A Dover horse bus - the only form of public transport
before the building of the tramway.
By the end of the 19th century Dover
was a thriving port and garrison town, rapidly expanding
out from its old centre. Much of the new housing was
some distance from the town centre, an important fact
when the only form of public transport was privately
owned horse buses. In 1895 the Borough Council decided
that the best way to ease Dover's transport problems
would be the construction of an electric tramway.
The main line ran from the Admiralty
Pier to Buckland with a branch line running from
Worthington Street, along the Folkestone Road to Maxton.
Two depots were built to service the system, one at
Buckland (now Hollis Motors showroom) and one at Maxton.
The Buckland depot could hold 20 tram cars on four tracks,
while the Maxton depot was smaller holding only six
cars on two tracks but carried out all maintenance work
for the system. Ten tram cars were built initially,
each capable of a top speed of 8 mile per hour, picking
up electric power from overhead wires. The cars were
open top double deckers with accommodation for 44 passengers
and painted in a livery of emerald green and ivory with
gilt and green lining.
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