The story behind The Art Bus Chester
Meet Jo & Albus.
Jo is a qualified art teacher who always fancied doing something a little different.
She had one of those ideas that refused to go away: a mobile art studio.
The slightly mad bit
She bought a bus.
Not a van. Not a little trailer. An actual Dennis Dart bus.
Jo is a massive Harry Potter fan, and as the bus was a Dennis, there was really only one name for him.
Albus Dennis was born.
The idea was to turn it into a mobile classroom and art studio, while keeping as much of the original bus character as possible.
There was just one fairly obvious problem...
First, she had to learn to drive it.
Buying Albus was one thing. Being able to actually drive him was another.
So Jo signed herself up for an intensive bus-driving course, learned how to handle something considerably bigger than the average family car, and passed her test.
Problem solved.
Then things got messy.
Jo stripped the bus out and got to work turning him into a classroom, art studio and creative space on wheels.
Friends and local tradespeople helped with some of the specialist jobs, but much of the transformation was done by Jo herself.
And when it came to the outside, Jo painted Albus by hand in a colourful, splattered style inspired by Jackson Pollock.
Some of the paint even made it onto the bus.
Albus was ready.
What started as an ordinary bus had become a proper mobile art studio, ready to fill with paint, clay, children, grown-ups and an impressive amount of mess.
In 2022, Albus Dennis officially hit the road.
Jo could finally take creativity out of the classroom and bring it to schools, communities and events around Chester.
He had other ideas.
In 2023, Albus needed a new engine.
It was a huge expense, but after everything Jo had put into him, she wasn't giving up that easily. The engine was replaced and Albus was back on the road.
Then, in 2025, the gearbox failed.
This time, with a very heavy heart, Jo made the decision she really didn't want to make.
Albus Dennis was retiring from the road.
Of course, after all their adventures together, Jo couldn't just abandon Albus.
See where Albus lives now →