It may come as some surprise, but the 23 is not an amalgamation of routes. If anything, it's a curtailment of a lengthier route with revisions providing additional links to under-served areas in later years.
In my 1970 NGT timetable (shown below), the route existed as the '94'. It was then renumbered as the 181, then as the 184 before finally ending up as the 23 sometime in the last decade.
It originally continued to Chester. But by 1985, the route was cut back to Birtley before being extended to Barley Mow. It also continued to Brady Square at come point and I'm convinced that the 184 (along with the 284 and operated by Derwent Coaches) operated as a circular service extending beyond Washington through Lambton, Rickleton and Vigo back to Barley Mow.
RE: Service Suggestions
