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Devil's Dyke is a V-Shaped valley on the South Downs Way in southern England, near Brighton and Hove. It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation.
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Geological history
It is a common misconception that the valley was formed by glacial action. The formation is instead the consequence of a geological action, known as solifluction, where under tundra conditions during the last ice age, summer temperatures caused the top layer of soil to melt and become saturated. Thus, over a period of time, the waterlogged sediment moved down the gradient, over the permanently frozen layers beneath to carve out the valley [1].
Geography
The hills surrounding the valley offer views of the South Downs, The Weald, and – on a clear day – the Isle of Wight. It is the site of ramparts, all that remain of an Iron Age hillfort, and a pub.
Myths regarding the formation of Devil's Dyke
Local folklore explains the valley as the work of the devil. The legend holds that the devil was digging a trench to allow the sea to flood the many churches in the Weald of Sussex. The digging disturbed an old woman who lit a candle, or angere causing a rooster to crow, making the devil believe the morning was fast approaching. The devil then fled, leaving his trench uncompleted. Another story holds that rather than digging to flood Sussex, he was simply in a huge goatlike form, intending to crush the surrounding area. He smelt the tang of salt water in the wind, and fearing his coat would get damp (for he is vain to the point of sin), he fled leaving nothing but a hoof-print, now known as Devil's Dyke.
History
Main History
Prior to the Iron Age, and also after, Devil's Dyke was used as a defensive site. This was probably because of first of all the large area of land which could be seen from it and also its ideal location as a high area with steep edges surrounded by large expanses of flat land. In the Iron Age, Devil's Dyke stood as an important iron age site. All the plant matter was scraped away from the white chalk, leaving Devil's Dyke as an impressive monument to both attract and intimidate people living the area.
Victorian Times
In late Victorian times Devil's Dyke became a tourist attraction, complete with a fairground, and a variety of transport infrastructure was constructed:
- From 1887-1938 a railway branch line operated from near Aldrington in Hove to the current Dyke Farm location
- From 1894-1909 a cable car operated across the valley itself, covering a distance of 350 m, but hanging 70 m above the valley floor.
- From 1897-1907 there was a "Steep Grade Railway", a funicular rising 100 m from near Poynings to the northern edge of the hillfort.
Traces remain of all three ventures; for example stubby concrete bases, once used to support pylons forming part of the cable car system.
References
- ^ "The Devils Dyke formation was not the consequence of a "supernatural" deity, but a geological process during the last ice age, known as solifluction. Although the ice shelf did not extend to what is now known as Sussex, the area did experience Tundra conditions, and for the elevated South Downs, almost certainly permafrost. In summer, the top layer of soil melted and became saturated. Aided by summer melting, waterlogged material situated above the permafrost slid down the gradient, removing material by means of friction, and exposing deeper layers of frozen soil, which subsequently melted. It is not clear how long the process of solifluction took to carve out the valley, but evidence from current permafrost sites demonstrate that the process of erosion by means of solifluction can happen rapidly, with significant geological changes arising in a matter of months".The Natural History of Devils Dyke
See also
External links
- Country File video
- Abandoned Lines and Railways
- [1] [2] [3] Videos of paragliding etc.
