Andy Hebden shares his memories of going on one of our hard hat tours in the 1990’s in the Brighton & Hove Independent. For several years until autumn 1996 the pier was detached from the land. A lottery grant enabled us to reconnect it with a bridge walkway and carry out essential emergency repairs whilst we prepared for full restoration. We used the opportunity to run daily guided tours (several times a day at weekends) so people could see the pier and experience some of its, albeit dilapidated, majesty. Thousands of people came. The tours ended in 2001 when storm damage made it too unsafe to venture out.
