Do you know anything about the Barratt bus?

House builder Barratt Mercia is making an appeal for information about a toy bus that one of its sales negotiators found on eBay. The Corgi bus, which is dated 1983, was discovered on the internet auction site last year and bosses at Barratt have been trying to find out information about it ever since.

Enquiries with Corgi itself have brought about limited details. A contact at Corgi, now owned by Hornby Hobbies Ltd remarked “all we can find regarding this product is that it was sold under product code 46932 and its description was Routemaster Double Decker Bus Barratt Homes and was released in 1975 and withdrawn in 1983, but sadly we have no detail on where it was sold, how many were made and how much they were priced at.”

Andy Peters, Managing Director at Barratt Mercia added, “The Barratt Group has over 50 years worth of history and remains Britain’s best known housebuilder.

“For many the brand is fondly associated with the helicopter which featured in a long running TV campaign in the 70s and early 80s. So we were really surprised when a collector’s bus turned up and we would love to know more about it.”

The bus was bought complete with its box for £14 and is painted two shades of blue and white. It features Barratt’s original green oak tree logo, which remains it basis of the company’s brand identity today. If you own a bus like this or know anything at all about the item please contact Hannah Elwell by email to hannah@unsworthsugden.co.uk.

Barratt Mercia is based in Meriden near Coventry and currently has new homes developments in Shrewsbury and Stoke on Trent. It plans to launch two new developments later this year; The Edge on Lythalls Lane in Coventry and Bluebell on Edinburgh Road in Nuneaton.

For more information, visit barratthomes.co.uk.