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Brighton Bus Depot, Lewes Road

Photo:Brighton trolley bus in the Old Steine

Brighton trolley bus in the Old Steine

From the private collection of Martin Nimmo

Photo:Brighton trolley bus

Brighton trolley bus

From the private collection of Martin Nimmo

The last trolleybus
By Martin Nimmo

I was there on the evening of 30 June 1961, when FUF 1, the last trolleybus, ran into the depot yard.

Photos taken with my new camera
On my way back from school that afternoon I had taken my "new" camera with me to the Aquarium terminus of trolleybus routes 26/26A/46 and 46A, and took a few photographs. Number 1 in the fleet (FUF 1) turned up with a magnificently painted board on its front, proclaiming "Brighton Trolley Buses 1939-1961 Last Trolley Bus" with a painted crest of the County Borough, and on its offside, instead of an advertisement, there read "Brighton Trolley Buses 1939-1961".

Lucky to get a seat
In the late evening, I went down to Old Steine to watch the last few trolleys making their final journeys, and was lucky enough to be offered a seat on FUF 34 which had been hired privately to run into the depot just in front of FUF 1. I was given a special 1d (white, Bell Punch) ticket overprinted in red with a last trolleybus slogan.It was a sad moment when the silent trolleys disappeared for ever, and Brighton became an all-diesel bus town.

Bought some interesting parts
A few months later, after writing to the General Manager (Mr Winston Robinson, whose name appeared on the side of all the buses), I was allowed to select and pay for a couple of items of trolleybus overhead wiring.  In 1968 I was "treated" to a visit to the stores to pick out some remaining trolleybus spare parts, and was given a few items of interest (including a parts catalogue for the pre-War "FUF" trolleybuses) to help with writing a book on the subject. Many years later I was allowed into the offices of the then General Manager at Lewes Road. The office still had window glass reading "Brighton Corporation Tramways".

The building was put up by direct labour in 1901 for the new Corporation electric trams, which were inaugurated in November that year.

Submitted to the site by e-mail on 29 July 2002
This page was added on 22/03/2006.

Comments:

The office windows etched with Brighton Corporation Tramways to which Mr Nimmo refers, still remain and are in the main undamaged, although now somewhat faded and stained. The entire building has become very dilapidated and run down; it seems the current occupiers, Brighton & Hove Bus Corporation, are not in the least bit interested in preserving the heritage of their former competitors. I work within these premises, and could also show you a section of concrete floor (approximately 10m) where tram rails are still clearly visible. I am sure that in due course these will just be dug up and scrapped without a second thought, and no doubt the etched glass windows will suffer a similar undignified fate. I find this all very sad; I am certain there are preservation groups who would dearly love to acquire such memorabilia.
By Geoff Marshall (25/02/2003)
My main memory of this building was my introduction to the local music scene on the 13th July 1977, a tremendous gig featuring the Piranhas, Nicky and the Dots, and Attrix (Gerry and the). It was a steamy night, the Piranhas were punky, funny and sharp, Nicky and the Dots arty and energetic (my first awareness of Talking Heads was their rendition of Psychokiller at this gig), and Attrix were led by Rick Blair, sadly now deceased, who went on the open the Attrix record shop at 3 Sydney St, and produce 3 albums of assorted Brighton bands. These were called Vaultage 78, 79 and 80, named for the Vault of the Brighton and Hove Community resource Centre where many of the bands kept their equipment and practised. There was a poster for this gig, a beautiful screen-printed sunset with a silhouette of the Brighton skyline, later featured as the cover of the Vaultage albums. Sorry this comment doesn't have much to do with buses or trams!
By Jay Derrick (28/02/2004)
This building is scheduled for demolition,and a new two storey bus depot building comprising of offices a canteen and training rooms is to be erected. Planning reference BH2004/01464 May 14th. This seems a dreadful thing to happen to yet another part of our Transport Heritage.
By Gordon Hall (31/05/2004)
Greetings, I was a conductor on the trolley buses from Lewes Road in 1949 before I got back into aircraft work. A very happy time indeed. I also went on to the petrol buses , Dyke Road. If any old friends read this, I send my best wishes. Arthur.
By Arthur Arculus (13/02/2005)
Thankfully the front of Lewes Road depot has been treated to possibly its first cleaning ever and looks quite good. The 'Tramway' windows have mostly been removed and are either in store at the towns museum in Church Street or at Crich. The depot is safe- the buiding that is to be demolished is the staff canteen on the south side of the entrance that was built in the fifties. Please check out www.brighton buses.com and help with updating my fleetlist. Thanks.
By Alan J Piatt (09/03/2005)
I was also at Old Steine on the last evening and rode on 36(FUF 36)back to the depot. At the bottom of Elm Grove a young couple, probably on their home from the cinema,got on and rode to Upper Lewes Road stop,(always known as Cox's pill factory where they alighted. They were the very last fare paying passengers on a coporation trolleybus. I wonder who they were? Following a visit to the depot, where No.1 was put through the bus washer, and then parked, I walked home up Hollingdean Avenue to Ditchling Road. The sight of the overhead wires which would no longer be used, brought quite a lump to my throat. I also remember that same evening, about 5.00p.m, seeing one the T. buses going around Preston Circus, loaded to capacity. I could not help but think how sad that the following day that bus would be going to the breakers!Happy days, when buses were cleaned regularly.
By John Boxell (25/04/2006)
I was born at 1 Riley Road in 1942 overlooking the depot. I remember an unexploded doodlebug being stored in the depot. We could see it from our upstairs window, it was just behind the front wall of the depot. I wonder what happened to it? The depot provided me with lots of interest when I was a small child watching the buses being washed on a Sunday morning and the uncanny quiet on Christmas Day when the gates were shut. Christmas was the only time in the year that happened. When I was a teenager I went to the Saturday night dances there in the Social Club and the girl presenter was Ann Nightingale. She later went on to find fame as a Radio 1 DJ. At the back of the depot was a very high wall which was the end of our garden. Mum would sling any snails she found over the wall!
By Maureen Nash (28/07/2006)

I am quite certain (although I cannot give specifics) that, as late as 1966/67, a few Brighton trolleybuses were still running from the Lewes Road area down to the Steine: I used to catch them home from school. Of course the wires had long since gone but many of the metal poles with the distinctive bobble on the top were still there going up Elm Grove.  These buses had been converted to diesels and of course had no trolley poles but otherwise looked much the same.

By Adrian Baron (23/01/2007)

Sorry Adrian, but the buses you mention were not converted trolleybuses but the AEC Regent's FUF 60 - 69 which looked very similar and were purchased at the same time. Check out the fleetlist on www.brightonbuses.com

By Alan J Piatt (25/01/2007)

It is fantastic to read such historical information. I have seen the tram tracks at Lewes Road. I take my PCV next week and marvel in the history of this company. Absolutely fantastic!

By Cameron (18/03/2007)

Alan, you must be right. Thanks for solving a 40 year mystery for me - I wondered about this at the time.

By Adrian Baron (27/04/2007)

When I was about 17 I started working at my father's scrap yard at Greystone Quary, Southerham, near Lewes. I am sorry to have to admit that one of my first jobs was to start breaking up the old trolley buses at the top of our yard. They had lain there in the grass for several years, my father, who at this time owned the yard, had been requested by the council to pull them over onto their sides as they could be seen above the bushes by passers by travelling on the Lewes Eastbourne road. My grandfather had bought these buses from Brighton and had left them standing for quite a while in the hope that someone might be interested in buying one or two, as they were intact, but sadly no one was interested. So their fate was to be broken up for scrap! Sadly at about this time we also scrapped two white open top brighton buses, the White Rabbit and the White Lady, we had kept these for years with the same hope, that someone would want to rescue them, again, sadly no takers. One small side story to this, when towing one of the trolley buses back to our yard through Lewes, he got it wedged under the railway bridge this stopped the trains on this line for several hours whilst the bridge was inspected for damage!!

By Roderick John Light (23/07/2007)

Interesting to hear from a member of the Light family. Of course there were a number of people who would have liked to preserve a Brighton pre-War trolleybus, but most of us were impecunious youths with no funds or storage facilities! A pity, but that's life! Light's yard at Southerham was always a source of wonder to us; was once granted admission in the snow in January 1963, and was allowed to depart with FUF 1's front registration plate. Unfortunately, some other enthusiasts got too enthusiastic about plundering the relics, and I have no doubt that the Light family spent time and money trying to keep the trolleybuses from being vandalised. The white open-topped buses were actually pre-War Eastbourne Corporation vehicles which went to Southerham after many years' service on the seafront of that town.

By Martin Nimmo (20/08/2007)

Back in 1984, I approached Mick Light to see if I could acquire trolleybus no. 19 from the Southerham yard. This was situated at the far end by a small cliff leading down to the then operational quarry. We agreed that if I could get it out I would take it and never return. (Not the exact words used but you get the drift.) I then approached Dick Clark of Brighton Buses fame and he told me that if I could get it to Lewes Road depot he would get get Man-power Services to help restore the bus. Next step was to contact someone at the Barracks and an officer there who could best be discribed as 'Captain Mainwaring' thought it would be a jolly good exercise in vehicle recovery and having told him where the bus was and drew him a sketch I left it with him to contact me when the exercise was "on". Months went by and on my way to Eastbourne one day I thought I would have a look over the hedge by the farm track on the A27 and imagine my horror at seeing the entire scrap-yard cleared. Not a car, van lorry or worse of all no trolleybuses! The army man had visited the site and saw all the buses that were forming a barrier on the left side of the yard and assumed one of those was the one we wanted. Decided it couldn't be done and went back to the barracks and didn't bother contacting me. Mick, in the mean-time decided to clear the yard and the one chance of saving a pre-war Brighton Corporation AEC trolleybus was gone.

By Alan J Piatt (09/12/2007)

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