On 3rd October 2026, my friend Kieran had the opportunity to visit Ash Grove Bus Garage, a depot operated by Stagecoach on behalf of Transport for London (TfL). Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the open day myself, but Kieran very kindly took some wonderful photographs during his visit, which I will be sharing with you throughout this blog. I would also like to take this opportunity to formally introduce Kieran Gallagher as my Southern Correspondent, who will hopefully be bringing you more content and photographs from events across London and the surrounding areas in the future. Ash Grove Depot is situated within the London Borough of Hackney, with the nearest railway station being Cambridge Heath, served by the London Overground’s Windrush Line, making the depot relatively easy to reach by public transport.

There seem to be quite a few bus depot open days taking place across London, giving enthusiasts a fantastic opportunity to get behind the scenes and see some of the vehicles, facilities and history that you would not normally get to experience as an everyday passenger. This particular open day was especially interesting, as it featured a rather special visitor in the form of an Alexander Dennis E400MMC from none other than Greater Manchester, wearing the familiar Bee Network colours. Seeing a vehicle from outside London make an appearance at an event such as this certainly adds something a little different, and it was great that Kieran was able to capture some photographs for me to share with you. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at what Ash Grove had to offer and see some of the highlights from the day!

It’s really nice to be able to bring some different perspectives into my blog from places that I’m not always able to visit myself. Living up in Merseyside means I’m unable to make regular trips to the capital throughout the year, especially with the cost involved and the planning needed for future visits. I can never be certain when I’ll next be able to attend events like this, so I’m especially grateful to my good friend Kieran for taking the time to visit Ash Grove Depot and kindly share some of the photographs he took with me. It gives me the chance to experience a little of the event from afar and, in turn, share it with all of you. Kieran mentioned that this was one of the better open days Stagecoach has put on, and having attended quite a few open days at various depots himself, I certainly trust his judgement! It’s also great to have Kieran on board as my Southern Correspondent, allowing me to bring you more content from places I may not always be able to reach myself. If you’ve enjoyed this different perspective and would like to see more of Kieran’s photographs and visits to other bus depots and transport events, I’d really appreciate it if you could let me know in the comments below!

The open day at Ash Grove was also a rather special occasion as it marked the 45th Anniversary of the depot, which is one of the reasons Stagecoach opened its doors and gave enthusiasts the opportunity to take a closer look behind the scenes. It’s always great to see transport operators celebrating important milestones such as this, especially when it gives enthusiasts and members of the public the chance to see a depot for themselves, learn a little more about its history and get up close to some of the vehicles that operate from there. Having a 45th anniversary celebration also made this feel like more than just your usual depot open day, and I’m sure it was a particularly enjoyable occasion for those who have followed Ash Grove and its buses over the years.

Ash Grove currently operates a number of Stagecoach London services across the capital, including route 26 between St Mary of Eton and Victoria, route 242 between Aldgate and Homerton University Hospital, route 277 between Cubitt Town and Dalston, and route 388 between London Bridge and Stratford City. The depot is also home to several night services, including the N26, N242 and N277, giving it a varied selection of routes covering different parts of East and Central London. It was interesting to learn a little more about the services operated from Ash Grove and the important role the depot continues to play in keeping London’s bus network moving, and thanks to Kieran, I’m pleased that I can share a small part of this special 45th anniversary celebration with you here on the blog.

One other thing worth mentioning is that there were a number of vintage buses taking part in the open day, including vehicles operating on route 106, while the D6 was also represented as a route that was originally operated from Ash Grove Depot. Sadly, neither of these routes exists today, so it was particularly nice to see a little of their history brought back to life as part of the celebrations. I hope that one day I’ll get the opportunity to attend one of these open days myself, as the next time I’m in the capital I’d love to plan a visit and take some photographs of my own. Until then, it’s great to experience these events through friends who live in different parts of the country, giving me the chance to share places I might not otherwise get to see. All photographs featured in this blog were kindly taken by Kieran Gallagher, with full credit going to him for allowing me to share them with you.

It’s always nice to see some buses that I’m familiar with, and this Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated bus certainly brought back a few memories for me. I remember travelling on these during my first visit to London back in 2008, before they were eventually withdrawn from service, and at the time they seemed so different compared with the traditional double-deckers that London was, and still is, famous for. I particularly remember seeing them operating on route 25 towards Bow Church, with much of the route running along fairly straight stretches of road where the extra capacity of a bendy bus could really be put to use. Seeing one again all these years later certainly brought back memories of that first trip and just how different London’s bus network looked back then.

The Citaros were originally introduced on routes where double-deckers weren’t always considered suitable, and for a while they became a familiar sight across the capital. However, their time in London wasn’t without its problems, and they eventually became quite controversial. There were concerns about fare evasion, particularly because the rear doors did not have Oyster card readers, while a number of fires involving the vehicles also attracted plenty of attention. Despite the controversies surrounding them, I still have a soft spot for these buses because they remind me of my early visits to London and the experiences I had travelling around the city back in 2008.

Kieran mentioned that it was rather nice to see some unfamiliar buses from different parts of the United Kingdom at the open day, including vehicles from the Bee Network and this bus from Worthing, operated by Stagecoach South. For me, it was also a little bittersweet seeing vehicles from further afield, especially with the operator set to leave the Wirral Peninsula from 26th October 2026 as franchising begins, with Go North West taking over from Laird Street and many of the existing services moving across from Rock Ferry. Having grown up with these buses on the Wirral, it will certainly feel strange to see the familiar name disappear from my local network, and I’ll no doubt have plenty more to say about that change when the time comes.

For now though, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Ash Grove’s 45th Anniversary Open Day and seeing some different operators and vehicles that you might not normally find featured on my blog. I’m really grateful to Kieran for sharing his photographs and allowing me to bring you this different perspective. Have you ever attended a bus depot open day yourself, or is there a particular depot or operator you’d love to visit? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

If you would like to see more from Kieran, here’s their Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/202436456@N04/