The name Provincial has been associated with public transport on the Gosport peninsula and, latterly, a wider area of South East Hampshire since 1872. Although the name fell out of use around the start of the millennium the current business, First Solent, still operates from Hoeford, on the site of the early 20th century tram depot built by Provincial.
The Provincial Society was formed in 2003 with the aim of preserving the artefacts, memories and heritage of the various Provincial companies – Provincial Tramways, the Gosport & Fareham Omnibus Company and the Provincial Bus Company – together with associated and subsequent operations. The ambition of the Society, which became a registered charity (no. 1104834) in July 2004, is to obtain premises to display its collection to the public.
We organise the annual Stokes Bay rally, a popular event giving both local residents and transport enthusiasts the opportunity to travel on a wide variety of buses and coaches. Our vehicle collection, together with other vehicles owned by Society members, is regularly used in conjunction with the events of other heritage and transport groups, local authorities, museums and the Royal Navy while other items in our collection have been displayed at exhibitions in Fareham and Gosport.
Society members receive a quarterly magazine and can attend social meetings, route tours using our vehicles and trips to events of interest. Information on membership can be found on our website, together with details of the books we have published on various aspects of Provincial and other local transport history. Back copies can be purchased here.
