History of

Work on the 1115 foot pier, designed by Eugenius Birch started in 1863. The cost was £30,000 and it opened on October 5th 1866. The southern end pavilion was constructed in 1893 but was rebuilt and and enlarged two years later. In 1896, landing stages were constructed. These were extended in 1901. A bandstand, halfway along was removed in 1916 and this part of the pier was widened and a Concert Hall added. A new top-deck entrance was added in 1932.

The seaward end closed in October 1970. Consent for demolition was given by the Department of the Environment, subject to the approval of Brighton Council. In 1974, the ‘We Want The West Pier’ (WWWP) was formed under John Lloyd and, as a result, the council adopted a ‘wait and see’ policy, deferring demolition. Owners AVP Industries closed the entire pier in 1975, but the council refused to buy it.

Receivers were appointed in 1977 and, in 1984, the ‘Brighton West Pier Trust’ (successors to WWWP) bought the pier from the Commissioners for £100. Work began on Britain’s only Grade I listed pier but storms in 1987 and 1988 caused damage to a 110 foot section which had to be removed, thus isolating the Concert Hall and pavilion. The Trust entered into contract with Merlin International Properties (UK) Ltd, but repair work stopped in December 1989. Merlin pulled out in 1991 and a revitalised Trust under new leadership reverted to their original aims.

On August 6th 1996, an initial grant of £968,000 was awarded from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the following month a steel walkway was built reconnecting the isolated section to the shore. After some hesitation, a further £10.65 million was committed in March 1998 with £3 million earmarked for work on the superstructure. Private finance was being supplied by London & Regional Properties and Mr Oliver Peyton. The pier was eventually opened to visitors on special organised tours.

However, a series of disasters overtook the pier. Storms in late 2002 and early 2003 caused part of the pier and concert hall to collapse. Then in March 2003, the pavilion and further sections of the pier were destroyed by a massive fire. This was followed only two months later in May 2003 by a further fire which reduced the concert hall to a burnt out shell, which itself later collapsed into the sea during a storm the following year.

Despite the fact that the pier was now virtually just a bare framework, the Brighton West Pier Trust persevered in its efforts to save the pier, not helped by the withdrawal of funding by HLF and English Heritage.

Then, in October 2006, plans were announced to build the 'Brighton i360', a 500 foot high tower with a viewing platform effectively creating a 'pier in the sky'. This would also be accompanied by a partial rebuild of the West pier. Building was due to start in July 2007 but the global collapse in available credit saw its construction pushed back and back, and by September 2010, a start date had still not been fixed.

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