His business venture was helped by the opening of the London-to-Brighton railway five years later in 1840. The seaside resort was now within easy reach of the capital and the popularity of the South Downs primary viewing spot escalated.
However the journey from the coast took at least an hour in bumpy and uncomfortable horse-drawn brakes so a three-mile branch of railway track was laid to Devil’s Dyke summit.
The new transport link opened in 1887 and ferried sightseers in increasing numbers to enjoy the magnificence of this unique geological feature. A thriving tourist industry had begun.
The Victorian adventure park
Game hunter and traveller Mr H J Hubbard bought the Dyke Estate in 1892 and set about turning Devil’s Dyke into a pioneering adventure park. The marvels of modern engineering were intermingled with a multitude of games and funfair rides.
Merry-go-rounds, bicycle railways, coconut shies and fortune tellers festooned the hill in the late 19th century.