Names on the buses

832 David Land

432 David Land

676 David Land

Connections with Brighton and Hove : The chief claim to fame of the impresario David Land was taking a risk on the young song writing team of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita proved sure-fire successes, making the reputation of the two men and a fortune for Mr Land. It was when he heard in 1984 that two councillors were thinking of buying the Theatre Royal in New Road, Brighton, that David Land took another gamble. He decided to buy the grand old theatre himself and ran it with panache for more than a decade. His connections enabled many stars to visit Brighton and for top shows (including Evita) to be staged there. Mr Land was said to have subsidised the theatre to the tune of £400,000 a year. It was an act of great generosity and it gave him great pleasure. After his death, his family ran the theatre for a while but it was eventually sold to the Ambassador group which has continued to bring top class theatre to the Sussex coast.

832 Dennis Trident - carried name since delivery in March 2000, on METRO Line 49, repainted into standard livery September 2005. March 2012 name transferred to new Volvo Gemini 432 on Route 1. Name transferred to Scania Omnidekka 676 in June 2016. Bus sold in May 2024.