Brighton West Pier - a short history.

Don't go a lot on your music taste lol .
But very sad to see Brighton pier lost

Just imagine what an amazing attraction it would have been if they’d restored it and the fired hadn’t happened

It was such a beautiful construction. Like so many other beautiful piers (Clevedon comes to mind)…
We don't have things like that in France.

I so wish such gems would be better preserved : this one, the New Brighton tower, Birnbeck pier. So sad…

I’m not from Brighton but a frequent visitor for the past 15 years, I’m now in my early 20’s but have always been fascinated with this pier and the history behind it, the thing I always love from this video is the glowing red signage of “west pier”, it seems to be illuminated in the 90’s section of this video, so I’m guessing the electric was kept on until it’s demise? However I really wished I got to see the pier in it’s entirety and not burnt out skeleton. Such a shame it’s now replaced by that eyesore i360 it seems like the trust was a bit of a sellout, but don’t worry Brightoners, when I become a millionaire I’ll restore this site to its former grandeur and glory ;)

They were going to make the pier bigger until this happens..

How did this happen!?

There is some good footage taken on the pier for the TV series Killer Net which was filmed in 1998.

I believe that the ITV television show, Season 5 Episode 8 "Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan" shows a CGI reconstruction of the West Pier as it appeared in in the mid-1930's. I can't find an authoritative reference to confirm that. Does anyone know?

Sitting on the beach in front of west pier watching your video. Wow 🤩 magnificent. Well done, you did it justice!

So what happened to cause the pier to become derelict?? I know about the fire in 2003 but not much of an exact timeline before that.

What a blatant insurance job

burnt down by the planners as usual, to costly to repair lets get rid ov, this happens regular in cities to make room for car parking in towns, easy money bit of tarmac and a parking machine ace cafe reunion 2000 Brighton sea front, remember it well, victorian splendour, they say it was vandals was it hell

I haven’t heard Hergest Ridge for a very long time, especially part 2. You’ve cleverly edited a piece that’s around 17 minutes long.

what a legacy this generation have left from greed and corruption. The Victorians built everything and to last with great infrastructure we will always be very thankful, all we had to do was maintain them. Unfortunately this modern generation only know destruction and how to get rid of the past including the buildings. why did the council sell it? as this was publicly owned, the answer, corruption ,greed and selling their heritage off to the highest bidder. We need to put back buildings like this as well as all the trams no matter what the cost, the Victorians didn't care how much money it took , why should we. otherwise we leave nothing behind to build on.

Born and bred in Brighton, I remember walking on the pier as a kid. Proper insurance job, easier to burn down than redevelop

Stuff like this shows how amazing Brighton must have been back in the day. Such a shame the city has gone downhill so badly.

Absolutely love this I can watch it again and again love all the clips and photos and music goes so well with it !!!!

I first saw the West Pier back in 1992. It was already derelict, however, its sight haunted me forever. I came back several times throughout the years… I always had hope. Sadly the arson attack in 2003 ended it all. I would love to see footage of the pier’s interior prior to its closing in 1975. What a sad story. Thanks for the video.

Good music from Mike .Good video s

The music is from???

If I could go back in a time machine to revisit certain places, I would take the opportunity to see things that are no longer there. If I was back in New York in 1963 I would skip the Empire State Building and instead visit Pennsylvania Station. If I visted San Francisco in 1965 I would take a look at the Sutro Baths. If I could revisit Brighton in 1972, I would definitely tour the West Pier.

Truly fascinating video and desperately sad as I always hoped the West Pier might be rebuilt. I'm guessing the music is Mike Oldfield?

Did you know that the west pier was burned because of a arson

As of 2023, it has been 20 years since the 2 fires on the west pier. March 2003 and May 2003

The music is terrifying…..

Brighton council should be ashamed of themselves for letting the pier fall into ruin. I hope the same fate does not fall to the currently closed of sections off Madeira Drive.

What is the 2003 video called? Of west pier

I'm pretty sure I went on the West Pier as a child early 70s, being told by my parents to mind the gaps in the flooring.

I used to take my two small Toddlers on the West Pier and later down to the Paddling Pool nearby on the lower Prom. Lived in Kemp Town. West Pier was always better than the Palace Pier for nippers I thought. Palace Pier was always busy with Day Trippers back in the 1960's.

I always wonder what it would be like to be on it when it's all derelict and cut off from land. It gives me the biggest feeling of unease.

I have such sweet memories as a girl of Brighton and just seeing that shell brought them flooding back. Remembering my Nan & Grandad taking me to the seaside is one of my favourite things. Thank you 😊

The west pier was the best pier.
A very elegant structure, it was a tragedy it wasn't saved.

RIP West Pier, the better of the two.

Very sad story of a Brighton landmark.

Very sad....can remember lovely holidays in Brighton in 60's and 70's with my late Mum and Dad. Always a treat to go onto the West Pier. Considered the posher end of Brighton back then. It should never have been allowed to fall into such disrepair in the first place....but probably wasn't as popular with visitors as it was in its heyday. So sad seeing it burn 😢

The pier was set alight deliberately,they could've and should've restored long before,but they didn't,theres no excuse for that.All down to government and crappy brighton council as usual.

It was 27000 not 2700

Great footage & I am would suggest you tone the video in the next video 👍

as a brighton lad they should have restored the weat pier instead of wasting it on i360

Nothing like old skool metal the ford range of cars 🚗 would be here if it weren't for crap metal and salt roads i think the car industry had a deal with the salt makers to get cars off the road quicker lol 😊

I remember going on it in my youth.
Like most seaside towns, a victim of the appeal of foreign holidays.
If it ain't making money, it won't survive.

Born in Brighton in 1968, remember my mum taking me for a walk on the pier in the early 1970’s. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for 25 years, but Brighton is my home

Used to fish off the end when I was a kid in the 60s, preferred it to the palace pier.

My dad always talked about the West Pier being much better (posher) than the Palace pier (common) and spoke about having shares in it (god knows what happened to them!!) Remember being dragged along to awful pantomimes in the cold and damp theatre on the end in the winter and Richard Atinborough directing “Oh, What a wonderful war”. Sadly, it being a listed building didn’t help , as no one was prepared to stump up the necessary dosh needed to refurbish it.

Really tragic. If it had been preserved it would be an amazing attraction now.

Memories of long ago. I think the last time I walked on it was possibly mid ‘73, but it could have been a bit earlier.

Those quaint old 1d slot machines took quite a bit of my small change whenever I visited in those days.

From the 1st note I knew that was Mike Oldfield, great choice of soundtrack, thanks!

Great content vividly remember walking this pier! Got to say that backing sound was hideous!😮