Oxford Bus Museum

Oxford Bus Museum

Restored City of Oxford Motor Services buses at the Museum
Location	Long Hanborough, Oxfordshire, England
Collection size	45 vehicles
Nearest car park	Free parking for 15 cars on site, plus nearby railway station car park.
Website	www.oxfordbusmuseum.org.uk

The Oxford Bus Museum tells the story of bus and coach travel around Oxfordshire over the last 130 years. Exhibits include historic preserved horse-drawn vehicles, buses, coaches and a wide selection of artefacts (bus stops, ticket machines, timetables, posters, staff uniforms) and photos illustrating public transport history.

The museum collection was established by the Oxford Bus Preservation Syndicate, who acquired their first vehicle, an AEC Regal III 1949 semi-coach (registration NJO 703) in November 1967. In 1984 the collection of vehicles were moved to the museum’s present location on the site of the old goods yard at Hanborough Railway station. Covered accommodation was erected, which was refurbished and expanded in 2001 with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. In the 1990s a collection policy was established which concentrates on public service vehicles and smaller exhibits which operated within Oxfordshire. Vehicles of the City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd, with its strong AEC buying policy and red livery, are strongly represented. The oldest bus on display dates from 1913 and the newest comes from the 1995. There are a number of chassis on display and a double decker Dennis Loline which has been sectioned to show how a bus is constructed. The collection now includes 35 buses and coaches, most of which are on display. There is also a restoration workshop with public viewing gallery.

At the end of 2004 the Morris Motors Museum opened on the site, devoted to the history of Morris Motors Limited of Oxford and its founder William Morris, Lord Nuffield, and displaying a dozen vehicles in a reconstructed section of the former factory from Cowley.

The museum is operated by the Oxford Bus Museum Trust, a registered charity, and is open to visitors throughout the year on Sundays, Wednesdays and Bank Holiday Mondays (excluding Christmas and Boxing Day week). During June, July and August it is also open on Saturdays. During the spring and summer months there is a programme of events, which include free vintage bus rides on selected Sundays and on Bank Holiday Monday's.