Newhaven base for Atlas Express

20th September 1968, Page 90

20th September 1968

Page 90

Page 90, 20th September 1968 — Newhaven base for Atlas Express

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by John Darker II A new Atlas Express depot was opened at Newhaven on Wednesday replacing outgrown premises in Clifton Hill, Brighton. The Newhaven depot reflects the successful amalgamation of two old-established carriers, Atlas Express, claiming a mere 105 years, and Stapleton Bros. Ltd. whose history is believed to go back approximately 200 years. Existing records and living memories go back to the 1850s but it is known that there was a Stapleton transport business much earlier than that.

During the early 1920s the firm was renamed A. Stapleton and Sons under the management of Abraham Stapleton, the son of Thomas Stapleton, the founder of the business. In 1937 it was re-named Stapleton Bros. Ltd., with sons Abraham, Frederick and Thomas named as directors.

In 1945 Stapleton Bros. acquired Reliance Transport (Shoreham) Ltd., thereby becoming involved in the localized carriage of smalls, a diversification which rapidly expanded and eventually became its major activity. Under the threat of nationalization in 1947 the Stapleton brothers extended their services nationally by linking up with the Atlas Express network. This reciprocal arrangement continued and flouri shed until 1965 when the brothers informed their friends on the Atlas board that they wished to sell their interest and retire. Abraham and Thomas did, in fact, do so but Frederick continues today as a director of the Atlas subsidiary. He leaves the -Brighton premises, which his family has owned since 1923, a little sadly but his thinking is progressive and, like the depot manager, Tony Michael, he sees the potential of the spacious Newhaven depot. (Its location within a mile of the Newhaven cross-Channel ferry berth will prove advantageous to the company's freighting subsidiary, Eurofreight Ltd.)

Built to Atlas's usual "T"-shaped formula, the depot has an island loading deck 126ft long x 50ft wide, with well-appointed offices at one end and a 36ft X 50ft storage warehouse at the other. A workshop is tucked in one corner of the site conveniently away from the normal operation area. Motorway steel crash barriers shield the outer walls of the store and exposed surface water pipes from vehicle impact. The loading platform edge is also protected by mild steel girders, fronted by 8in. X 4in. timber buffers.