A classic 1965 Leyland Leopard re-runs route 71 from Horsham to Littlehampton and back, and James Freeman was on board
After two weeks of heavy downpours, the morning of Saturday 28 September dawned spectacularly bright and sunny, with clear blue skies – just right for a day out to the seaside! Paul Landymore and Paul Llewellyn had long been planning a celebratory outing to rekindle long lost memories of the lengthy cross-country Southdown route from Horsham via Christ’s Hospital, Storrington, Amberley and Arundel to Littlehampton – route 71, introduced way back in the summer of 1945.
Two former Southdown buses were planned to run the route, a 1965 Leyland Leopard with Marshall bodywork, provided by long-time Southdown driver Norman Stanbridge and a 1976 Leyland National owned by Paul Llewellyn. Departure was due at 1000 from Horsham Station, with a two-and-a-half hour run to Littlehampton. The Leopard was already gleaming in the sunshine at Horsham when the message came through from Paul Llewellyn that the National had suffered an electrical breakdown and its outing for the day was aborted.
So it was left to the Leopard, Southdown car 122 (BUF 122C), to carry on the trip as planned. The passengers boarding were a mix of enthusiasts and local people who had read about the run in the newspaper, but whoever they were, all were looking forward to a great day out. They were not disappointed!
Heading south from Horsham, 122 soon turned off the main road to travel through Christ’s Hospital along roads not quite wide enough to allow ‘Chelsea tractors’ to pass the bus without some fun and games. Several passengers were picked up at Barns Green, where the bus paused outside the one-time Southdown depot building there. The appearance of an authentic Southdown single-decker, complete with accurate blinds, caused a minor sensation: “It’s fifty-nine years late!”, as one wag put it!
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