FOWLERS  OF  HOLBEACH DROVE

Along the roads from Wisbech to Spalding

Based in Holbeach Drove, William Harold (Bill) Fowler bought his first PSV vehicle, TV6374 - a fifteen year old 24 seater Leyland Cub, from Nightingale of Pode Hole in the autumn of 1947. In the spring of 1949 a new Austin 31 seater coach joined the fleet (EG9476); this was joined the following year by a 29-seater Bedford OB Duple Vista (ENT102). The first Leyland was disposed of in autumn 1950 and the fleet size remained static at two until 1959 when with the business prospering the fleet started to grow, including the arrival of the first double-decker in 1962.

Starting with the traditional mix of school contract and private hire work, plus a back lanes service from Holbeach Drove into Spalding, Fowlers did not really get into the business of running buses until taking over the local Holbeach Drove depot of  C J Towler of Emneth (based fifteen miles away on the other side of Wisbech).  This acquisition in March 1963 included the garage, four coaches, one double decker and several bus routes.  The principal seven day a week service linked Wisbech to Spalding via Parson Drove, Holbeach Drove and Gedney Hill, as illustrated in the accompanying 1965 timetable below.  Still a family run business to this day Fowlers have a current fleet size of twenty four.

The founder Bill passed away in September 1975 with the business passing to sons John and Barrie with a limited company formed in 1977.  By the early 1980s the fleet had grown to sixteen vehicles. In 1987 the services of Tim Rose (Brown Linnet) of Holbeach St John were acquired. 

In August 1989 Road Car closed their Holbeach depot and all workings on the 505 passed to Fowlers, together with the garage which was used as an out-station base. 

In February 2002 the route was rebranded as InterConnect 505, as part of the Lincolnshire County Council initiative of enhancing trunk services whilst providing an 'inter-connection' of feeder buses (Call Connect Plus) with guaranteed connections at two transfer points, Holbeach and Long Sutton.  Progressive escalation of competitive operations along the main road between Spalding and Kings Lynn, notably by Norfolk Green (who run the route today, albeit as part of the Stagecoach group since the end of 2013), led to Fowlers withdrawal from participation in the InterConnect service in 2004 (see also below).  

John's son Andrew (Bill's grandson) is now at the helm and Fowlers vehicles still constitute a significant presence on the fenland roads.  A number of bus routes continued into more recent years, including Wisbech to Spalding, although operated in two halves rather than as a through service, split at Holbeach Drove. In 2013 this route (numbered 52) continued with weekday operation between Sutton St Edmunds, Holbeach Drove and Spalding; with Thursday extension from Holbeach Drove to Wisbech for the market. By March 2015 this had passed to Stagecoach Norfolk (formerly Norfolk Green) as route 49. More recently 2019 finds the firm operating four school services registered as local bus routes together with a morning shoppers route 43 from Sutton St James via Holbeach Drove to Spalding once a day (except Thursday when the bus goes to Wisbech instead). The principal emphasis of the business today is on coaching activities.

with many thanks to John Brogden for the loan of timetables,

and incorporating information from articles and publications

by David Kaye and Geoff Mills found in the libraries of Lincolnshire