OLD DEVONPORT . UK
www.olddevonport.uk
 

TRAMWAY SERVICES IN OLD DEVONPORT

TRAMWAY SERVICE "FORE STREET to MILEHOUSE and TOR LANE"

Plymouth Corporation tramcar number 25 at the Tor Lane Terminus,
with Hermon Terrace on the left, marked for Fore Street, Devonport.
Presumably the photo was taken between 1914 and 1922.
Note the shops and the narrowness of the road beyond the tram.
This is looking at Morrison's supermarket today.
From a postcard.

Commencement (see note A below)

Official opening during the morning of Wednesday June 26th 1901.  Public traffic started at Midday Wednesday June 26th 1901.  The first day was almost a disaster as there was insufficient electrical power to operate the nineteen tramcars put into operation.  Eventually just two tramcars were put into service between Fore Street and Milehouse. 

Original Route (see note B below)

Fore Street, Devonport, Paradise Road, Trafalgar Road, Tavistock Road, Milehouse.

The fare from Fore Street to Milehouse was one penny.

Subsequent development (see note C below)

On Saturday October 31st 1903 the service was extended along Tavistock Road as far as the Devonport Borough boundary at Tor Lane.

Unfortunately it was found that passenger numbers over the section leased from the Corporation were not sufficient to pay the expenses of running the tramcars over those sections and the service to Tor Lane was cut back to Milehouse after Saturday January 16th 1909.  After negotiating with the Corporation the service was subsequently resumed to Tor Lane.

Unification of Devonport and Plymouth, 1916

Following the amalgamation of the Three Towns in November 1914, the Devonport and District Tramways Company's network was linked to the Plymouth Corporation Tramways network at Peverell Corner and on and as from Monday October 23rd 1916 a new Route 2 was brought into operation linking Fore Street, Devonport, to Peverell Corner, Mutley Plain and Plymouth's Theatre Royal.  The fare for any distance on any one tramcar on any one route was one penny.

Note A:  Wherever possible an exact date of commencement of a service is shown.  However, in a lot of cases no precise date has been recorded so reference will be made to official returns to the Council or other documentary evidence to narrow the date down as much as possible.

Note B:  This gives the roads and streets the service passed through.  A road or street name in brackets indicates that it has not been confirmed beyond doubt that the road or street was used by buses on this route but it is a "best guess" based on the author's knowledge of the practice at the time.  If it is subsequently confirmed by either documentary or photographic evidence that the road or street was traversed by this service then the brackets will be deleted.

Note C:  Where deviations to the original route are shown they will be from and to a road or street named in the "Original Route" section so that the alteration in route can be easily followed.