Welcome to the official website of The Kithead Transport Archive which
is the working title of The Kithead Trust. The archive incorporates The Townsend-Beaman Archive and the Vernon-Charles Archive both named from the benefactors who sponsored the sections of the archive which bear their names.
The
Kithead Trust came into being through concerns that much historical
material of the National Bus Company would be lost or dispersed when
the subsidiary companies were privatized and NBC itself wound up.
John
Austin Birks was the NBC director primarily concerned in this matter
and it was his initiative in 1987 that led to the formation of The
Kithead Trust and the rescue of many important records. John Birks
became the first Chairman of the Trust and remained a trustee until his
untimely death in 2003.
Since its formation much other material has been donated to the Trust which now includes papers and publications
relating to all forms of transport.
Particularly well used are the motor vehicle taxation records, of which a large quantity are held.
The
Trust is governed by a small group of volunteer trustees. It has no
general membership from which to secure income and funding comes
entirely from donations.
The
trustees confidently expect that the archive will become an increasingly
valuable resource for historians as the years go by.
Please click on the headings on the left of this page for more information.
Last updated 13th February 2012
