The West Pier Centre

The West Pier Centre is the seafront home of the West Pier Trust. You can find us on beach level in an arch east of Brighton i360, near the Golden Spiral at the foot of the slope opposite the Hilton Brighton Metropole. Visit us for information about the West Pier, exhibitions, books and souvenirs, monthly talks, events, education and community engagement sessions.

We are open 11am – 4.30pm Friday – Mondays (closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday). Occasionally, in bad weather or to hold Trust meetings, we may have to close temporarily. Please contact 01273 321499 or info@westpier.co.uk to check.

West Pier in Close Up

These are the first close up shots of the iconic West Pier remains since the devastating fires of 2003 made the structure too dangerous to access.

Shot on the lowest tide of the year, the West Pier Trust investigation in association with Visual Air shows the West Pier is in better shape than first hoped. Beautiful detailed ironwork still survives, along with staircases, walkways and much of the original support structure.

The ruin has also become a haven for wild life home to cormorants and a myriad of other birds as well as sea life.

Credit: Sam Moore at Visual Air

celebrating the past

The West Pier Trust is committed through education and conservation to preserving and celebrating the history of the West Pier.

managing the present

The West Pier Trust is responsible for the remains of the pier and the administration of the site.

planning the future

The West Pier Trust is investigating the creation of a new contemporary West Pier for Brighton which complements and enhances the character of the city.

Brighton's West Pier

For more than a century and a half the West Pier has been Britain’s most iconic pier. Renowned for its wonderful architectural style, it has been visited and enjoyed by millions. Even today with its sculptural remains casting an eerie beauty over the seafront, the West Pier is still the most photographed building in Brighton.

History of the Pier

Galleries

Talks & Events

West Pier News

Art and Seaside Resorts – 17th April 2025

In 2025 it will be 200 years since the beginning of the building of the railways, which were responsible for opening up our coastline to the ...

Tom Martin’s Remarkable 1980s Pier Pictures – 27th March 2025

In the early 1980s the photographer Tom Martin began a project to record Britain’s seaside piers, and a few in Europe too. Apart from the piers ...

Brutal Brighton Valentines – 20th February 2025

In the mid-nineteenth century, valentine cards were bought and sent by the million. They were available in hundreds of different designs to cover a vast array ...

The West Pier Ruin

The West Pier was destroyed in two arson attacks in 2003 dashing all hopes of restoration. The ruin is in a state of active collapse and has been for three decades. We don’t know when the ruin will collapse further although it is certain it will happen and most probably will eventually become an off-shore reef only revealed at low tide. The structure is dangerous and should not be approached.

We have a management plan in place to mark the site, warn people not to approach and to remove debris that reaches the beach at low water. We do not have the funds to maintain the ruin in a steady state: it is technically just not feasible. But as an active ‘living’ ruin it is fascinating to watch the site naturally evolve and change.

The West Pier on Instagram

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