It ‘put Northampton on the map’. The history of St. James Bus Depot, and the fight for its future

By Jessica McLoughlin

St. James Bus Depot as of 2023

Once the beating heart of Northampton’s public transport, St. James Bus Depot has lay unused and unloved for a decade.

But what led the Depot to this point, and, having been bought by now owners in September, what could its future be? I have conducted a deep-dive into the past of the ‘source of civic pride’, and spoken to those trying to preserve the 120 year old St James institution for the future to find out.

The History:

Save The Depot:

(Credit to Northampton Transport heritage)

Save The Depot is a campaign started by Northampton Transport Heritage dedicated to the preservation of St. James Bus Depot. The project began after the recent sale of the Depot.

“We’re trying to persuade people and tell people the story to say ‘you can’t demolish this building’.” Graham Croucher, Chair of Northampton Transport Heritage, said.

Their goal is to inform the public of what is going on, convincing them of the importance of the Depot in the process in the hope that enough public pressure would convince its new owners to preserve the monument to St James and Northampton’s history.

“There’s a great importance historically in terms of the town, what it meant to the town, what it did for the town over the years.” Mr. Croucher explained as he summed up what the Depot did for Northampton.

“As a staple industry – you know that boot(s) and shoe(s) were a staple industry, we are renowned for it – but, the tramway system, horse-drawn and electric, they were the backbone of that boot and shoe industry, in terms of getting people to and from work, and transporting people around the town, helping the town’s social and economic growth, and helped to grow Northampton, and put it on the map.”

“It’d be a great shame, an irony, if [the Depot] was demolished in its 120th year.”

The New Owners:

(Credit to Northampton Transport Heritage)

It must be said that, as of writing on October 10 2023, the sale of the Depot hasn’t yet been completed as a contract has not been signed.

The prospective owners’ identity is as of yet unknown, although rumours about the corporation expected to take over the Depot have spread.

“I hear it’s a multinational company, who want to use it for their national headquarters, but I’m also told that it’s a storage company.” Graham revealed.

The Future of St. James Bus Depot:

(Credit to Northampton Transport Heritage)

With rumours abound of a mystery storage company being the Depot’s new owners, Mr. Croucher said that the site being used for storage would be an acceptable outcome, as it would mean the building itself would remain standing.

However, he signalled that this was not the absolute ideal outcome in the eyes of Save The Depot. In a “utopian” future, he put forward his vision for a St. James Bus Depot “brought into the 21st century”.

“What this town really needs is a real big special visitor attraction.” Graham said. “(The bus depot) could convert itself to a number of uses, such as heritage, a transport museum in the style of Glasgow’s converted art centre, which used to be tram sheds.”

“The utopian position would be that we kept it all, converted into a multi-purpose facility which incorporated a transport museum, a museum of social history museum, which could also lend itself to maybe some sort of concerts, fairs, exhibitions, and that type of stuff.”

In lieu of that, Mr. Croucher said that the “bare minimum” would be retaining the shell of the building in the style of Sheffield’s Shoreham Street depot.

Until the identity of the owners is made public, the future of St. James Bus Depot will not be clear. In the absence of that knowledge, Graham hopes public support for the Depot will ensure it stays standing for years to come.

“The key thing is, if the people have the vision, and there’s a political will there, you can create anything, and that’s what we feel we need here to preserve this place.”

To find out more information, visit https://ntheritage.org/save-st-james-depot/

*All photos generously donated by Northampton Transport Heritage

**Timelines created by Jessica McLoughlin, with images credited to Northampton Transport Heritage