An electric tramway was built to travel over 60 yards from the shore between a landing platform at Banjo Groyne and a light steel pier 100 yards long at Rottingdean.

Two sets of double track of 2 foot 8½ inch gauge, set 18 feet apart, were built and standards erected to support the overhead wires.

At high tide the contraption, affectionately known as ‘Daddy Long-legs’, was seen to be travelling through the water!

The sea-going car, known as Pioneer, stood high on 4 legs each 23 feet long. There was seating inside and also above on an open top. In the interior there was an upholstered ‘knifeboard’ seat along the centre with further seating provided at each end.

At high tide the contraption, was seen to be travelling through the water! Pamlin Prints

Between the centre seat backs, plants and flowers were provided and many of the windows, particularly on the seaward side, were heavily cur-tained.

The tram was quite a sensation in Brighton but unfortunately for the town’s visitors it lasted only until 1901.

It opened on 28th
November 1896 but disaster struck within only a few days with a bad storm on the night of the 4th December.

Damage was so bad that the line closed and plans to build a second car were abandoned because of high repair costs.

Pioneer was roped to the Rottingdean pier. Despite this she broke away, ran some distance down the line and capsized.

Re-opening was not until July 1897 after many alterations had been made but the company never really survived its losses and services finally ceased in 1901.

Pioneer survived until at least 1909 roped to an intermediate landing stage at Ovingdean Gap but was finally dismantled along with the piers and track shortly afterwards.

The metal went to Germany and no doubt returned to Britain during the First World War in a slightly different form!

Today it is still just possible at low tide to see the seaweed-covered concrete blocks which once supported the tracks.