FDV 787V | Bristol LHS | Fleet No. 1557

1557 is one of a batch of six LHS vehicles new in 1979. Initially intended for use in Somerset but due to a dispute with the Council over subsidies, most instead came to Cornwall which caused a number of the old Marshall bodied VOD  K batch LHS's to go the other way. These LHS's were also ideal vehicles for rural Cornish routes and particular, the narrow winding route in and out of Mousehole. In 1988 it was chosen to carry one of the post privatisation experimental liveries but the livery was not adopted. The next livery it carried was that of Blue Bus, which it carries today, replacing the ex Harveys Albion Nimbus which is also in preservation with CBPS. It was itself withdrawn in October 1990, displaced by new Mercedes 811s. It didn't move far away and passed to local independent Zoar of St Keverne. It was sold by Zoar in 2010 to Nicholas Pope for preservation and then in March 2014 passed to Richard Stevens, who was responsible for giving the vehicle a thorough restoration and returned it to Blue Bus livery. In October 2023, the LHS was very kindly offered to the CBPS for continued preservation in Cornwall.