West Pier

The West Pier stands in Brighton and Hove as a ruined iron structure on the seafront. Designed by Eugenius Birch, it opened in 1866 as the town’s second pleasure pier. The pier once stretched 340 metres with a wide pierhead, built on cast-iron columns screwed into the seabed. Its ornamental ironwork featured an ‘oriental’ style, and gas lamps with serpent designs lit the deck. The pier included two toll houses, glass screens and ornamental houses at the entrance. At its peak in the early 20th century, the West Pier attracted two million visitors between 1918 and 1919. A grand concert hall, added in 1916, hosted performances by the King’s Royal Rifles silver band and an in-house orchestra. By 1920, ticket sales for concerts made up 43% of the pier’s income. Locals favoured the West Pier, while the Palace Pier drew more day trippers. A funfair and tearoom replaced concerts after the Second World War. Today, only a partial metal framework remains after storms and fires in 2002 and 2003. The West Pier Trust still holds the remains and has proposed restoration plans. Some sections fell into the sea during storms, and two arson fires destroyed much of the concert hall. The pier’s history includes a 1944 air crash when a Hawker Typhoon fighter hit the deck. Visitors now see a haunting silhouette against the skyline, a reminder of Brighton’s lost pleasure pier.