Names on the buses

 409 Norman Freedman

Connections with Brighton and Hove : Norman Freedman was one of the most colourful characters ever to have become Mayor of Hove. In a conventional age, he wore brightly coloured suits and loud ties. But the showman in him never disguised the fact that he was an effective Conservative politician and a good businessman. With his wife, Dorothy, who was disabled, Freedman set up a chain of fashion shops in Brighton and Hove. They went under the joint name of Dorothy Norman. The flagship store was in Western Road near what is now Churchill Square and it was highly popular with customers. On Hove Council, Freedman campaigned successfully for a sparkling new town hall to replace the Victorian building destroyed by fire in 1966. He was also a prominent member of the Jewish community and raised thousands of pounds for charity. Norman and Dorothy Freedman lived in the last town house on the western side of Grand Avenue, Hove. They had tower blocks on each side. Shortly before he died, he sold the site for another block of flats and the shops also shut.

409 Volvo Gemini - carried name since delivery in April 2011. Name spelt wrongly as Norman Freeman, corrected in May 2011. Rebranded as Route 49 in June 2013. Repainted into new Route 49 livery January 2017. Route 49 branding removed September 2017.