TAUNTON Bus Station has won a top award in recognition of its importance to the country’s transport history.

It has scooped the Transport Trust’s Red Wheel Plaque, marking its significance as one of a dwindling number of 1950s bus stations still in use.

The facility, off Tower Street, was opened in 1953 at a cost of £23,041 and is a rare survivor of a corporate style once common in towns and cities nationwide.

A Transport Trust spokesman said the Red Wheel scheme commemorates Britain’s rich and globally important legacy in the development of transport and presents it to a new and wider audience.

Taunton Deane Mayor Dave Durdan will unveil a plaque commemorating the accolade at the bus station on Sunday, May 10.

The occasion will coincide with the town’s third Vintage Bus Day on the adjoining Castle Green, featuring more than 30 buses.

Historic buses of all sizes and types will be on display, with free rides around the area on offer.