Southdown sheep wool and cereals due to rising volumes of imports from the British Empire was accompanied by the Wet Years - a six-year period of cold, wet weather with little sun. In the Second World War, the South Downs were commandeered for military training, only fringe farms being left to produce milk for the towns. Sheep farming declined further after the war, although it is now being encouraged again through the designation of the downland as an environmentally sensitive area, and the restoration of arable land to sheepwalk. The Southdown has been placed on a watch list by the Rare Breeds
Southdown Motor Services Leyland PD3 or "Queen Marys" celebrated 50 years of operation, with many events held across the Southdown area. Between 2000 and 2005 Queen Marys were operated on route 77 between Brighton and Devil's Dyke during the summer months by Southcoast Motor Services which is an operator specialising in operating preserved ex-Southdown buses. Southcoast Motor Services took its name from the original proposed name of Southdown Motor Services. Southdown Motor Services Southdown Motor Services Ltd was a bus and coach operator in East and West Sussex and parts of Hampshire, in southern England. It was formed in 1915 and had various