Southdown's 75th Anniversary Rally, Amberley

Amberley Chalk Pits Museum, 16 September 1990

As mentioned previously on this web site, even for a committed Man of Kent such as myself*, Southdown has always been special. Childhood trips to Hastings brought me in to contact with Leyland PD2s on the 99 to Eastbourne in the famous green and cream associated with the Sussex coast.

Southdown didn't make it to 80 of course - even in 1990 Stagecoach had taken over and was busily repainting buses into corporate white with go-faster stripes, although the Southdown fleetname was still prominent. The 75^th anniversary rally at Amberley was to be a "goodbye" occasion - within months Southdown had disappeared and replaced with the blandly named "South Coast Buses" and "Coastline", ignoring the fact that Southdown was as much associated with mid Sussex as the coast.

The Chalk Pits Museum in the folds of the South Downs was an appropriate venue for this rally, even featuring its own Southdown Bus Garage. The following is a personal selection of photographs taken on the day.

New scans made June 2002 - better image quality

Click on the thumbnail for a larger version of the image.

	Leyland N type bus CD5125 dates from 1922 is one of Amberley's more notable residents.
	UF4813 is a 1929 Leyland Titan TD1 with Brush O27/24R bodywork. Remarkably, the bus remains with Stagecoach Sussex Coastline.
	Leyland Titan TD1 UF6473 is one of two at Amberley. The bus dates from 1931
	CUF 404 is a 1936 Leyland Cub KPZ1 with Harrington coachwork.
	One of the older Southdown vehicles present was this Leyland Titan TD4/East Lancs (GCD 48), displaying blinds for a Brighton local service.
	Another view of Leyland Titan TD4 GCD 48, alongside AUF 670.
	Southdown appeared to favour Leyland chassis for double deck vehicles up to the introduction of Bristol VRTs in the early 1970s. Above is Southdown 772 (OCD772) a Leyland PD2/Park Royal with blinds for Southsea Garage. These buses could also be found further east, even making appearances on the long 122 service (joint with M&D) between Brighton, Tunbridge Wells and Gravesend.
	2703 CD is a Leyland Leopard L2 with Harrington Cavalier bodywork. This coach was new to Southdown in 1961.
	Southdown's take-over by NBC introduced the standard Bristol VRT/ECW combination to the fleet, some of the earlier examples even receiving traditional Southdown livery. This vehicle, Southdown 276 has been painted in a special commemorative livery to mark Southdown's 75^th Anniversary, marred only by the Stagecoach style advertisement on the staircase panel.
	306 is a Volvo B10M with Northern Counties CH43/33F bodywork. This vehicle was one of the last delivered to Southdown before the takeover by Stagecoach.
	Queen Mary 426 was wearing Harris Bus livery when photographed in 1990. It has since been restored to Southdown livery and made an appearance (in open top form) at the Worthing Bus Gathering in 2001. The bus is a Leyland Titan PD3/4 with convertible Northern Counties bodywork new in 1965.
	Brighton Hove & District 447, a Bristol KSW6G with ECW bodywork. Brighton Corporation Leyland PD2/Metro Cammell BUF 530C, one of a batch acquired for trolleybus replacement stands alongside.
	OK, you didn't really expect me to stay away from Kentish buses for long did you? East Kent AEC Regal/Park Royal KFN 220 (East Kent didn't use fleet numbers until the late 1970s) shows blinds for service 114 from Rye to Winchelsea Beach (although AEC Regents were generally the mainstays of this service).
	JJG 669, a Tilling-Stevens B10C2 with Brush B37R bodywork new to East Kent in 1930 and preserved by Chris Newman of Maidstone.
	Portsmouth Corporation RV 6368 is a Leyland TD4, new in 1935.
	Eastbourne Buses 10, a Dennis Javelin with Duple B55F bodywork showing blinds for the Uckfield & East Grinstead service.