Devil's Dyke as a Tourist
Attraction
So far we have looked in considerable depth at the railway that brought people up to Devil's Dyke, but what was there that made, and indeed still makes thousands of people a week flock to this place?
Well, Devil's Dyke in the present day is a tourist attraction primarily due to the fact that it is one of the highest points on the South Downs and serves as a Viewpoint, offering spectacular views across the area beyond, inland. It was purchased as recreational land by the Borough Council under the direction of Sir Herbert Carden, the man responsiblefor Brighton's expansion in the 1920's and 1930's. Land costs were many times less than they are today and vast areas of the area around Brighton was purchased as recreational areas.
In the Southerly direction, there are spectacular views across Brighton and Hove towards the sea. As for the Devil's Dyke area itself, there are numerous paths across the hills, the vast glacial valley that is the focus of the place itself and the Dyke Hotel.
The Dyke Hotel, the sprawling building at the terminus of the road, is now on it's 5th such incarnation. It started life in around 1818, as a temporary building housing toilets and a small cafe which sold refreshments during the summer season, run by a Mr. Sharp. In 1827, the building was made more permanent with a brick built structure as demand for refreshments and site popularity grew. This structure was refered to at the time as 'Dyke House'.
In 1871, the building was rebuilt under the ownership of Mr. William Thacker. again, it was enlarged and facilities were improved, as at this time hunting became a regular attraction on the Dyke Estate. It was Mr. Thacker who upgraded the building into firstly a small inn, but later improved and expanded the building into a sizeable hotel, attracting some very distinguished visitors at the time.
However, the hotel was truly put on the map by Mr.J.H.Hubbard in 1892. When he bought the estate, he renamed it 'Dyke Park' and it was this gentleman who was soley responsible for the impressive array of Victorian attractions that sprang up on the site.
In the first year of his proprietorship, the site attracted no fewer than one million visitors!
CLICK on the numbers BELOW to see how the Dyke Hotel has evolved in it's lifetime
On entering the site, there was a long, wooden structure known as a Switchback Railway. This was kind of a precursor to what we now know of as a Roller Coaster, in that it had a small 4 wheeled car which flew down a track towards an eventual incline, aided by gravity. On reaching the incline, the car would slow before plummeting back in the opposite direction towards the starting point.
CLICK HERE and HERE to see photos of the Switchback Railway
CLICK HERE to see the same view in the present day
There was also a Camera Obscura on the site, a round structure using an array of mirrors to project a 360 degree image onto the wall inside, giving the impression of a continuous panoramic view. At the time, this was considered to be one of the finest instances of this type of camera to exist in the whole of England.
There was also a steel rifle gallery, a very comodious billiards room and a "model farm". This is not what it first appears to be, however. The farm provided a selection of livestock for use in the hotel, primarily, but there is also record of stock being sent to Brighton Market for sale. I pity child who travelled to Devil's Dyke to see a collection of model animals, only to be confronted with pens of pigs, sheep and cattle. The disappointment must have been most vexing for the poor parents!
For a long time, there was what appeared to be a large cannon at the enterance to the main car park, doubtless a remnant from the first world war, when the Dyke viewpoint was used to spot a potential invasion as it proceeded inland. However, this was not added until after the period of Mr. Hubbard's ownership.
I have heard that there was a full sized replica of King Tutankhamun's tomb in the Southern wall of the Dyke, although I have found no real evidence to verify the existence of such a thing (if anyone has any knowledge of this, I would be very grateful for comments). As with the other features of the local area, I have not been able to find any earthworks on either slope that would point to where such a feature may have been.
There were also 2 further railways at Devil's Dyke: a cablecar railway and a Funicular (hillside) railway. There is still a lot of evidence of these two attractions, for instance there are still concrete blocks where the supporting towers of the cable car would have been. These are clearly visible in the present day. The site of the funicular railway is not quite so easy to spot and requires a bit of detective work in order to find it, but there are, again, odd concrete structures that were once platforms or the bases of huts containing winding gear.
CLICK on the numbers BELOW to see pictures of the Cablecar Railway from the James Gray Photographic Collection
CLICK on the numbers BELOW to see pictures of the Funicular Railway from the James Gray Photographic Collection
By the end of 1893, the entire site of the Dyke Park was encompassed by a stout iron fence (which may very well tally with the abundance of lineside iron fencing Geoff and I observed along the route - there is an entire chapter dedicated to this elsewhere on this website) which gave the site a more park-like feel and protected visitors from grazing livestock(!) It is interesting to note that admission to the entire site was free and I am left wondering how the attractions to the site were funded. It is recorded that the venture eventually landed Mr. Hubbard in considerable debt and that he emigrated to Canada to retire.
In 1928, the entire site of the Dyke Park was dedicated to the use of the public for ever and without condition by the Duke and Dutchess of York. A stone seat commemorates the passing of the event and is still in situ in the present day. At the same time, the lease was sold to Mr. Fred Piggott, who rebuilt the Dyke Hotel and brought the facilities up to date.
CLICK HERE to see the commemorative stone seat
The hotel was requisitioned by the army during the 2nd world war and was unfortunately gutted by fire in 1945. It is noted that it took a long time for the army to arrange compensation for the damage, and the building was left derelict for many years.
The building as it exists in the present day originates from 1955 and though there have been cosmetic changes made to it over the course of its life, the original shell has remained from this date. The Dyke Estate (Dyke Park) is now managed by the National Trust, although the Dyke Hotel is still privately owned and managed.
CLICK HERE to see more information on Devil's Dyke, using www.findonvillage.com
