a big circle with probably about 200 pipers and drummers playing till after two or three o’clock in the morning. And as soon as you finish, local people are giving you a glass of wine or beer.

Gordon and conductor Fanni, ready to take clients on a tour of Edinburgh’s highlights

Back to The Red Bus, what kind of job satisfaction do you get here?

Essentially the bus is there to make the client’s day extra special – it very rarely fails to do that. So because you can see people are engaged with the bus, it’s easy to go that extra mile and try to make their day even more special.

Thank you Gordon. We’re so glad our nephew got things rolling all those years ago. Here’s to many more years of you behind the wheel at The Red Bus!

Gordon (right) and The Red Bus owner, Sam Phipps

Routes worth mastering

This business has taken us to many places where you would not normally expect to spot a red double-decker bus, 400 miles from its old haunts. But over the last 15 years we have brought guests to some of these venues so often that a Routemaster looks right at home these days. We don’t like to brag but we’d say it enhances the surroundings, ancient or modern!

So, what are our favourites? Too many to list but here – in no particular order – are some of the hotels, castles, houses, churches and other places that it’s always a pleasure to visit, either for a wedding or other event, and whatever the weather.

View of the Balmoral hotel from Waterloo Place

There’s something about the grandeur and sheer scale of the Balmoral hotel, monumental on its corner site of Princes Street and North Bridge, that is hard to ignore. One of Edinburgh’s great Victorian railway hotels, the Balmoral would probably claim to be the city’s top establishment. Parking is tricky though, with taxis and Lothian Buses jostling for position, so we usually stop up the road on Waterloo Place until we get the nod. Then the concierge, using all the flamboyance and authority they can muster, helps bag us the space.

A few miles to the south, tucked away near Arthur’s Seat at the end of an avenue of limes, is Prestonfield House, a 17th century, white-washed house whose tranquil grounds are only ever disturbed by the occasional racket from the resident peacocks. Inside it’s full of character, all open fireplaces and cosy opulence.

Prestonfield House

Prestonfield House

Arthur’s Seat itself is one of our most frequent destinations – the high road that loops up from St Margaret’s Loch and passes Dunsapie Loch before twisting round below Salisbury Crags must be one of the most spectacular and thrilling routes in Edinburgh, or any city in the world. We have vehicle permits from Holyrood Park, though lately Queen’s Drive has only been open at limited times from Tuesday to Thursday. Some couples have even got married on or near the bus, by Dunsapie Loch, and drunk a toast on board with their guests before we have taken them on to their reception.

Like many hotels, the Kimpton, Charlotte Square – in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town – has gone through several name changes down the years but it remains a popular choice for people who want to experience the city’s Georgian elegance.

One of our bus conductors awaiting guests, just outside the Kimpton hotel on Charlotte Square

Hopetoun House

A host of our most popular venues are clustered inside a small band to the north-west of the city. The suspense builds as you head slowly up the driveway to Hopetoun House, with its imposing classical design and stunning views over the Firth of Forth. Last summer we had the pleasure of providing all three of our vintage buses for the pre-wedding Highland Games of a couple from the US.

Hopetoun House

Barnbougle Castle

It’s hard to beat Barnbougle Castle, near Dalmeny on the Rosebery Estate. Originally a 13th century tower house, it was rebuilt in the 19th century as a library for the 5th Earl of Rosebery, who was briefly prime minister between 1894 and 1895 and practised his speeches here.

Dundas Castle, a short drive away near South Queensferry, is another stunner. The buses swing round with a satisfying crunch of the gravel before guests get off, often to be greeted with drinks and canapes as they enter the magnificent building. The bulk of it is Victorian, though after many visits I got to explore the Auld Keep a few years ago, which dates back to medieval times and features a wonderful stone and timber hall and spiral staircase.

Dundas Castle

A dusting of snow at Winton Castle

Winton Castle, near Pencaitland in East Lothian, is another of Scotland’s historic houses, dating back to the 12th century. Setons for the first 600 years, then Hamilton Nisbets and – for the last century – the Ogilvy family have kept the keys. In 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie stationed his troops here while the Earl of Seton, who supported the Jacobites, was in the Tower of London. These days our buses are welcomed into the peaceful grounds dotted with huge beeches and oaks.

Carlowrie Castle, just outside Kirkliston and less than half an hour from Edinburgh, is one of our most frequent wedding destinations. A herd of Highland cows graze in the grounds of this Scots baronial mansion.

Carlowrie Castle

Crichton Church near Pathhead is another gem, hidden away at the bottom of a hill down a lane that is only just wide enough for a Routemaster. We are always greeted by Henry, who lives in the manse opposite and whose grandfather was once the minister here. (Henry trims the branches each year to protect our roofs.) We park within sight of the castle, which always strikes me as more Welsh than Scottish for some reason.

Crichton Church

Crichton Church

A few miles away at North Middleton is another proper castle, Borthwick. Mary Queen of Scots fled here from Holyrood in 1567 after the murder of her husband, Lord Darnley. When the castle was surrounded, she disguised herself as a page and rode off to be reunited with Bothwell, Darnley’s suspected killer.

Borthwick Castle

The Royal Yacht Britannia is one of those places we only ever visit at night, driving alongside the ship and dropping clients off for a special dinner. A red carpet and piper provide that extra sense of occasion.

Fireworks above the Royal Yacht Britannia

The Royal Yacht Britannia

The Royal Mile, the historic main artery of Edinburgh’s Old Town, is one of our most requested stops. From the Castle at the top to Holyrood Palace and the Scottish parliament at the bottom – with City Chambers, St Giles Cathedral and Canongate Kirk in between – it may be a magnet for tourists but it’s also a culturally and socially vibrant street.

The Royal Mile, driving toward St Giles Cathedral

The Royal Mile, just outside Edinburgh City Chambers

Canongate Kirk

The Royal Mile at night

East Lothian is spoilt for choice when it comes to exciting venues, from the elegance of Gosford House near Aberlady and Archerfield House by Gullane to Gilmerton a little inland. On a smaller scale, Dirleton Kirk and Seton Collegiate Church are pretty good too. The approach to Broxmouth Park near Dunbar involves squeezing over a cattle grid and through fields of sheep. They usually look surprised to see us.

Gosford House

Archerfield House

Broxmouth Park

Gilmerton House

Laura and Issy at Whitekirk Hill

Whitekirk, off the magical stretch of the A198 near Tantallon Castle, is a relative newcomer and last summer we visited for the first time. We had the pleasure of taking Laura and Issy and their guests here from Tyninghame village hall, a few miles away.

That’s one of the joys of this job – discovering new places. We never quite know where The Red Bus will go next.

Two of our conductors on break at Dundas Castle

Back to the 1970s

The last time one of our buses was used in a feature film, I had to avoid running over James Norton. He crossed the road in front of a slow-moving RM737 for multiple takes. Early that morning pop-up barbers on the Polish-Scottish production trimmed my hair on the street. Costume kitted me out with a heavy overcoat. Extras stood around freezing in the May haar of Edinburgh, with blankets draped around their shoulders.

The film, Mr Jones, sounded exciting enough – a Welsh journalist, the eponymous Gareth, uncovers Ukraine’s genocidal famine in 1933. He almost meets Stalin, flees for his life and his eventual scoop causes a sensation, alerting the world to the horrors of the Soviet regime. But it all fell strangely flat and the most tragic scenes turned out comical, including a spot of unwitting cannibalism that enraged Jones’s descendants for the liberties it took. And after a full day’s shooting (10 or more laps of Moray Place in the Georgian New Town, standing in for London) our bus appeared for less than half a second in the final release, and less than half the front of the bus at that. All that effort!

Preparing RM875 for filming at the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust in Bridgeton

I have higher hopes for Borderland, an IRA thriller set in 1975 London and starring Aml Ameen, Colin Morgan and Felicity Jones. Last year we were in Glasgow for about 10 days in total, sometimes with two Routemasters, leading a motley gang of Morris Marinas, Ford Cortinas, Vauxhall Chevettes, old black cabs and other ancient vehicles.

The city has been a versatile stand-in for many places, including New York (lately in Succession with Brian Cox and Melrose, starring Benedict Cumberbatch). I know the words “IRA thriller” do not necessarily pair well if you or your family lived through the Troubles or you are among the many thousands directly affected by them. But that’s how this film will be billed.

As someone old enough to remember the bomb scares, and occasional bombings, of London in the 1970s and 1980s, it was strange to drive the bus back to a reconstructed version of that era. It was even weirder to learn that one of the areas they were recreating was Ladroke Grove, a few hundred yards from my childhood home.

Here at The Red Bus we are definitely looking forward to a bit more onscreen bus spotting when Borderland is released.

With thanks to The Red Bus drivers Gordon Stirling and Martin Denman, and Jerry Organ, action vehicles co-ordinator extraordinaire.

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Variety show

This weekend is looking busy but kind of conventional after the supercharged diversity of last Saturday and Sunday. Then we had to deal with everyone from fishwives to film stars and birthday queens, as well as the usual brides and grooms. It was action packed, there were loads of happy faces and I managed not to run over James Norton in 1930s London, aka a heavily costumed Moray Place, Edinburgh.

Dirtying the ads in Moray Place. They looked far too clean at first. Picture: Sam Phipps

What do you mean 1930s London, I hear the anoraks cry. Yes, they're right. The earliest a Routemaster could have been seen on the streets of London was 1956. But how easy would it be to get hold of a 1934 London bus and bring it to Edinburgh? Let's face it, a fleeting glimpse of a big old red London double decker will be enough to trick most viewers. And they got the ads right. (But I will also be taken to task for one of the destination blinds in the picture above. Go on, which one?!)

Here's how the Edinburgh Evening News reported the filming:

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/edinburgh-playing-starring-role-in-hollywood-blockbuster-1-4746883

It was interesting for The Red Bus to be involved, along with a convoy of seven or eight old cars. The film is about Gareth Jones, the Welsh journalist who exposed the horrors of Stalin's mass famine in the Ukraine and was himself murdered in the Far East, possibly on the Soviet dictator's orders. He is being played by Norton, who had to cross the road in front of the bus. Again and again. And again. I think we did about 12 takes of the traffic scene. Some of the poor extras standing around on the pavement were getting very cold in the haar after hours of this!

The makeup department also had to give me an impromptu haircut on someone's doorstep as my locks were too unruly for a 1930s bus driver. 

Waiting in line for the director's call for acton. Again... Picture: Sam Phipps

It was a joy to drive RM737 at the annual Cockenzie and Port Seton Gala too, in the 70th year of the event. About half the Gala Queens going back to 1948 were on board as we processed in sunshine through the streets of the East Lothian coastal towns. They were lined with cheering locals and decked with bunting. "Fishwives" carrying big baskets handed out small gifts ahead of the bus.

Stella our conductor passing the hippy chic boat at the Cockenzie and Port Seton Gala. Picture: Sam Phipps

Some previous Gala Queens... The bus was a surprise for them. Picture: Sam Phipps

Back at Granton a Welsh bride-to-be checked out the buses for her wedding plans. Her boys seemed to like it!

Go on Mum, this is the bus for us! Picture: Clunie Phipps

Oh, last weekend we also had two weddings and a 50th birthday party tour. Like I say, it was a fair bit of variety. 

Roll up for the wedding bus!

This Saturday (April 21st) you can come aboard The Red Bus at Chamber Street, Edinburgh and experience it in full wedding mode all they way to the Scottish National Mining Museum at Newtongrange. For free! We'll even bring you back again afterwards.

Why?

The mining museum is holding a fabulous wedding fair and we'll be there from 12pm to 3pm. If you want to hop on at Chamber Street, we'll be parked at the George IV Bridge end from 11.15am, all decorated with fresh flowers and ribbons. And we'll be happy to answer any questions about your possible plans for wedding transport. 

If you prefer not to come to Newtongrange, you're still welcome to take a stationary peek.

We hope to see you there...