{"title":"Books by Simon Stanford","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781398119376","title":"Southdown Buses in Preservation","description":"\u003cp\u003eSouthdown Motor Services was formed in 1915 and went on to become the well-known and highly respected operator of green-and-cream buses and coaches seen along the south coast of Sussex and Hampshire. Fast forward to today and there are over a hundred former Southdown buses and coaches surviving in preservation. This is quite remarkable, and possibly represents the highest number of preserved single-operator vehicles outside of London. Most of the examples have been restored to a very high standard, with some licensed to carry passengers for hire and see service on a regular basis. Others attend rallies and shows for us all to enjoy and rekindle those memories from the past. Some not so fortunate vehicles languish in storage awaiting restoration or have been dismantled to provide parts allowing sister vehicles to survive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSimon Stanford presents a vivid collection of images of Southdown buses and coaches that have been lovingly restored and preserved, including a small number from other operators such as Brighton Hove \u0026amp; District, some of their fleet passing to Southdown in 1969.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56298331505013,"sku":"9781398119376","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398119376_a97bc618-448e-413e-a058-7d3b1af49674.jpg?v=1786018145"},{"product_id":"9781445696072","title":"Southdown Out of Green \u0026 Cream","description":"Southdown Motor Services, the well-known and respected bus and coach operator based on the south coast, ran buses and coaches in a delightful green and cream livery that is still fondly remembered today. Here, Simon Stanford looks at Southdown from the sixties up to their purchase by Stagecoach in 1989, with a variety of different brandings on show, exhibiting a variety of rare looks for the company’s fleet.With a wealth of previously unpublished images, Stanford’s collection of images is both nostalgic and enlightening and will appeal to any fan of Southdown buses or the history of independent British buses.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300018237813,"sku":"9781445696072","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781445696072_2b9d7acf-647b-4ace-9bd4-466a717120b0.jpg?v=1786020665"},{"product_id":"9781445696058","title":"Southdown Ancillary Vehicles","description":"Southdown Motor Services, renowned for their impressive fleet of green and cream buses and coaches, also operated an impressive fleet of ancillary vehicles. In this book, Simon Stanford shares some of the great variety of vehicles between the 1960s and the company’s acquisition by Stagecoach in 1989. This includes training buses, tree-loppers, lorries, vans and more.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56300095046005,"sku":"9781445696058","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781445696058_d58ecfb2-95d0-4142-9aba-4f729bb1fcea.jpg?v=1786020664"},{"product_id":"9781445685472","title":"Diecast Model Buses","description":"The first diecast model buses date back more than sixty years, manufactured by well-known names like Lesney, Corgi and Dinky. Few buses and coaches were initially produced, and early models were treated primarily as simple toys for children. The idea of collecting and preserving these models became more popular in the 1980s as Exclusive First Editions began to enter the market, and early models are today highly sought-after. Today, many magazines, clubs and events exist as the hobby is thriving.Here, Simon Stanford takes a look at model bus collecting over the years and shows the wide variety of models on offer.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312394482037,"sku":"9781445685472","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781445685472_b0e4fe46-3743-4f76-96a9-4c5550ed69de.jpg?v=1786020498"},{"product_id":"9781398127524","title":"Southdown Bristol REs","description":"\u003cp\u003eSouthdown Motor Services, the acclaimed South Coast operator with instantly recognisable green-and-cream livery, were loyal Leyland customers for many years. They took delivery of their first Bristol RE buses in early 1968, further deliveries in 1969 and 1971 and inherited thirteen following the take-over of Brighton Hove and District, the fleet totalling eighty-five.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first batch of Bristol REs were forty-five-seaters with Marshall bodywork delivered between April and July in 1968. The second batch, seating forty-nine, also had Marshall bodies and was delivered from April 1969 onward. These buses had Gardner engines at the rear and Southdown specified manual gear boxes in both batches. Unpopular with some drivers and on some routes, they were nevertheless part of the company’s history. Nine Marshall-bodied examples were added in 1971. These were semi-automatic, with Leyland supplying the engine, and were powerful and easier to drive than their earlier counterparts. Three more arrived that year featuring more conventional Eastern Coach Works bodies. Those acquired from Brighton Hove and District had Gardner engines, semi-automatic gearboxes and twin-door Eastern Coach Works bodies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSimon Stanford documents Southdown’s Bristol REs with previously unpublished images and informative captions. The three buses that have survived into preservation regularly attend shows and rallies in the South East and are also featured here.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368755048821,"sku":"9781398127524","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398127524_f15af3de-06c7-4deb-89c0-2a709284f822.jpg?v=1786018417"},{"product_id":"coaches-in-and-around-brighton","title":"Coaches In and Around Brighton","description":"Brighton is famous for many things, and coaching is certainly one of them.During the summer months coaches from the four operators based in Brighton – Alpha, Campings, Unique and Southdown – would line up along Madeira Drive adjacent to the seafront with boards along the sides of their coaches advertising excursions to a variety of locations in Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and Surrey. These attracted not only tourists in the area but also local people who would travel once or twice every week. These operators had premises in or around the town with an array of advertising potential exploited; Campings led the way with their Aquarium booking office to the right of the entrance to this famous attraction.This book relives coaching in Brighton from tours and excursions to private hires and contracts, taking in the heyday of the early 1960s through to the sad decline of traditional coaching in the 1980s.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57705613361525,"sku":"9781445685410","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781445685410.jpg?v=1793377346"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-simon-stanford.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}