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Peter Pan's Playground

Photo:A Johnstone's minature coach

A Johnstone's minature coach

From the private collection of Dennis Parrett

Johnstone's coaches in the 1940s
By Dennis Parrett

In 1935 Ernie Johnstone lived in Brighton. Whether it was the influence of a coach works at Hove, or the thousands of coaches that came to the south coast in summer, who knows, but he came up the idea of small pedal powered buses for hired at a site on Madeira Drive.

Pedal power first
Holiday makers, who had perhaps travelled all the way from London, then paid for a ride in a small replica of the vehicle that brought them here. The early pedal powered efforts led to a motorised chassis. Johnstone was a prolific builder of miniatures and supplied to amusement parks such as Morecambe and Margate.

Attention to detail
Johnstone's vehicles were pleasing because of the accuracy with which he captured the "feel" of the style of "the coach" even though they were not built to accurate scale. They were popular at Peter Pan's Playground on the Brighton seafront and could even be seen running around on the Brighton roads as they were properly registered. One example is in the photograph provided. They lasted until well into the 1960s.

This page was added on 30/03/2007.

Comments:

Ernie made 57 minatures including a double-decker bus, registered KCD 1 (what would that be worth today?) and a fire engine. The single-deckers were based on the then current Southdown fleet and some of the bodies were built by Thomas Harrington. Several are in private collections or in museums as far apart as Rolvenden, Kent and Washington, USA.

By Alan J Piatt (01/04/2007)

As a kid I spent most of the summers in the late 40s and 50s at either Black Rock swimming pool, or Peter Pan's Playground on the seafront. The lovely little Johnstone's Southdown coaches always facinated me, and I watched them for hours. I never had a ride in them as money was tight in those days, but watching them going around was enough. Lovely simple days long gone.

By Mick Peirson (01/04/2007)

I believe at least one of these has survived as I saw a miniature coach like the one pictured at the junction of Elm Grove and Queens Park Road last summer. Maybe someone else has more imformation?

By Neil Underhill (01/04/2007)

These Johnstone's Midgets were built in the Old Forge in Preston Village. Mr Johnstone and his family lived next door. I went to school with Tony Johnstone and frequently called at the workshops en route home from Preston Primary School. I believe Tony may still have at least one of the buses. There may have been more than one fire engine. They gave rides along the north drive of The Level.

By Raymond (Dickie) Bird (09/04/2007)

What fabulous memories. As a child in the 50s and 60s, I would travel from Swindon to spend most of the summer school holidays with my nan at Whitehawk. One thing for sure each year was that I would put by enough out of my spending money to have at least one ride in these miniature coaches. Even as a teenager and then living in Brighton, I would often spend some time watching them.

By Michael Cook (06/12/2007)

There were two fire engines - used Villiers 200cc engines. One is still in use in Arbroath (LCD 1). Two Leyland Tiger coaches (SCD2 and TUF3) also in use in Arbroath. See http://www.matthewkerr.wanadoo.co.uk/

By Duncan (16/04/2008)

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