The
name Provincial has been associated with public
transport on the Gosport peninsula and, latterly, a
wider area of South East Hampshire since 1872.
Although the name fell out of use around the start
of the millennium the current business, First
Solent, still operates from Hoeford, on the site of
the early 20th century tram depot built by
Provincial.
The
Provincial Society was formed in 2003 with the aim
of preserving the artefacts, memories and heritage
of the various Provincial companies – Provincial
Tramways, the Gosport & Fareham Omnibus Company and
the Provincial Bus Company - together with
associated and subsequent operations. The ambition
of the Society, which became a registered charity
(no. 1104834) in July 2004, is to obtain premises to
display its collection to the public.
We organise the annual Stokes Bay rally, a popular
event giving both local residents and transport
enthusiasts the opportunity to travel on a wide
variety of buses and coaches. Our vehicle
collection, together with other vehicles owned by
Society members, is regularly used in conjunction
with the events of other heritage and transport
groups, local authorities, museums and the Royal
Navy while other items in our collection have been
displayed at exhibitions in Fareham and Gosport.
Society members receive a quarterly magazine and can
attend social meetings, route tours using our
vehicles and trips to events of interest.
Information on membership can be found on our
website, together with details of the books we have
published on various aspects of Provincial and other
local transport history. Back copies can be
purchased
here. |