Brighton Palace Pier
Brighton's most famous pier was built in 1899 beside the wreck of an older one, and today it looks across the water at the burnt skeleton of its rival.
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Quick Facts
- Location
- Brighton seafront, East Sussex, at the foot of Old Steine
- Opened
- 20 May 1899
- Designer
- R. St George Moore
- Length
- About 536 metres (1,760 feet) into the Channel
- Original name
- Brighton Marine Palace and Pier
- Listed status
- Grade II listed since 20 August 1971
- Replaced
- The Chain Pier of 1823, wrecked by storm in 1896
- Known for
- Amusements, fairground rides, seaside rock and the film Brighton Rock
The pier that arrived after a storm
Brighton already had a famous pier before this one. The Chain Pier, opened in 1823, was a suspension structure painted by Constable and Turner. It was the town's first great seafront attraction. In December 1896 a storm wrecked it for good. By then its successor was already taking shape a short distance along the beach. The Palace Pier was a new kind of seaside venue, built for crowds rather than for a quiet promenade.
Built for pleasure, in iron
The designer was Richard St George Moore, and the pier opened on 20 May 1899 as the Brighton Marine Palace and Pier. It was a Victorian day-out machine: a long deck over the sea, ornate ironwork and kiosks. The theatre at the far end followed in 1901. It had been a long wait. Work began in the early 1890s and dragged on until the end of the century. The finished pier stretches roughly 536 metres out from the shore, held up by iron piles driven into the seabed. The pier has been Grade II listed since 20 August 1971, a notable honour for a place that sells doughnuts and chips.
Why people say Brighton Rock
Graham Greene's 1938 novel Brighton Rock sent gangsters through the seaside town, and the 1947 film put the pier on screen. The title is also the name of the hard stick of sugar candy with the town's name running through its middle. Greene's story is about a razor-wielding young hoodlum, but the setting is not a grim one. The bright lights, arcades and sea air give the story its edge. The pier has been shorthand for Brighton ever since.
The rival across the water
A little to the west lies the skeleton of the West Pier, opened in 1866 and designed by Eugenius Birch. It was closed in 1975 and wrecked by fires and storms in 2003. Its blackened ironwork still stands in the sea. Without it, the Palace Pier has become the town's main working pier. It has taken many knocks from the weather over the years and is still open to visitors.
What to look out for on the deck
Walk the boards slowly. Look down through the gaps and you can see the waves moving beneath your feet. The front end is all arcade lights and cheerful noise. Out at the far end, the fairground rides sit above open water, with the bright seafront of Brighton behind you. The view back along the shore is one of the best ways to see the town's skyline. The pier's old theatre has gone, but the long deck still has the feel of a Victorian seaside stroll.
A name that came and went
For a time the pier traded as plain Brighton Pier, but most locals never stopped calling it the Palace Pier. The grand old title from 1899 stuck because it suits the place. It is still a palace by the sea, even if the royals have mostly stayed up the road at the Royal Pavilion.
Notable people
- R. St George Moore
- Graham Greene
- Eugenius Birch
- Captain Samuel Brown
- John Constable
- J. M. W. Turner