Press releases

There was cause for celebration on Wednesday (11 March) as staff at Arriva London’s Norwood garage commemorated 100 years serving the community from the Ernest Avenue site.

To mark the occasion staff planted a centenary garden at the front of the garage and are also displaying a pictorial history of the site in the garage foyer.

To give locals a trip down memory lane, two Routemaster buses from the Arriva Heritage Fleet made special journeys between Norwood and Brixton.

No birthday could pass without a cake so staff held a cake baking competition. Following the judging the cakes were cut and sold in the staff canteen with the proceeds going to local charities, Demelza House Children’s Hospice and St Christopher’s Hospice in Sydenham.

Arriva’s operating manager, Ken Robinson said: “We couldn’t let the date pass without marking the occasion somehow. Our garage is a focal point in the area and staff past and present have enjoyed the celebrations.”

Mike Weston, operations director for London Buses, part of Transport for London, said: “Norwood bus garage has been an integral part of the local community for a century, providing vital transport links to locations throughout south and central London, as well as employment for generations of local people. As such, the centenary of the garage marks an important milestone in the history of the local area.”

The site of the current Norwood garage, which is situated at the corner of Ernest Avenue and Knights Hill in Norwood, was first opened in 1909 by the London General Omnibus Company and marked the start of the heyday of buses.

In 1981 the garage underwent complete reconstruction, with the buses and employees being transferred to the reopened Clapham garage until 1984 when the current building opened.