Route History

Date of introduction
Gar
Mon-Fri
Sat
Sun
08.11.61
FY
20RM
15RM
15RM
 
WN
--
6RM
--


NORTH FINCHLEY - Friern Barnet - New Southgate - Bounds Green - Wood Green - Turnpike Lane - Manor House - Finsbury Park - Holloway - Caledonian Road - KINGS CROSS (Suns) Farringdon Road - FARRINGDON STREET (Mon-Sat / Sun early jnys)
TROLLEYBUS REPLACEMENT SERVICE 521/621

03.01.62
FY
20RM
21RM
15RM

NORTH FINCHLEY  -  KINGS CROSS ( Suns )  -  FARRINGDON STREET (Mon-Sat / Sun early jnys)
Saturday only WN allocation withdrawn.

09.05.62
FY
23RM
25RM
6RM
 
WN
--
--
7RM

NORTH FINCHLEY  -  KINGS CROSS ( Suns )  -  FARRINGDON STREET (Mon-Sat / Sun early jnys)
Sunday only WN allocation introduced.

23.01.66
FY
23RM
25RM
6RM
 
WN
--
--
7RM

EDGWARE STATION ( Mon-Sat ) Hale Lane - Mill Hill - Page Street - Bunns Lane - Mill Hill East Stn - Frith Lane - Woodside Park - NORTH FINCHLEY (Suns) - Friern Barnet - New Southgate - Bounds Green - Wood Green - Turnpike Lane Stn - Manor House - Finsbury Park - Holloway - Caledonian Road - KINGS CROSS (Sat pm,Suns) Farringdon Road - FARRINGDON STREET (Mon-Fri,Sat am ,Sun early jnys)
Mon-Sat extended from North Finchley to Edgware Station via 125 and withdrawn 240A.

31.12.66
FY
16RM
24RM
5RM
1RT
 
WN
--
--
7RM

EDGWARE ( Mon-Sat )  -  NORTH FINCHLEY ( Suns )  -  KINGS CROSS ( Sats pm / Suns )  -  FARRINGDON STREET ( Mon-Fri / Sat am / Sun early journeys )
Mon-Fri Wood Green (WN) allocation introduced.

Extracted from June 1967 Red Book

07.09.68
FY
17RM
19RM
3RM
 
WN
5RM
6RM
8RM

EDGWARE ( Mon-Sat )  -  NORTH FINCHLEY ( Suns )  -  KINGS CROSS ( Sats pm / Suns )  -  FARRINGDON STREET ( Mon-Fri / Sat am / Sun early journeys )
Saturday Wood Green (WN) allocation introduced.

13.06.70
FY
13RM
13RM
3RM
 
WN
7RM
6RML
5RML

EDGWARE STATION ( Mon-Sat ) - NORTH FINCHLEY (Suns) - KINGS CROSS (Mon-Fri evgs,Sat pm,Sun) - FARRINGDON STREET (Mon-Fri except evgs/Sat/Sun early journeys)
Mon-Fri evening / Saturday withdrawn between Kings Cross and Farringdon Street.
Weekend RML allocated to WN


16.01.71
FY
13RM
13RM
3RM
 
WN
7RM
6RML
4RM

EDGWARE ( Mon-Sat ) - NORTH FINCHLEY (Suns) - KINGS CROSS (Mon-Fri evgs,Sat pm,Sun) - FARRINGDON STREET (Mon-Fri except evgs/Sat/Sun early journeys)
Sunday Wood Green (WN) allocation reverted to RM

31.07.71
FY
13RM
13RM
3RM
 
WN
7RM
6RM
4RM

EDGWARE ( Mon-Sat ) - NORTH FINCHLEY (Suns) - KINGS CROSS (Mon-Fri evgs,Sat pm,Sun) - FARRINGDON STREET (Mon-Fri except evgs/Sat/Sun early journeys)
Saturday Wood Green (WN) allocation reverted to RM

08.01.72
FY
8RM
13RM
3RM
 
WN
12RM
6RM
4RM

EDGWARE ( Mon-Sat ) - NORTH FINCHLEY (Suns) - KINGS CROSS (Mon-Fri evgs,Sat pm,Sun) - FARRINGDON STREET (Mon-Fri except evgs/Sat/Sun early journeys)
Part Mon-Fri Finchley (FY) allocation transferred to WN.

 

RM1001 is seen at speed along Frith Lane approaching Mill Hill East as it passes the military housing in Bittacy Barracks. On the schedule as FY4 on the 221, its running the outer section from Turnpike Lane to Edgware despite the inner section via blind.
Vernons are paying out another 30k since my previous photo just five months earlier. Inflation!
The front adverts have also exchanged one Murdoch rag for another: "The 'News' of the World" to "The Sun".

© Malcolm Allan

17.06.72
FY
8RM
13RM
3RM
 
WN
12RM
6RM
4RM

EDGWARE STATION ( Mon-Sat ) - NORTH FINCHLEY (Suns) - KINGS CROSS (Sat pm/Sun) - HOLBORN CIRCUS Charterhouse Street (Mon-Fri except evgs/Sat & Sun early journeys)
Stand working revised at Holborn -: Buses terminated at HOLBORN CIRCUS but then returned via St Andrew Street - Shoe Lane - Stonecutter Street.

 

Taken at Mill Hill Broadway shortly before the route was converted to OMO. It is of RM970 I think in early 1973 ex-overhaul and it had just been used in the Sykes episode where Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques were driver and conductor of a bus. Here’s the episode in question. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITHaraI8tcg

© Chris Sanders

24.03.73
FY
9DMS
8DMS
3DMS
 
WN
13DMS
12DMS
4DMS

EDGWARE STATION ( Mon-Sat ) - NORTH FINCHLEY (Suns) - KINGS CROSS (Sat /Sun) - HOLBORN CIRCUS Charterhouse Street (Mon-Fri except evgs/Sat & Sun early journeys)
CONVERTED TO ONE PERSON OPERATION.

221 leaflet1973, click for times


31.03.79
FY51+
9DMS
10DMS
3DMS
 
WN161+
14DMS
13DMS
7DMS

EDGWARE - KINGS CROSS (Mon-Fri evgs Sat pm/Sun) - HOLBORN CIRCUS (Mon-Fri except evgs/Sat & Sun early journeys)
Sunday service extended from North Finchley to Edgware Station replacing part of withdrawn Sunday only 240A .

 

DMS415 Kings Cross

busmap.co.uk

 

01.11.80
FY51+
7M
8M
3M
 
WN161+
16DMS
17DMS
7DMS

EDGWARE - KINGS CROSS (Mon-Fri evgs Sat pm/Sun) - HOLBORN CIRCUS (Mon-Fri except evgs/Sat & Sun early journeys)
Metrobus conversion at Finchley (FY)

19.09.81
FY51+
7M
8M
3M
 
WN161+
16M
17M
7M

EDGWARE - KINGS CROSS (Mon-Fri evgs Sat pm/Sun) - HOLBORN CIRCUS (Mon-Fri except evgs/Sat & Sun early journeys)
Metrobus conversion at Wood Green (WN).

21.06.86
EW
4M
-
--
 
WN151+
16M
17M
7M

EDGWARE - KINGS CROSS (Mon-Fri evgs Sat pm/Sun) - HOLBORN CIRCUS (Mon-Fri except evgs/Sat & Sun early journeys)
Finchley (FY) allocation withdrawn.
Mon-Fri Edgware (EW) allocation introduced.

06.06.87
WN151+
19M
16M
9M

EDGWARE STATION - KINGS CROSS (Sat pm/Sun) - HOLBORN CIRCUS (Mon-Fri except evgs/Sat am/Sun early journeys)
Saturday early am journeys projected from Kings Cross to Holborn Circus.
Mon-Fri only Edgware (EW) allocation withdrawn.

M1124 Wood Green High Road

busmap.co.uk

01.02.92
WN151+
14M
11M
6M

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN - HOLBORN CIRCUS (Mon-Fri am journeys)
Withdrawn between Turnpike Lane and Kings Cross/Holborn Circus except for a few early Mon-Fri journeys to Holborn Circus.

17.04.93
WN151+
14M
11M
8DRL

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN - HOLBORN CIRCUS (Mon-Fri am journeys)
Sunday converted to midibus operation.

 

DRL47 route branded for the 84A seen at Edgware

 

22.04.95
WN151+
14M
11M
8DRL

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Withdrawn between Turnpike Lane and Holborn Circus.

30.07.95
WN151+
14M
11M
8M

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Sunday converted from midibus operation to double deck operation.

 

Usually found on Route 263 - DBS3 seen here at Wood Green

 

30.01.99
WN151+
15DLA
14DLA
8DLA

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Contractual change double deck to low floor double deck.

 

DLA1 seen with the Arriva cow horns at Turnpike Lane

 

04.09.04
WN151+
20DLA
19DLA
11DLA

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
New timetable introduced for reliability

10.11.07
WN151+
20DLA
19DLA
11DLA

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Contract extended for a further two years

07.11.09
WN151+
22VLW
20VLW
12VLW

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Contract renewal

 

VLW52 Mill Hill

 

08.11.14
WN151+
23DW
20DW
12DW

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Contract extended for two years

DW508 seen at Butchers Hill with WN garage in the background
Taken from 2014 map drawn by Mike Harris
busmap.co.uk

05.11.16
WN151+
23DW
21DW
13DW

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Contract extended for two years

T272 entering Edgware Bus Station

03.02.18
WN151+
23DW
21DW
13DW

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Contract renewal

01.09.18
WN151+
23DW
21DW
14DW

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Revised to run Edgware to Turnpike Lane instead of two sections

DW512 Edgware High Sreet

17.11.18
WN151+
23DW
21DW
14DW

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Rerouted to run directly westbound at Bittacy Hill / Frith Lane junction instead of double run via Holders Circus


07.11.21
WN151+
23DW
21DW
14DW

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Contract extended for two years

HV118 New Southgate

© Samuel Letsu

22.01.22
WN151+
23HV
21HV
14HV

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Start of conversion to HV type made spare from PVR reductions on Route 259

T225 New Southgate

©  Samuel Letsu

04.11.23
WN151+
23HV
21HV
14HV

EDGWARE STATION - TURNPIKE LANE STN
Contract renewal 7 years, new schedules introduced

 

Map

Taken from 2018 map drawn by Mike Harris
busmap.co.uk

 

 

Current Blind



 221

 

Operating Garages

EW Edgware
Changeover point Edgware Station.

FY Finchley
Changeover point North Finchley Bus Station.

WN Wood Green
Changeover point outside garage.

Live visual

 

 

© Ian Armstrong 2024
Date of edit   Tuesday, 13.08.24