I I fancyco walk over water. Both Turner and Constable painted this multi-span, bridgelike pier. From this viewpoint on the middle promenade you can see a scone pier-cumbreakwater, Banjo Groyne. To the right lies Palace Pier, on the mainstream of activity and throbbing with life; beyond this another stone pier. The outer markers of Brighron's overlap inro the briny are, co the right, the arisrocratic West Pier and, co the left, the new marina, an uncommon feat of engineering co have witnessed. Lying just beyond the nude bathing area, it really is a bold revetment. Its lolloping, all embracing arms built entirely in concrete show how well this material can look. Part of the area won from the sea has now, sadly, been filled with incohesive, money making buildings. A poor swap for the enlarged spectacle of boats in profusion when waters were first trapped. If Brighron was an industrial museum, even a Beamish, every one of these promentories would be cherished as inimitable exhibits in a peculiarly British field of achievement (or folly), a story which could be fully illustrated in one short stretch of coastline, a story which would have co revolve around the queen of them all, West Pier. Above: Cockain, Robinson and Moss. UIA ideas compecicion en cry. Wesr elevarion. of rescored pier and proposed chree scorcy mu/ci-purpose building and pacernoscer. Lefr: Plan of pier showing oucline of presenc pier wich char of 1866 pier drawn wichin ic. Below: W'csr pier coday. CONTEXT 29 WEST PIER, BRJGHTON Designer Eugenius Birch, engineer of London, who worked on piers at Aberyscwich, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Eastbourne, Hastings, Hornsea, Lytham, New Brighton, Plymouth, Scarborough and elsewhere. Contractor R Laidlaw & Son of Glasgow who worked also on piers at Blackpool North, Deal, Hastings and Lycham,and submicced the lowest tender, .(21,890, in 1863. Original 4-in. diameter solid wrought iron piles screwed into position in 1863. these corroded until they were only two inches in diameter and had co be wholly replaced by the cast iron cubes of larger diameter still evident. Pier opened in 1866. In 1868 rhe pier oscillated and became unpopular for a time. In 1893a new pavilion was added ro a widened southern platform and in 1901 landing stages were built. In 1916 the central bridge section was widened in the manner now evident and the Concert Hall was built. The pier was closed in 1970 and remains closed. The entire length of the original pier was 1115 ft. The entrance platform measured 290 fr. by 140 fr. wide. This platform incorporated two inclined ramps so chat bachchairs could descend co the main deck level easily. On the main promenade, 560 fr. long by 50 fr. wide. the boarding was finished with bitumen and gravel. Few such 'bridge' sections were finished in this manner. Promenades such as this were usually in open jointed boarding co lessen· the surface area against storm surges of water and foam from below. The pier head originally measured 310 fr. by, of course, 140 fr. wide, the same as the entrance platform. BY CAR If you visit West Pier by car you should park in the underground car park below Regency Square. There always seems to be space here. The car park is linked to the promenade by tunnel giving access co the beach, co the divide referred to in the text and to a plentiful area under the pier at low tide and a sufficiency at high tide. The car park is clearly marked on the seafront road. It is well co the west of Palace Pier, less so from the Grand Hotel, now more splendid following its bombing, and just co the west of the Metropole Hotel. 25
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