Introduction
At the northern end of Hastings’ Alexandra Park lies a hidden valley once celebrated as a jewel of Victorian landscape design: Old Roar Ghyll. In the 1860s, when Robert Marnock laid out the park, the ghyll was meant to be its dramatic finale – a roaring sandstone waterfall, shaded woodland paths, rustic bridges and wild scenery just a short walk from town.
Today, the scene is very different.
Here’s a look at what I found on my recent visit:
Even now, you can trace the old walk through Little Roar Ghyll upstream to where the waterfall once roared. And yet, what was once a highlight of Hastings is now blocked by landslides, dried by drought, and hemmed in by housing estates.
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The Walk
I started at the upper entrance, only to be stopped straight away by barriers and a sign – another path closed due to landslip.
So I dropped into Little Roar Ghyll instead, which still runs through the shaded woodland. It’s probably looked after more by locals than the council.
With the stream almost dry, I followed the bed upstream, pushing through nettles and scrambling over fallen logs. Eventually I reached Old Roar Ghyll itself – the great sandstone cliff that once carried a waterfall so loud it gave the place its name. This time it was silent, the stream cut off or dried to nothing, the rocks scarred by fresh collapses.
Just beyond, a smaller, unnamed waterfall spills prettily down the valley side – perhaps the loveliest sight of the day. But even here, blockages of timber and more closed paths show how little maintenance is done.
Decline and Red Tape
Alexandra Park below is still neat, polished, and well-funded, but the wild ghylls at the top are being left to rot. Some argue this is nature reclaiming itself – and there’s truth in that – but from walking it, it feels more like abandonment.
Local people know why: these valleys sit within protected SSSI land, meaning any work involves endless surveys, health and safety paperwork, and permissions. Residents who’d happily clear paths and keep the place open run into 50-page forms and bureaucracy. Meanwhile, houses stand right on the unstable edges, blighted by landslips, their values falling.
We’re told there’s no money, no will, and no plan – yet billions are found for other projects elsewhere.
There used to be a streamside path leading up to Roar Gyhll with it being the prize spectacle. During the 70s due to development right up to the valley edge it began to subside and gradually got closed off now completely inaccessible. This is what happens when short sighted housing is prioritised over rare natural environments like this.
Why It Matters
Places like Old Roar Ghyll are more than neglected corners of a park. They’re part of our heritage and our wellbeing. Every child should have somewhere wild to roam close to home. Adults need green space for mental health, especially in towns. And in Hastings, these sandstone ghylls are rare landscapes found nowhere else in Sussex.
To let them collapse through short-sightedness and red tape is to lose a treasure forever.
Practical Info
- Location: Northern end of Alexandra Park, Hastings, East Sussex.
- Access: Little Roar Ghyll is still open, but Old Roar Ghyll itself is blocked by landslides and officially inaccessible.
- Best Time to Visit: After rain, when the streams and falls are flowing – though check path closures before you go.
- Nearby:
- Alexandra Park – the main landscaped lawns and boating lake.
- Covehurst Bay – another Hastings valley plagued by landslides.
- Fairlight Cliffs – dramatic coastline east of town, also unstable but striking.
