Nearly 47 years after it disappeared, the individualistic Stratford Blue is brought back to life with a modern twist in The MHD Partnership’s latest imagined revival of a traditional bus company
IDENTITY PARADE
This month The MHD Partnership visits the Midlands to take inspiration from the River Avon in bringing Stratford Blue back to life. And for once, it has kept the company name as it originally appeared.
Stratford Blue was owned by Midland Red from 1935, but was allowed to retain its identity and choose its own vehicles, which postwar were Leylands rather than any of its parent’s homemade designs.
It started out in April 1927 as Stratford-on- Avon Motor Services, which advertised itself as a fleet of Blue Safety Saloon Cars and — faced with intense competition — urged the public to Travel Blue. By 1928 this business was calling itself Stratford-on-Avon Blue Motor Services.
In May 1931, it was sold to the Balfour Beatty group and placed under the control of its Midland General subsidiary until BETowned Midland Red bought Stratford Blue and the Leamington & Warwick Electrical Company four years later.
BET allowed some small subsidiaries to thrive, partly as a first rung on the career ladder for as…
