Brighton's storm-damaged West Pier

Rollingthunder · 29th Jul 2004, 20:42

Enough dithering around - it's a write-off.

Get weaving on removing the carcass and build a new one. How long has it been since a new pier has been constructed in England? There are many good things that can be accomplshed with a modern pier intoning the historical overtones of the original.

Onan the Clumsy · 29th Jul 2004, 21:37

When they open it, they'd jolly well better have a brass band and some rousing tunes for our chaps in the Crimea.

VFE · 29th Jul 2004, 21:56

What amazes me about that pier is that being a total rust bucket it pollutes the ocean around it and just yards away toddlers bath in the poisoned waters. How easy is it to aquire rust poisoning?

VFE.

surely not · 30th Jul 2004, 20:29

Oh deep joy, I thought I was the only person in Sussex who thought the bloomin thing needed to be destroyed. No more wasting of money to keep a bunch oh saddos busy trying to justify renovating a heap of twisted metal!!

Thank you English Heritage for seeing sense and pulling out of support for this monstrosity.

Loki · 30th Jul 2004, 20:39

Agreed, `tis a complete eyesore. Brighton is not my favourite place, but it deserves better than to have this ugly relic.

Parapunter · 30th Jul 2004, 22:01

As a resident, my twopenneth is it's gotta go. It may have had a chance had the owners of the other pier not gone to court to argue against it's restoration, which stopped everything for a couple of years. As for eyesores, there's no shortage of them in Brighton. Cast an eye over Embassy court for starters.

Don't really follow the rust poison thing, didn't the Navy just sink a rusty ship off portsmouth to make a home for sea critters?

Onan the Clumsy · 31st Jul 2004, 01:53

As an aside - and to show off my encyclopediac knowledge - does anyone remember the sequel to Dad's Army where they got together and bought a pier?

They could do a remake of that dreadful thing with the Bucket woman and THEN dynamite the pier

LowNSlow · 31st Jul 2004, 05:07

VFE don't think you understand the realities of pollution old bean.

If you sucked a rusty bolt for a day you'd only increase the follic acid (iron) levels in your bloodstream!

Back to the thread: Pull the damn thing down, build something new and inspiring in it's place.

Parapunter · 31st Jul 2004, 07:24

One also suspects that the local residents who by definition are relatively well heeled, have indulged in a spot of good old English Nimbyism to prevent the removal of the pier in order to stop it's replacement with a Mcdonalds/Yates wine hole/Nightclub on the seafront etc etc

fz78k · 31st Jul 2004, 13:14

West pier trust has 'vowed to fight on'.
Why waste their time? Demolition (by dynamite or sea) is inevitable.

BRL · 31st Jul 2004, 15:13

I don't know anyone who wants to see it re-built. No-one at work and no-one locally. The only people who talk about its being and what a waste if nothing happens to it,are the 80 somethings who have nothing better than there old memories of the place. Other than, no-one is bothered at all.

Only good thing about it now is its photogenic appeal. Looks pretty amazing when its grey and stormy, got some excellent pictures of it in storms.

Onan the Clumsy · 31st Jul 2004, 18:30

It'd just be following in the footsteps of The Chain Pier which opened in 1823, but was destroyed in a storm in 1896.

It was replaced by the Palace Pier which I believe is still standing.

Seing as the West Pier opened in 1866, with the Concert Hall being added in 1916, perhaps you could say it lived a long life. It's been closed since 1975.

Gainesy · 1st Aug 2004, 11:21

Er, what exactly is the point of a pier? As pointless as half a bridge.

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