Brighton West Pier

Brighton West Pier

The West Pier is a pier in Brighton, England. It was designed by Eugenius Birch, opening in 1866 and closing in 1975. The pier was the first to be Grade I listed in Britain but has become increasingly derelict since closure.

The pier was constructed during a boom in pleasure pier building in the 1860s, and was designed to attract tourists to Brighton. It was the town's second pier, joining the Royal Suspension Chain Pier of 1823. It was extended in 1893, and a concert hall was added in 1916. The pier reached its peak attendance during this time, with 2 million visitors between 1918 and 1919. Its popularity began to decline after World War II, and concerts were replaced by a funfair and tearoom. A local company took ownership in 1965, but could not meet the increased maintenance cost, and ultimately filed for bankruptcy. They could not find a suitable buyer, so the pier closed in 1975 and subsequently fell into disrepair.

The West Pier Trust now owns the pier and has proposed various plans to renovate it. Some schemes have been opposed by local residents and the owners of the nearby Palace Pier, who have claimed unfair competition. The pier gradually collapsed during the early 21st century. Major sections collapsed in late 2002, and two fires in March and May 2003 left little of the original structure. Subsequently, English Heritage declared it to be beyond repair. Structured demolition took place in 2010 to make way for the observation tower i360; further structural damage from storms has occurred since.

In December 2002, the pier partially collapsed during a storm, when a walkway connecting the concert hall and pavilion fell into the sea. The following month, the concert hall in the middle of the pier fell over, leaving the entire structure close to total collapse.

On 28 March 2003 the pavilion at the pierhead caught fire. Fire crews were unable to save the building from destruction because the collapsed walkway prevented them from reaching it. The cause of the fire remains unknown, since fire investigators were unable to access the site for safety reasons, although it is thought to have been arson.A more severe fire burned through 11 and 12 May 2003, consuming most of what was left of the concert hall. On 23 June 2004, high winds caused the middle of the pier to collapse completely. The following month, English Heritage declared the pier to be beyond repair.

Despite these setbacks, the West Pier Trust remained adamant that they would soon begin full restoration work. Retired boxer Chris Eubank criticised the delays in restoring the pier, saying he could raise the money himself in six months.[24] In December 2004, the Trust confirmed the restoration would not be going ahead after their plans were rejected by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The pier was partially demolished in February 2010, partly to make way for the planned i360 observation tower. In February 2014, due to stormy weather, the pier split in half and a large part of the centre fell into the sea. Waves swept away the eastern side of the damaged metal skeleton, which remained after the 2003 fire. A selection of artefacts rescued from the pieris exhibited in the Brighton Fishing Museum.A further section of the pier collapsed in 2016.

The arrival of the i360 has revived interest in building a new West Pier on the site of the original, it would be a contemporary design reflecting the elegance of the original Pier. The West PierTrust was hopeful that it could be in place by 2026 in time for the pier's 160th anniversary. By October 2016, the trust had concluded that restoration of the original West Pier was beyond any practical means.

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