Three very different views

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  • Could anyone put a date to this? Pre 1915 due to attire and lack of buses?

    By Chris Young (05/08/2005)
  • A Southdown Kiosk for booking and enquiries had been opened on the 11/11/1915 , (after incorporation 2/6/1915), in Maderia Walk facing the Palace Pier being beside the Aquarium, where a waiting room was added in April 1921, with early attempts to form a bus/coach station in 1922. This was not to be and by courtesy of Brighton Corporation, a station was formed with a company office in the triangle called ‘Pool Valley’.  All public parking was banned, bays were marked for stage-carriage services on two side of this triangle, becoming the central terminus for Brighton destined ‘Southdown Motor Services’ buses. In 1962 it escaped becoming a car park, and since has become a coach termini, and operated by various coach company ‘tenants’, with express services & for long distance Stagecoach bus services.
    Credits for references go to C. Morris.

    By Gordon Dinnage - Transport Picture Historian & Library (22/09/2006)
  • I waited months to be able to take this photograph! It relied upon the bus second from the right (315 – GUF250D) which was the 1966 Commercial Motor Show exhibit, coming in from the east on the 12 group of routes, at the same time as the prototype, No 257, coming in from local service on the 13. The other buses, a Guy Arab on route 16 relief (left) and the then new 1967 Leyland PD3 (right) just add to the flavour.

    By Martin Nimmo (22/02/2007)
  • Excellent photo. My Dad was a conductor on the Southdown Busses in the late 60’s and 70’s, He was very well known. His last name was McKechnie everyone called him “Mac” or little Mac as he was short. My Dad used to take my younger sister Jen and I on his bus route while he was working, we loved it so much. When ever we would catch a bus he would get us to say “Two tuppenny prives please brother”, he got a kick out of teaching us that. We used to love going down those stairs where the depot was and upstairs to where the mess was. One of his collegues drew caricatures of my Dad and had them up in the mess, they were humourous, I think about his height, not too sure. I have fond memories of Pool Valley going there with my sister and my Dad. He was sad when all the conductors were phased out because of the newer busses, he said the customer service on the busses went downhill after that (That was his opinion based on what he used to do for people as a conductor getting on and off the bus, things that bus drivers cannot do as they have to stay seated for the most part). I’d love to see more photos of Pool Valley.

    By Fiona Coleman (nee:McKechnie) (23/03/2007)
  • My Dad was a conductor in the late 1960s early 1970s. He was known as Tony Carvil and I went on trips out with him specially on the Eastbourne runs and many a time sat up with the driver. My Grandmother was a conductoress at the same time along with Harry Strong who was her driver.

    By Sean Carvil (06/05/2007)
  • The baby in the photograph is me. Trigger and Nellie Bishop were my Grandparents and my Father was Tony Bishop

    By Lee Bishop (16/11/2009)
  • I think that the photograph will probably date from between 1908 and 1921. Above the Cowley name on ‘Ye Olde Bunn Shoppe’ are the Royal Arms. Caroline Cowley, the daughter of my great, great grandfather, Francis Cowley, was granted a Royal Warrant in 1908 and she joined the Royal Warrant Holders Association on 10th October of that year. Following the death of King Edward VII in 1910, Caroline was granted permission in 1912 to continue using the Royal Arms. She resigned her membership of the Association on 5th October 1921 when the dispensation came to an end. There is more information on my Cowley family history web site at http://www.cowleyfamily.org.uk.

    By Peter Cowley (09/01/2010)
  • In the background is the building which housed the Cowley family bakery – known at one time as ‘Ye Olde Bunn Shoppe’. You can see more photographs and read some of the history of this at http://www.cowleyfamily.org.uk/bunn_shoppe.html

    By Peter Cowley (03/10/2010)
  • Hi Fiona. I started with Southdown in 1970 as a driver. I remember ” Mac” very well. I worked with him many times, and we always had a laugh. He was always very cheerful.

    By Peter Bradick (25/05/2011)
  • I don’t remember this depot. My father was on the buses from as early (as I recall) as the 1970s or earlier. He was Bruce Crowe.  Did the Conway Street have a busman pub upstairs or was it at Pool Valley?

    By Nikki Gozzett (13/11/2017)

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