Brighton’s West Pier is iconic and mysterious. It has been devastated by fire and the crashing waves of the English Channel which have washed most of it away.
The Pier was designed and engineered by Eugenius Birch to attract visitors and survive in the hostile environment of the seashore. Opened in 1866, it was a simple and functional structure built. The final building, completed in 1916, was a graceful concert hall. It attracted and entertained holiday-makers with all the pomp and frippery that is the essence of the English seaside resort. The pier was unique in being largely unaltered since that time. The proportions and style were unrivalled. The concert hall and the theatre were two of the best Victorian and Edwardian seaside entertainment buildings.
It was granted Grade II listing protection in 1969. In 1998 the Heritage Lottery Fund approved a £14.2m grant for its restoration. But a massive storm in 2002 caused terrible damage and two arson attacks within the next six months, destroyed its pavilion and concert hall. The English Heritage concluding that restoration was still viable, that tragically became impossible when HLF decided to withdraw lottery funding.
The West Pier Trust hopes that the success of Brighton’s latest big attraction, the British Airways i360, will eventually stimulate the building of a new contemporary West Pier.
It’s a 150-metre observation tower designed to give stunning views of the coast and attract visitors to Brighton and Hove. It’s been designed by the team behind the London Eye. Do you want to know more about the British Airways i360? Please check our previous post https://9sliving.com/british-airways-i360/.
<Sources from Wikipedia>
