Brighton Palace Pier
In Brighton, the Brighton Palace Pier is the Grade II* listed Victorian pleasure pier designed by R. St George Moore and opened in May 1899, measuring 1,722 feet into the sea and featuring traditional seaside amusements.
History and Construction
Commenced in 1891 and opened on 20 May 1899, the Palace Pier was engineered to succeed the historic Royal Suspension Chain Pier, which had been destroyed in an 1896 gale. Reaching over a third of a mile into the English Channel on cast-iron screw piles, it was illuminated by thousands of electric filament lamps, becoming a beacon of evening leisure on the south coast.
In Practice
Today, the pier remains one of the UK's most visited leisure attractions outside London. While preserved with its Victorian wrought-iron railings and arched orientalist domes, its deck hosts fairground rollercoasters, classic penny arcades, fish and chip concessions, and seaside candy stalls. At night, its 67,000 bulbs produce the signature luminous line extending straight out to sea.
Why It Matters to Newcomers
Locals simply call it “the Palace Pier” (distinguishing it from the ruined West Pier). It marks the boundary where central Brighton transitions into Kemptown to the east. For relocated professionals, walking to the far end of the pier deck on a breezy weekday afternoon provides an unmatched panoramic view back toward the Brighton seafront skyline.
Related Terms
- West Pier – the 1866 skeletal iron counterpart standing to the west
- Seafront – the lower and upper esplanades connected directly to the pier approach
- Promenade – the coastal walkway leading west towards Hove Lawns
- Brighton Free Things to Do Guide – our guide to walking the Brighton coastline
Sources: Historic England List Entry 1381653; Brighton Palace Pier Company Records; National Piers Society Archive.