Duple Coachbuilders

•History of one of the great names of the British bus and coach industry

One of the greatest names of the British bus and coach industry, Duple Bodies & Motors Ltd was first established in north London immediately after World War 1 and grew as a business over the next three decades, emerging from World War 2 as one of the most important builders of both bus coach bodies in the country. A particularly close relationship existed with Bedford, with the company producing a number of classic designs for such models as the diminutive OB and the three-axle VAL. In the postwar period Duple came to be one of the dominant forces in the construction of coach bodies, acquiring competitors such as Burlingham during the process. However, changes in the bus industry and the decline of both Bedford and Ford as chassis manufacturers resulted in a slow but inexorable decline in the business, culminating in the closure of the company’s final factory — in Blackpool — in 1989.