Strange Bloke on Roundabout

[Spider]

There's a bloke who stands at Maresfield McDonalds roundabout every morning when I drive past at c7.30am. Would love to know what he is doing.

 

[Bedsex]

Good bounce! I remember him as Burlington Bertie as well, used to see him when we were down visiting my Nan in Worthing. I was very young at the time and recall being quite scared of him, from reading this thread it seems that I had no reason to be concerned.

 

[basque seagull]

My mother always said she worked at Jordan & Cooks with him and his name was Charlie .

My parents told me his name was Charlie too and thats how we always knew him as..

 

[spence]

My Dad used to call him The Duke Of Shoreham, and we always used to wave at him.

Local legend

Another one, in Brighton this time, was Desmond. Tall black fellow, always off his head on alcohol - a gentle giant, and a regular around the Clock Tower area. He used to amble into Virgin Records quite regularly, and mumble to people with headphones on, sitting on the beanbags. RIP Desmond, and 'Horace'.

I forgot about this poster. Is he back under a new name?

 

[SK1NT]

Can we merge these two threads. Loved this guy as a kid...

https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/show...ANYONE-remember-THIS-guy&highlight=burlington

https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showthread.php?12161-Strange-Bloke-on-Roundabout

 

[golddene]

I used to work the Bar at the Bridge pub in Shoreham and he used to do his roundabout stint then come in for a few halves of bitter, always very well spoken and definitely answered to the name of Horace even if it was not his true name. Overtly eccentric but harmless enough, always saluting drivers who gave him the beep, though wasn't so polite to those who jeered him. Remember talk at the time that he used to be a bit of a boxer, maybe just rumours. He also used to ride a vintage motor cycle at times as well as his pedal cycle.

 

[zefarelly]

https://youtu.be/oJi7OtrMC5M

 

[lawros left foot]

https://youtu.be/oJi7OtrMC5M

Thank you for posting that.

As I said in an earlier post, Horace was a good friend of Mrs LLF, and he was a truly unique character.
RIP Horace.

 

[Taybha]

In the late 80s and early 90s there was a guy who was basically angry at everything, if you walked towards him he would shout at you and wave a platic bag at you, he was scruffy unkempt, wore a grey Mac whatever the weather and mainly walked along the seafront from the pier to the old dodgems at Peter pans .

A easy target for winding up and as I worked in the Concorde for a while saw him on a daily basis,struggling to fend off normality as we know it with a vengeance.

It was hard to strike up a conversation with him but later found out apparently he was suffering with PTSD and had been in the Falklands serving our country, which in those days upon return no doubt the country decided to forget about him .

I'm sure those of a certain age know who I'm talking about , I stopped seeing him around 1992 and have no idea what happened to him but in his own way he certainly was a character to remember .

 

[B-right-on]

There was an old bloke in the 90s who would walk along the double yellows on the road and wave at the bus drivers who would always wave back. Always had a smile on his face and often whistling. Forgot about him until I saw this. Cheerful chappie.

 

[gasgull]

There's a bloke who stands at Maresfield McDonalds roundabout every morning when I drive past at c7.30am. Would love to know what he is doing.

I’ve always wondered why he stands there.
Has he been dropped off or waiting for pick up?
Not as if its a great place to stop and pick him up.
May have to time our journeys slightly later.

 

[albionalbino]

There was an old bloke in the 90s who would walk along the double yellows on the road and wave at the bus drivers who would always wave back. Always had a smile on his face and often whistling. Forgot about him until I saw this. Cheerful chappie.

I remember him well, he had short grey hair and a strong jaw. He lived near me in Brunswick Square in the late 80's. Always said hello to me ( and every bus driver).
There was the "Have You Got 10p?" man, who would swiftly reduce the amount to a penny and operated around the Clock Tower and Dukes Street. I walked past them every day on my way to work.
I miss these characters.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

https://youtu.be/oJi7OtrMC5M

Good old Horace. Not sure that is Lancing though - looks more like Offington Roundabout to me which is where he was often found before heading down the Thomas A Becket crossroads.

 

[Swimboy64]

In the late 80s and early 90s there was a guy who was basically angry at everything, if you walked towards him he would shout at you and wave a platic bag at you, he was scruffy unkempt, wore a grey Mac whatever the weather and mainly walked along the seafront from the pier to the old dodgems at Peter pans .

A easy target for winding up and as I worked in the Concorde for a while saw him on a daily basis,struggling to fend off normality as we know it with a vengeance.

It was hard to strike up a conversation with him but later found out apparently he was suffering with PTSD and had been in the Falklands serving our country, which in those days upon return no doubt the country decided to forget about him .

I'm sure those of a certain age know who I'm talking about , I stopped seeing him around 1992 and have no idea what happened to him but in his own way he certainly was a character to remember .

Sounds like Ted Arnold

 

[Doc Lynam]

Didn’t he dress as a clown with balloons at the roundabout?

 

[DavePage]

Didn’t he dress as a clown with balloons at the roundabout?

blazer, straw boater, white gloves and a flower in his lapel

 

[marlowe]

I think this article is from 1966 or around then as it mentions he is 43 and Ive read he was born in 1923. The article also mentions mods and rockers which also fits around that time...

 

[cottoneyedjohn]

Oddly enough, my first ever post on here was about "The Toff", always makes me smile when I think of him flipping V signs at the cars on Findon Roundabout.

I remember him well and knew of him as "the toff" as my father referred to him. My memories of him were at the Offington roundabout where I saw him a few times briefly while passing as a passenger in Dad's car, during the 80s, maybe sometimes en route to the Goldstone. After many years of not a thought, I nearly forgot him forever, but why I don't know, he popped into my mind. So I searched him on the net. He wasn't a dream. Photos and comments triggering nostalgia, of days long gone, of which he was part.

He was dark. That's how the adult feels, remembering the lingering impression he left on the child, as he receeded into the distance. He hated everyone or so it seemed. I remember the feeling we were unworthy, that he was better than all of us and we'd done something shameful. Like being disciplined by an insane school master. I remember the odd combination of the brightly coloured smart eccentric clothing, with the strange strutting, twirls, and v signs and mouthing of mocking comments I could never quite hear. I remember being a bit scared of this guy, wondering how he came to be. I guess you could say freaked out, my young mind unable to understand what made him tick.

He wanted this... to disturb... that's why I didn't forget him... this is my memory... some will feel differently... I miss him... Horace... he lives on in memory...

Oddly enough, my first ever post on here was about "The Toff", always makes me smile when I think of him flipping V signs at the cars on Findon Roundabout.