The Southdown Enthusiasts’ Club keeps its membership up-to-date with the route and fleet developments of the successors to the Southdown company, as well as researching its history. It is the only organisation that comprehensively records the operations of the majority of the major operators in East and West Sussex, East Hampshire and East Kent. 

The Club was was formed in 1954 as the Southdown Spotters’ Club, originally for the association of people interested in Southdown Motor Services Limited and later extended to cover the three municipal operators at Brighton, Eastbourne and Portsmouth.

As a result of changes to the structures of the industry over the years, the Club’s coverage has expanded to encompass news about the vehicles operated by Stagecoach South, First Hampshire & Dorset, Go Ahead Brighton & Hove / Metrobus, Compass Travel and Stagecoach South East along with the services run by those operators in the area roughly bounded by Fareham and Andover in the west, Guildford and Westerham in the north and Hastings in the east. We also record the main activities of independent operators in the former Southdown area.

A monthly Journal of about forty A5 pages (sometimes less, often more) is sent to members giving detailed and up-to-date vehicle and service developments of the companies who operate within the traditional Southdown area. There is usually a section of items of publicity produced by the local companies, details of the histories of former vehicles of the main companies and news of Club activities and new publications.

Club meetings take place three times a year. Two of these usually feature illustrated talks from various guest speakers prominent within the passenger transport industry. The other is a members’ slide show.