Wallace Arnold Tours Ltd has a chequered history over the past twenty years, yet carried a very loyal clientelle who paid what ever the company requested to enable them to travel on the famous cream and orange livered coaches.

The management buy out, backed by 3i, led to the end of the founders family's envolvment, and 3i decided to 'merge' with Shearing Holidays in 2005, to form WA Shearings Holidays, and the old Leeds head quarters is now almost empty, with the majority of office staff redundant.

For six years in the 1980's at Christmas WA used to give presents to their clients, which ranged from Coalport china plates, with a copy of the Dickensian theme Christmas brochure cover and the year on the front for the ladies, and Coalport tankards with the same design for the gentlemen. Very rare is a framed display of six of these plates, as only ten were produced.

Wedgwood 'Angela' patten has also given for about six years, and most of these these are clearly marked Wallace Arnold on the rear. These may be marked 'Wallace Aronold Christmas 1998', as in the small porceline dish, but the Rose Bud Vase and Trinket Box are simply marked Wedgwood, with no WA mention.

There have been a whole selection of model coaches and buses produced with Wallace Arnold emblazened on them - some better quality than others, and some quite rare now. Amongst these are a Bedford OB, AEC Regal, Plaxton Paramount VAL, Bristol VR and Queen Mary open top double decker - often seen on tv taking Leeds Rhino's or Bradford Bull's on tours of the city following cup wins.A glaring omission from the model coaches is the Grand Tourer, but perhaps we will see one in the future - in it's origional colours I hope.

Clearly some of these items are now collectors items, and rarer items are increasing in value as available stock becomes scarse. Wallace Arnold collectors are starting to appear, to follow the steps of Southdown, Midland Red, London Transport, and others who target certain lost branded names. Only time will tell how much - or little - attention will be paid to this lost brand, but one thing is certain, it will be sadly missed by those who travelled with them, worked on them, and cared for a company now lost like so many others.

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