Downland Cars

~Late 1920s: The last line of the sign on the extreme left, "Along the Sea Shore / Black Rock / The Downs" presumably refers to the Volk's "Downland Cars" service from Black Rock [image info]

The bus service from Downland Cars Limited was run by Magnus Volk's mini-empire from 1925 for a few years, and was finally officially closed down in 1934.

Volk had already experimented with joined-up transport in the 1890s, when his Volks Electric Railway went to Banjo Groyne and connected with the Daddy Long-Legs seagoing service to Rottingdean. With the Rottingdean service gone, and the VER now extending all the way to Black Rock (1901), it was probably a little frustrating that, initially at least, there wasn't much at Black Rock for travellers to actually do.

Volk's solution was to then run a sightseeing bus service from Black Rock over the South Downs, using a pair of single-decker buses with very large windows.

Closedown

"Downland Cars, Ltd." was finally declared dissolved in in the London Gazette (issue 34031) on 9th March 1934, with the three months' advance notice having been published on 8 December 1933 (issue 34003).

A few years later, the "But what do visitors do after they get to Black Rock?" question was answered with the opening of the new Black Rock Pool and its amenities.

External links

• A transport mystery solved, by Roy Grant (mybrightonandhove.org.uk)
• DOWNLAND CARS [regencysociety-jamesgray.com)