Southdown, based in Brighton, was one of the most important bus operators in southern England. Formed in 1915 from an amalgamation of three earlier operators, the company became a subsidiary of BET and survived as a separate operator until all ofMoreSouthdown, based in Brighton, was one of the most important bus operators in southern England. Formed in 1915 from an amalgamation of three earlier operators, the company became a subsidiary of BET and survived as a separate operator until all of BETs subsidiaries were nationalised as part of the National Bus Company in 1969.
Even after nationalisation Southdown endeavoured to retain an element of individual identity, adopting a NBC version of its traditional pale green livery rather than either the poppy red or darker green adopted elsewhere.Since the publication of their first volume on Southdown, Glory Days: Southdown, both Glyn Kraemer-Johnson and John Bishop have become recognised as amongst the countrys leading authorities on the subject of Southdown, in particular, and of bus operations in southeast England in general.
This new book continues the Southdown story, examining the history of the operator from the point in the mid-1970s when NBC corporate identity started to rob the constituent companies of their individual identities through to the late 1980s when Deregulation and Privatisation resulted in the death knell of many of the most famous names in the British bus industry.
The book includes an impressively detailed narrative recalling the story of Southdown during these years supplemented by a broad selection of fine images. Together they beautifully capture the evolution of the fleet and operations from the final years of the pre-NBC vehicles inherited in 1969, through to the arrival of Leyland Nationals.