Crosville in Liverpool book

On Tuesday, 15 July, 2025 a new book titled Crosville in Liverpool was launched and available to purchase.

Unlike previous works on Crosville Motor Services that focus primarily on routes, vehicles, and depots, this book centres on the human stories behind the company and their families. It explores the company’s role as a major operator across Merseyside, the Wirral, Lancashire, Cheshire, and North Wales, and the impact of deregulation in 1986 that played a vital part in the eventual closure of its Liverpool depot and the loss of 270 jobs.

The book provides emotional depth, weaving personal recollections with rare photographs, many previously unpublished, to bring the narrative to life.  A notable highlight is the final photograph in the book featuring former staff and their descendants at the site of the former Edge Lane depot, including the book author, youngest son, and his late father, adding a poignant personal touch. The book is described as a respectful tribute to the people who shaped Crosville’s legacy in Liverpool, capturing both its proud history and the profound effects of its closure.



Book details (from the publishers website)

This is an illustrated history of the Crosville bus company in Liverpool. The company started bus operations in the years leading up to the First World War and by the late 1920s was a leading operator across the Wirral and into Lancashire, Cheshire and North Wales. It started operations in Liverpool in 1922 and its buses were an everyday sight in Merseyside until its Liverpool depot closed in early 1987 following deregulation of the bus industry in October 1986. In this book author Richard Lloyd Jones covers the history of over sixty years of Crosville in Liverpool as well as the story of its demise, drawing on photographs from the time of the company, its depot and vehicles as well as personal accounts from actual staff, both management and unions and their families.


The book cover artwork
Book extract

“Precious memories, some emotional, as well as documents and photographs of Crosville in Liverpool have been provided that have not been publicly seen before.  Images certainly bring a story alive and convey far more than just words on a page. The images within this book have certainly done that.”

Graham Warren represents his dad George Warren, one of the ‘legends’ of Liverpool depot, who sadly passed away in 2016. We remember your dear dad, who would be extremely proud of you for telling his story.

I feel extremely privileged and honoured to have been a part of this important journey with the people named above in telling the story of what happened back then. It has been pieced together with the utmost care and respect to all concerned at all times. My ambition throughout has been to show the human aspect and the profound impact the closure of Crosville in Liverpool had on those concerned and their families.

I hope that this book does justice in the way it documents Crosville’s proud history in Liverpool and then the events that led to the closure of its Love Lane depot.  We are all now the custodians of Crosville in ensuring that the name is kept alive out of respect for those who worked for the company and not just consigned to history. Nowadays there are generations that never knew that such a name existed and are now being told the story.”

In memory with the greatest of respect.

Richard Lloyd Jones FCILT FCMI CMgr FIOM



Book content sample




Book dedication

The book is being dedicated to the following as it will appear in the book.  Unfortunately my dear Father was taken ill suddenly in mid March of this year (2025) and sadly passed away five days later.  Amberley Publishing have been truly fantastic and supportive in allowing the lower paragraph below to be included in the book during the final proofing stages in memory of my Dad.

This book is dedicated to the staff that worked for Crosville in Liverpool over its sixty-five-year presence in the city and to their families.

It is also dedicated to my family who have listened to me patiently as I have put this book together, often typing into the night. My family’s support in the continued preservation of former Crosville Bristol RELH6G, fleet number CRG163 has been invaluable.

I also dedicate this book to my dear father who sadly passed away from a short illness in March 2025, before he could see the book published. His support with the book and CRG163 was incredible.



Videos

Click on both videos above - top right for a preview of some of the photographs that will be included in the book and the bottom video that shows the location of the former Crosville Edge Lane depot site as it is today, but overlaid by an image of the actual depot from 1952.



About the author (publisher’s website)

Richard Lloyd Jones has worked in the bus industry for over thirty-four years, starting with Crosville Wales. In his present role he works in policy but has always had a keen interest in the history of the bus industry in the UK, and especially Crosville Motor Services Ltd. He is also the owner of a preserved Crosville coach which was based with Crosville in Liverpool.

Richard Lloyd Jones - book author.


How to order a copy of the book

Please click on the following images to take you to the specific pages on Amberley Publishing’s website for further details on how you can order a copy of this new book.  You can also click HERE.

Amberley Publishing web pages.


Book launch events

Specific book launch events will take place when the book becomes available from 15 July, 2025.  Most notably the main launch will take place in Liverpool, the heart of the story and will involve those mentioned in the book.  More information about dates, times and actual locations of events will be made available closer to the time.  Please subscribe below to keep up to date with arrangements.




Book availability and outlets

The book is available on-line from many outlets including those listed below:

Amberley Publishing
Amazon
MDS Books
The Guardian Books
Mail Bookshop
Waterstones
WHSmith
The Nile (Australia & New Zealand)
Indigo (Canada)
Booktopia (Australia)
Apple Books

You can purchase the new book from many outlets across the world, in paper snd electronic formats, many listed above.

Initial book feedback

A pre-release copy of the book has been made available to Graham Warren, the son of the late George Warren to see before being made public availability.

Graham with the new book.

Graham’s feedback of the book is as follows.

“Yesterday (12th July) I received an advanced copy of Richard Lloyd Jones’ excellent new book about Crosville in Liverpool.  It is a superb read, and even covers the demise of its Liverpool operations.  Photos are pure quality, and it really is a fascinating read.  The book is available to pre-order from Amberley Publishing, and is released this coming Tuesday(15th) July.  If you like Crosville, this really is a must read.”


BUSES magazine September 2025 - Crosville in Liverpool book review

A very positive review of the book has been published in the BUSES magazine - September 2025 edition.  Our visit today …… Saturday 23 August 2025 ……. not often does one have the privilege of going into WH Smith (T G Jones), buying a copy of BUSES, a magazine purchased over many years, and seeing a review about your own book within it!  Thank you John Young for writing such a positive review of the book.

Picking up the September edition of the BUSES magazine from WH Smith (T G Jones) on Saturday, 23 August 2025. Photo by Ioan Lloyd-Jones
Second image of picking up the BUSES magazine and finding the article on the book on page 96.  Photo by Ioan Lloyd-Jones.
A closer up image of the article in the BUSES magazine - September 2025. Photo by Ioan Lloyd-Jones.


Further reviews of the book

Feedback and reviews of the book from readers are available on the ‘Crosville in Liverpool book reviews’ page on this website.  Please click HERE.



With grateful thanks

The photograph below will be the last one to appear in the final page of the book, and is special for many reasons.  It is an image of many of the former staff and decedents of former staff of Crosville’s Liverpool depot, mentioned throughout the book as well as captured through valuable photographs.  Many in the photograph had not seen each other since early 1987, nearly forty years ago.  The photograph is also special as it captures my youngest son and late father who sadly passed away from a short illness in March of this year (2025).  The three of us are seen to the left of the photograph standing side by side.

My Dad was so supportive of the book and was proud of its production.  Sadly he did not get to see it printed but did get to see an earlier electronic draft thankfully.

My grateful thanks to those named below that have helped in the production of this book and to my family.  We also remember my Dad with fondness and love.  He was also instrumental in the on-going preservation and restoration of CRG163.  More details of this are available HERE.

My grateful thanks also go to the staff of Amberley Publishing for the valued support and understanding I’ve received as we’ve worked on the final proofing of the book, including ensuring that late additions/amendments are made following the loss of my dear Father.

A photograph taken on Tuesday 20 August 2024 at the former location of Crosville’s Edge Lane depot. Along with my youngest son and father, I had travelled to Liverpool to catch up with former Crosville staff, and their descendants, mentioned in the book and to have a group photograph taken. Some people hadn’t seen each other in nearly forty years. From left to right: Richard Lloyd Jones (author), Gethin Lloyd-Jones (author’s youngest son), Richard Lloyd Jones (author’s late father), Malcolm Davies, Robert J. Montgomery, Graham Warren, David Forrest, Geoff O’Brien, Raymond Patterson, Mike Lambden, Bill Barlow, Allan Bentley, Bob Hayden, John Embleton, Paul Rycroft and Melvin Robinson.

A number of people have made valued contributions in the production of this book.  A special thank you to Bill Barlow; Andrew Cudbertson; John Embleton; David Forrest; David A. Jones; Mike Lambden; Gethin Lloyd-Jones; Ioan Lloyd-Jones; Robert J. Montgomery; Geoff O’Brien; Raymond Patterson; Paul Rycroft; Les A. Smith; Robert Smith and Graham Warren.  Many of which are pictured above.

Also much appreciated are documents and photographs supplied by The Bus Archive; Fred Burnett; Dave Cousins; Bob Downham; Brian Moore; John Lee; and Geoff Smith.


Richard Lloyd Jones with the new book.
I would also like to take the opportunity of thanking everyone that has supported the book since it has become available.


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