Tellings-Golden Miller

Caetano Enigma coach in Tellings-Golden Miller livery in July 2008
Parent	Richard Telling
Headquarters	London
Service type	Coach tours, local and airport bus services
Fleet	211 buses 45 coaches
Website	www.tellingsgoldenmiller.co.uk

Tellings-Golden Miller is a charter coach operator in England. It was a subsidiary of Arriva twice previously, but once again has returned to family ownership. [1]

Reputedly, Fred Varney founded the Golden Miller company with the winnings from a bet made on the horse Golden Miller, which won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in 1934.

In 1955 Golden Miller was sold to FG Wilder & Sons Limited of Feltham with two coaches and a booking office in Twickenham. In 1967 Wilder bought out Tourist Bus Service which had one vehicle and a stage carriage licence for route 601 between Feltham station and East Bedfont, which it had operated since 1955. In 1968 routes 602 (Feltham to Shepperton) and 603 (Feltham to Hanworth via Elmwood Avenue) were added.

In 1970 the route from Walton-on-Thames to Walton-on-Thames station was taken over from Walton-on-Thames Motor Co Limited and extended to Oatlands village as route 604. Route 605 was planned for the Claygate area but did not come into effect, and route 606 began in 1971 from Staines to Stanwell Moor and Stanwell village.

In June 1985 Wilder sold Golden Miller to Tellings Coaches of Byfleet, a family-run concern which had been founded by Stephen Telling in 1972. Routes 601 and 603 were transferred to Fountain Coaches of Feltham from October 1985; these routes being combined as route 600 (East Bedfont to Hanworth via Feltham) in June 1986. The Golden Miller business continued to operate routes 602 and 606 until about 1988.

In 1989 the company was taken over by Midland Fox. A small number of London Transport contracted routes were won by the company over the following two years. However, by 1993 Midland Fox had itself been acquired by British Bus and was no longer willing to operate TGM. Stephen Telling re-acquired the company with financial support from Julian Peddle, and also took over Classic Coaches.