Can anyone tell me what happened to the firm Frames Tours, or if they still exist. I have searched, but come up with a blank so far, so I assume they have gone the way of many companies over the years. I remember them operating in the 1970's, and in fact used to drive one of their AEC's that had been sold on to International Progressive Coachline of Cambridge.
Norman Long
29/05/12 - 17:18
Frames merged with Rickards as Frames Rickards Ltd in 1983, although I think that the two companies had been under common ownership for some time before that. Frames Rickards ceased trading in 2001.
Michael Wadman
29/05/12 - 18:31
The Ian Allan British Bus Fleets 'Greater London Operators' (February 1967 edition) shows the then two unrelated companies of Charles Rickards (Tours) Limited Glenhurst Road, Brentford, Middlesex) and Frames Tours Limited (25-31 Tavistock Place, London WC1 with a garage at 11 Herbrand Street, London WC1).
In that book the Frames fleet list shows 18 Plaxton bodied AEC Reliances (13 new in 1966) and space for 5 similar coaches pending delivery for the 1967 season. There were also six Plaxton bodied Bedfords (two 1966 VAL14s, two 1966 VAS2s and two VAL14s pending delivery for the 1967 season. So the fleet profile was very modern no doubt to cater for the needs of the incoming foreign tourist trade business.
John Frame was a Preston tailor who began organising railway excursions in 1881 when he started a travel agency in the town. In 1884 he opened a London base as part of that business.
The company garage/coach station at 7-11 Herbrand Street, London, an art deco listed building, now forms the prestigious offices of McCann London, a global communications company dealing in public relations, events and promotions, media services and advertising.
Their website contains an interesting history of the property which was built in 1931 as a 'Daimler Car Hire Garage'. By 2000 it had been converted to offices for McCann.
The fleet list of Charles Rickards (Tours) Limited, in the same edition of the Ian Allan book, is more varied with 46 vehicles were operated the oldest dating from 1960. The company favoured lightweight coaches with Bedford and Ford chassis featuring prominently in the fleet. Of the heavyweight models there were just three AEC Reliances but the most unusual vehicles of all were 6 Strachans bodied Dodges new in 1964.
The company history in the book tells that Charles Rickards set up business in London as a horse-cab owner expanding into the operation of various different kinds of horse drawn carriages. In 1894 Mr.Rickards was appointed 'Posting Master' to H.M. Queen Victoria which began a long association between the company and the royal household.
More modern expansion saw motor taxis, limousines, chara-bancs and coaches enter the fleet. For some years the company held a contract with the Great Western Railway for the conveyance of bullion and this led to the purchase goods related vehicles.
The book states that 'The coach fleet has been greatly expanded in the past few years. In 1960, 13 vehicles were owned and in 1966 no fewer than 46 coaches were in service. 12 of the 46 are in British Eagle livery'. (British Eagle was an airline).
The Frames and Rickards businesses had been related for some years. The 1973/1974 edition of 'The Little Red Book', and also the 1981/1982 edition of the same publication, both show each company listed separately each their own fleets, liveries and directors. The entries for Frames having a note 'See Charles Rickards (Tours) Ltd' and that for Rickards having a note 'See Frames Tours Ltd'.
The 1990 edition of 'The Little Red Book' shows the company as Frames Rickards Limited registered at Brentford. The Hebrand Street Coach Station continued to be used into the 1990s and was featured in a 'fly on the wall' documentary following the antics of a London tour guide.
David Slater
01/06/12 - 08:20
Thank you for the answer to the Frames Tours question...all very interesting. It's a shame there are no photos about, but who knows...some might eventually surface. The ex Frames coach I once drove regularly (1972) was an AEC Reliance MRO 136D for International Progressive Coachline of Cambridge
Norman Long
01/06/12 - 12:07
There are quite a lot of photos online, if you go HERE I'd quite forgotten that Rickards' coaches carried the Royal Crest.
Chris Hebbron
12/09/14 - 17:40
I have just been reading the letters on the web-site. They are at least 2 years old so this may be irrelevant.
A Frames Rickards coach has appeared in a film I have just been watching! It is very clearly shown both front, side and rear. It appears to be painted in a crimson-lake colour, (similar to the old Midland Railway colour scheme). It also shows the Royal Emblem! The vehicle registration plate is JNM 757Y. This indicates the registration was made in Bedfordshire and the Y being the year date. Hope this is of interest ?
Graham
23/10/14 - 07:00
I've just seen a "Frames Rickards" coach featured in a Film called "Reunion at Fairburn" starring Robert Mitchum on the Movie Mix Channel. It was driven onto an old airfield supposedly in Cambridgeshire, but it could have been anywhere. Hope this is of some use.
C Bagley
23/10/14 - 16:12
I recall a number of years ago there was an early 'Fly on the wall' series which featured the day to day operations and staff of Rickards.
I have looked on YouTube etc but not found any reference to it.
Perhaps others recall it?
There is of course a Rickards Coach (along with other London vehicles) in the 'Evacuation' scene in that great British film - 'Passport to Pimlico' a clip of which is to be found here http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=I0Xcebxjf84
There is also a glimpse of a Plaxton Elite III in the BBC Timeshift programme on the Grunwick Strike of 1976-1977.
Stephen Howarth
26/11/14 - 06:20
I can confirm Frames Rickards the name was sold to Golden Tours back in 2001 I think it was. This was mainly due to the Grayline name associated with it.
I know this because my dad was one of the three owners of the company before it closed (and was also shown in the documentary).
Matthew Van der Waals
02/01/15 - 11:03
I have an old tour brochure dated April 1996 thru March1997, I took a "Quick look at Britian" tour after a business convention in London. It was my first time in England and first time I took a bus tour.
The tour was great thanks to our driver/guide Geoff, surprisingly he is pictured on the inside front cover of this brochure standing next to a tour bus.
I don't know if this is what you are looking for but I found it interesting and was going to look into traveling with them again , however, it looks like I'm too late for that.
I have only taken one other bus tour since then and I had such a great experience with Frames I thought all bus tours would be like that, wrong,
The second one was not even close!
Hope this is of interest,
Sue Ertl
14/02/15 - 09:08
I read with interest the comments about the coach side of the company. I used to work at Frames as a travel agent in Northampton/Kettering/Bletchley and back to Northampton.
I noticed a message from Matthew Van der Waals, a name I had forgotten. The other two owners of the company were Brian Coupland and Peter Wilmoth after the death of Wallace Frame.
Peter Maryniak
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