THE 144 bus will be officially relaunched with a new look on Monday in Droitwich, between 11am and 2pm.
The event in Victoria Square will be celebrating the town’s Salt heritage and First Bus has teamed up with Wychbold Fudge, the Droitwich Spa Salt Museum, Churchfields Farm, Droitwich Town Council, Transport for West Midlands and Worcestershire County Council.
Those who go along will be able to come face-to-face with a Roman gladiator and pick up some free Droitwich Salted Fudge.
People may have already seen the new striking green buses with free WiFi, free USB charging ports and new interiors.
The route will see buses run every 15 minutes between Worcester and Birmingham, via Droitwich, Bromsgrove, Catshill and Rubery.
It’s believed the salt deposits at Droitwich were being exploited in the Iron Age, possibly earlier. Salt was a valuable resource in Roman times and the Romans came to Droitwich specifically for this.
Later, the Anglo-Saxons had furnaces to evaporate the salt on the banks of the River Salwarpe. King John granted the town a Royal Charter in 1215 because of its salt, and Droitwich became very prosperous in Medieval times.
The salt industry was industrialised and developed in the 19th century by John Corbett, who built nearby Chateau Impney in the French château style for his wife and developed the town into a spa resort.
The main route between Worcester and Birmingham would have been the ‘Salt Road’ and have been used for transporting the precious commodity.
Visit https://www.firstgroup.com/worcestershire/routes-and-maps/along-salt-road for more on the Salt Road launch event, the route and the services being operated.
