Crosville in Wales book

New Crosville in Wales book

In the latter part of 2027 / early 2028, a new book titled Crosville in Wales will become available to purchase through Amberley Publishing.

Unlike previous works on the Crosville company that focus primarily on routes and vehicles, this book centres on the human aspect behind the company and their families, wrapping the history of the company around this. It will explore the history of the company in Wales and the impact of deregulation in 1986 and subsequent privatisation.  Ahead of deregulation, Crosville was split into two companies on the directive of the UK Transport Minister at the time.  Crosville would continue to operate its services in England whilst a new company by the name of Crosville Wales Limited would take over all of the company’s services in Wales (including the company’s Oswestry’s depot).

The book will provide emotional depth, weaving personal recollections with rare photographs, many previously unpublished, to bring the narrative to life, capturing the community of the ‘Crosville family’ as it was affectionally known.


Book details (official publisher narrative)

This is an illustrated history of the Crosville bus company in Wales.

The Crosville bus company started bus operations in North Wales in the 1920s and by the 1930s was the leading operator across the coastal areas of North Wales. Crosville buses were an everyday sight in this part of Wales and later Mid Wales and further until deregulation, when Crosville’s Welsh operations were transferred to Crosville Wales Limited in 1986. By the next decade a number of depots had closed and staff dispersed as the company navigated the effects of deregulation, privatisation, and takeovers with the Crosville name consigned to history in Wales before the decade was out.

Richard Lloyd Jones charts the fortunes of Crosville and then Crosville Cymru/Crosville Wales over seventy years, drawing on archive photographs of the company and staff, its depots and vehicles as well as personal accounts of staff and their families.


About the author (publisher’s official narrative)

Richard Lloyd Jones has worked in the bus industry for over thirty-six years, starting with Crosville Cymru/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 and then Amlwch. His previous book for Amberley Publishing was Crosville in Liverpool.


From the author

It was a privilege to be able to write Crosville in Liverpool, and collaborate with such fantastic people from the world of Crosville on Merseyside, and beyond, and to be able to factually document the history of Crosville in Liverpool in such detail.  It placed Crosville staff and their families rightfully at the centre of the story through utmost care and respect.

This second book will adopt a similar approach of placing Crosville staff and their families at the centre of the story, with the history of Crosville in Wales from the company’s beginnings in Wales through to Crosville Wales, deregulation, privatisation, and to its transition to Arriva.

This second book will be personal for a number of reasons.  It will include people from the Crosville family I have known for most of my life, ranging from my childhood of travelling on Crosville buses to the privilege of then working alongside such wonderful people at Crosville Wales.

My bus industry career started with Crosville Wales, starting as a 15 year old on work experience at the company’s newly established headquarters at Llandudno Junction.  School holiday work commenced thereafter at the company’s travel offices and depots.  Full time work with the company followed on completion of A-levels at the beginning of summer 1990 at the company’s Caernarfon depot.  In early 1991 Caernarfon depot was closed with the majority of the staff being relocated to the company’s neighbouring depot at Bangor as a part of the company’s rationalisation of property necessitated by the need to reduce overhead costs and generate funds.  This was imperative for the company if it was to survive in the new commercial and competitive world of deregulation and privatisation.  This was especially important in rural Wales where profitability was marginal on a number of routes operated.  The fall out of the closure of Caernarfon depot was profound to the Crosville community there.  My office based role came to an end as a part of this, which resulted in me training to become a bus driver at the young age of 18 which included driving the Cymru Coastliner at the age of 21.

My direct involvement with Crosville Wales came to an end at the beginning of September 1995 as I moved to other roles within the wider bus industry.  However the grounding and experience I had gathered at Crosville Wales through various roles, and working alongside fantastic people was so valuable.  It provided my career with an amazing start through the ‘Crosville school of life’ as it would be affectionately called.

Whilst these times were often not easy to the company nor its employees, it is with fondness and affection I look back at my time with Crosville Wales which started my career in the bus industry spanning thirty six years to date.

I now look forward very much to producing and publishing ‘Crosville in Wales’ through Amberley publishing, with an opportunity once again to collaborate with fantastic people such as Mike Lambden, Andrew Cudbertson, and Geoff Smith.

On this occasion it will also be a privilege to work with Crosville Wales’ top flight management team of Malcolm Roxburgh, Graham Turner, Ian Reid and John Rimmington to name a few, in looking back with the greatest of respects at Crosville, Crosville Wales and all from the Crosville family.

With the greatest of respects.

Richard Lloyd Jones FCILT FCMI CMgr FIOM


Dedication

Many people worked for Crosville Motor Services and its subsequent successor Crosville Cymru, all becoming a part of the Crosville family as it would be affectionately known.  Many roles existed within the company from front line driving staff and those behind the scenes such as engineers, management, planners, administration and cleaning.  Each role would be crucial to the company and play a valuable part in its operations of keeping buses and coaches safely on our roads, running services and serving communities to the best of its ability, day and night.

This new book will be dedicated to all from the Crosville family of which I’ve had the privilege to be a part of, making life long friends along the way.

This book will also be dedicated to my family, my wife Nia and my sons Ioan and Gethin who have once again supported my endeavours in producing this second book, as I will once again be typing into the night.  My late father would have had something to say about a second book.  We remember you dad as always.


How to order a copy of the book

When the book becomes available to purchase it will be advertised on the publisher’s website Amberley Publishing.  Further information will also become available on this web page.  You can also subscribe below to this website for future updates about this new book.


Book launch events

Specific book launch events will take place when the book becomes available.  Most notably the main launch will take place at a location to be determined.  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.


Other publications from the author


On 15 January 2025 Crosville in Liverpool was published which charted the history of Crosville in Liverpool.


Crosville in Liverpool 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.


Crosville in Liverpool 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 and 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.



Crosville in Liverpool reviews

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


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