London Transport
Central Area Routes 180–184

Last updated 03-04-08.

Route 180 ran Mondays to Saturdays between Lower Sydenham Station and Woolwich via Southend Lane, Catford, Lewisham and Greenwich, extended during Monday to Friday peak hours and Saturday afternoons to Plumstead Common. In 1958 the Saturday afternoon extension was withdrawn. In 1963 it was withdrawn completely between Woolwich and Plumstead Common, and rerouted to Abbey Wood Garage via Plumstead and Abbey Estate, replacing route 177A. In 1970 a Sunday service was introduced between Catford Garage and Lower Sydenham replacing the withdrawn section of Sunday route 160A, but it was withdrawn the following year. In 1978 a Sunday service was introduced over the whole route, replacing most of Sunday-only route 180A. In 1984 the Monday to Saturday service was cut back from Lower Sydenham to Catford Garage and replaced by new route 181. In 1985 the 180 was converted to one-man operation, and the Sunday service was cut back to Catford Garage. In 1991 it was rerouted daily at Catford to run to Hither Green Station replacing part of route 36. In 1994 it was withdrawn between Lewisham and Hither Green, and east of Woolwich was altered to run to Thamesmead East via McLeod Road instead of Abbey Wood via Abbey Estate. In 2002 the route was extended beyond Thamesmead East to Belvedere (Crabtree Manorway North). Upon tendering by London Buses, the 180 was operated by Harris Bus (who went out of business) before being taken over by East Thames Buses.
180 WEEKDAY
 180 MON.-SAT.
 180 MON.-SAT.
180 MON.-SAT. - 180A SUNDAY
 ← This “E” plate was only in use between 1972 and 1978 when the two routes operated at the same time. It could have come from anywhere between Abbey Wood and Greenwich Station.
180A SUNDAY
 180A SUNDAY
 180A SUNDAY

Route 180A was introduced in 1972 and ran on Sundays only between Abbey Wood Garage and New Cross Garage via Abbey Estate, Plumstead, Woolwich, Greenwich and Deptford, replacing part of route 171A. The route was withdrawn in 1978, and so had a rather short life.

In May 1952, route 181 ran daily between Victoria and Streatham (St. Leonard’s Church), via Vauxhall, Stockwell, Clapham, Balham, Tooting and Southcroft Road. During November 1955, the 181 was extended to Streatham Garage. The Sunday service was withdrawn in January 1966. The route was withdrawn between Clapham and Victoria during March 1979, and fully withdrawn on 25 April 1981.

Today’s route 181 runs between Lewisham and Downham, via Hither Green Lane, Catford, Bell Green, Lower Sydenham and Southend Lane, running via Lower Sydenham (Sainsbury’s) during shopping hours.

The second “E” plate shows the newer “MON.-FRI.” wording, after six-day work weeks became less common.

181 WEEKDAY
181 MON.-FRI.
181 MON.-SAT.
181A SUNDAY 181A SUNDAY

Route 181A was introduced in 1971 and ran on Sundays only between Clapham Common (Old Town) and Streatham Hill (Telford Avenue) via Balham, Tooting, Southcroft Road and Streatham. In 1975 it was extended from Clapham Common to Stockwell Station at all times (instead of just garage journeys). The route was withdrawn completely in 1979.

Route 182 was introduced in 1952 as part of the final stage of tram withdrawals as a replacement for the number 46 tram. The core of the route ran Monday to Friday between Eltham (Well Hall Station) and Cannon Street (Dowgate Hill) via Lee Green, Lewisham, Old Kent Road, Bricklayers Arms, Great Dover Street, Borough and Southwark Bridge. Monday to Friday peak journeys were extended to Woolwich (General Gordon Place) via Woolwich Common. Weekends began by running the full length of the route (Woolwich–Cannon Street), but did not operate beyond New Cross into the City on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. In 1954 service was withdrawn on Sundays between Lewisham and New Cross. In 1958 the route was withdrawn completely on Sundays except for just a few early morning journeys. The 182 was withdrawn completely in 1968 and the journeys that ran through the night were renumbered N82.

This appears to a rather old plate on account of its weathering and the use of WEEKDAY rather than MON.-SAT.. My guess is that it was posted at a stop between Lewisham and New Cross after Sunday service was withdrawn in 1958. The original 182 is not an easy route to find “E” plates for nowadays.

 182 WEEKDAY
182 MON.-FRI. EXCEPT EVENINGS

Route 182 was reintroduced in 1970, running daily between Watford Junction and Wembley (Empire Pool) via Bushey, Bushey heath, Harrow Weald, Wealdstone, Harrow and Sudbury, extended during Monday to Friday peak hours to Wembley Trading Estate. In 1971 it was withdrawn between Harrow Weald and Watford Junction and replaced by new route 258. In 1974 a Sunday service was introduced to Wembley Market. In 1976 the route was extended on Mondays to Saturdays from Wembley to Brent Cross Shopping Centre via Wembley Park Station, Blackbird Cross, Neasden and Staples Corner, and further extended to Brent Cross Station during Monday to Friday peak hours and on Saturdays except evenings. Later in 1976 the Sunday service to Wembley Market was withdrawn, and later still, the entire extension beyond Brent Cross Shopping Centre to Brent Cross Station. In 1978 service was extended on Mondays to Fridays except evenings from Brent Cross to Finchley (Manor Cottage Tavern), but was cut back again in 1982. In 1990 the peak hour journeys to Wembley Trading Estate were withdrawn. In 1999 the 182 was extended from Harrow Weald to Oxhey Lane.

This “E” plate likely came from the Brent Cross to Finchley section during the years 1978 to 1982, thus having a relatively short service life.

Route 183 commenced in November 1937 with buses operating from Hendon Garage [AE]. It ran daily between Golders Green Station and Northwood Station via Brent Green, Hendon Central, West Hendon, Kingsbury, Kenton, Northwick Park, Harrow, North Harrow, Pinner, Pinner Green and Northwood Hills. In 1978 the routeing at Hendon was swapped with route 83 so that it now ran via Hendon Garage. In 1982 it was withdrawn between Pinner and Northwood during evenings and all day on Sundays. In 1987 it was withdrawn completely between Pinner and Northwood except for school journeys to Northwood Hills.
183
Round 8s and a lack of black bars at the top and bottom are characteristic of older enamel “E” plates.		 183
The 183 had few changes over the years, and therefore its “E” plates tend to be rather old.		 183
183 FARE STAGE
 183
This is one of the newer plastic tiles that replaced the enamelled “E” plates.		 183
The reverse of one of the plastic tiles, showing the stud that locks it onto the stop sign.
184 MON.-FRI. BLACKFRIARS
 ← These two “E” plates date from before 1971, when the Embankment service was reduced to Monday to Friday peak hours only. My guess is that they came from the vicinity of Elephant & Castle, where the large terminal loop began. → 184 MON.-FRI. WESTMINSTER
184 MON.-FRI. PEAK HOURS
 184 MON-FRI RUSH HOURS
 184 MON-FRI RUSH HOURS BROCKLEY

Route 184 was introduced in 1951 as a tram replacement route and ran between Brockley Station and Victoria Embankment via Peckham Rye, East Dulwich, Lordship Lane, Denmark Hill, Camberwell Green, Walworth Road and Elephant & Castle. It ran daily via Westminster, and Mondays to Saturdays via Blackfriars. In 1952 the Saturday afternoon service via Blackfriars was withdrawn. In 1966 the Sunday service beyond Elephant & Castle to Victoria Embankment was withdrawn apart from two early morning trips, and later that year the Saturday service via Blackfriars was withdrawn apart from early journeys. In 1971 the Victoria Embankment service was reduced to peak hours only on Mondays to Fridays. Later that year it was converted to one-man-operation and the early Saturday journeys to Embankment were withdrawn. In 1982 the Monday to Friday peak hour service was rerouted via Queen Victoria Street, Mansion House Station and Southwark Bridge to Elephant & Castle. In 1984 the route was extended from Brockley to New Cross Garage via Avignon Road and Pepys Road. In 1985 it was revised to run in two sections: New Cross to Trafalgar Square via Westminster Bridge, and New Cross to Mansion House via Southwark Bridge. In 1987 the service via Southwark Bridge was withdrawn, along with the complete Saturday and Sunday services except for early journeys. In 1988 the early Sunday journeys were withdrawn. In 1989 the 184 was rerouted at Brockley to run to Lewisham (instead of New Cross Garage) via Brockley Cross, Malpas Road and Loampit Vale, and the following year a Saturday service was reintroduced. In 1992 the route was withdrawn between Brockley and Lewisham, and the early morning journeys via Victoria Embankment were rerouted to Trafalgar Square. The route was finally withdrawn in 1994.

Today’s route 184 runs between Turnpike Lane Station and Barnet (Chesterfield Road) via Wood Green Station, Alexandra Palace, Bounds Green Station, Arnos Grove Station, East Barnet, New Barnet Station, and High Barnet Station.

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