Subject: Rhondda 321 (RTG 321F)
Chassis: Leyland Leopard PSU3/4R
Body: Willowbrook DP49F
Location: Bristol, Rupert Street
Date: c.1968

321 is seen here not just in the green livery but carrying its original Rhondda fleet number. It is one of at least three travelling to Bristol that day - 317 is behind and 318 made the trip as well. Note the unusual masking arrangement for the the three-track number blind, with rounded outer corners only visible when a white blank is shown.

The Bristol Motor Company, advertising on the right, opened a splendid Art Deco showroom on Winterstoke Road at Ashton Gate in 1931. It was badly damaged by an errant bomber aircraft in 1941. However, some of the features have survived not only that and the subsequent repair but also the more recent redevelopment of the site as a self-storage facility.

The light coloured facade immediately above the rear of 321 was the entrance to College Motors garage, who had been a Triumph dealer. I suspect that Bristol Motors took over the premises not long before this photograph was taken and the large advert directed people to the parking at the Rupert Street multi-storey car park - the first of its kind in the UK when opened in 1960 and now scheduled for demolition, despite protests.


From an original negative in the David Beilby collection, photographer unknown