News

From luxury lodgings to gorgeous grandiose Since the town’s emergence as an exclusive resort in the 18th century, Brighton’s visitors have required accommodation. In the early days the nobility and gentry leased their newly erected houses to friends and acquaintances for the ‘season’, but increasing visitor numbers led to the growth of commercial ventures, and ... Read more

Born and educated in Trinidad W.I., Susan moved to the UK aged  23. She currently lives in Farnham, Surrey. ‘I always wished I had learned batik at high school…I loved the imperfect marks the method offers, and the colours of the Caribbean are second to none.’ says Susan. Some 40  years after leaving High School ... Read more

Charis Williams is  The Salvage Sister from BBC1’s ‘Getting the Builders in’,  presenter from Channel 4’s ‘Fill Your House for Free’ and UKTV’s ‘The New Reclaimers’. She’s a Designer and Metalworker who loves to create unusual, quality homewares with salvaged items. Recently, she was contacted by a client who had bought a cast iron seat-back from ... Read more

Lost Theatres of Brighton  is about the buildings, stars and shows of the eleven full-sized, purpose built-theatres Brighton has had over the years, only two of which survive. Chris Horlock, historian and author will also cover the West Pier theatre, Hippodrome, Essoldo, Palace Pier theatre and the Grand. Tickets should be purchased in advance and ... Read more

Sadly, we all know that the skeletal remains of Brighton’s West Pier will not be there forever, but what we can preserve are all those special memories and stories of Brighton’s most famous landmark. The West Pier Trust is working on a new initiative; a short film portraying your memories and stories in order to ... Read more

The very different and iconic style that emerged after WW1; the Modern Movement or ‘moderne’ style, later known as ‘Art Deco’ was brought to prominence by the Paris Exposition of Decorative Art in 1925 and lasted approximately twenty years. It was based on classical and other styles, including Egyptian, Arts & Crafts, Chinoiserie, Art Nouveau, ... Read more

The amazing Alej ez exhibition has just opened at the West Pier Centre Fri-Mon 11-5pm until January 2020. Don’t miss it! Free Admission. Prints/Cards for sale. Alej ez trained as an architect at the Universidad de Sevilla, Born in Granada, Spain he later moved to London where he worked for architects  Rick Mather and MSMR. ... Read more

September’s talk given by Jackie Marsh Hobbs is on the History of Brighton Palace Pier. The Brighton Marine Palace and Pier Company aimed to build a people’s palace above the sea, with the first pile being driven into the seabed on the 7th November 1891. The new pier opened on the 20th of May 1899; ... Read more

A talk on 1st August 2019 at West Pier Centre by Ian Gledhill giving a lighthearted look at seaside entertainment over the years, from bathing machines to end of the pier shows. English seaside towns began to be popular with the gentry in the 18th Century with the fashion for sea bathing, and soon developed into ... Read more

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – A talk by Melanie Rees-Green from the Green Centre: The Art of Sustainable Living: Zero Waste. Going on a journey through the waste hierarchy and how you can reduce the impact of your consumption on the planet and its oceans. Book your ticket and to find out more visit Eventbrite. Event: ... Read more

April 2019 WPT Talk – Open to all. Following her recent first lecture in her two part look at the history of British pleasure piers, Jackie Marsh-Hobbs in her second lecture covers the lucky survivors, disasters and heartbreak in the battle against the elements and the declining appeal of the British seaside holiday. Jackie will also ... Read more

West Pier Ahoy! by Lisa Holdcroft A giant, fun-filled, original cartoon of the West Pier from one hundred years ago captured in all its glory Perfect for all the family Lisa loves to draw the colourful characters and tribes that populate the streets and seafront of Brighton, as well as the amazing architecture. She has an ... Read more