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Daniel Defoe is known to all as the author of Robinson Crusoe, but he was much more than the country’s first novelist. In 1724 was published his ‘Whole tour of the island of Great Britain’ and this talk will look at his journey through SE England in particular, 300 years after the event.’ Geoffrey Mead … Read more
Paul Farrington has swam in the sea by the Palace Pier nearly everyday since 2009. As a graphic designer he has always loved printed ephemera, old photographs, letterpress posters and films. In 2011, he applied for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to tell the story of Brighton Swimming Club through a rich and colourful … Read more
In 2023 Sam Moore filmed the West Pier one early May morning in glorious sunshine and at an extreme low tide. Most of the structure was brilliantly lit and exposed to view. In the 157 years since the pier opened in 1866 110,000 tides have risen and fallen around the structure. This film provides the … Read more
The sixties was a decade of enormous change: from tower blocks, traffic jams and Sussex University to supermarkets, alternative lifestyles and mods and rockers. This talk will draw on the wealth of photographic and other evidence to chart and perhaps explain the era of ‘You’ve never had it so good’. David Fisher is the chair … Read more
A Talk by Jackie Marsh-Hobbs on the Secrets of the Royal Pavilion The extraordinary story of George IV’s exotic Regency Palace, which despite its turbulent history has managed to survive and is now beautifully restored to its original 1823 splendour. One of the most famous and exotic buildings in Britain, attracting visitors from all over … Read more
In 1823, local landowner Thomas Kemp conceived the idea of a magnificent new and fashionable estate east of Brighton that was to bear his name. Things did not go as well as he had hoped! Come and listen to a talk which tells the story of this fascinating man and his times, and his key … Read more
How was Brighton experienced, historically, as a place for flirtation and attraction? As quiz shows used to say, answers were submitted on the back of postcards. Through a survey of Brighton Museum’s c.10,000 cards, this talk reveals suggestive glimpses of Edwardian assignations on pleasure gardens and piers, written in teasing and coded messages, upside down … Read more
The next exhibition at the West Pier Centre is Contemporary Pier Posters by Nicky Thompson, which will also include a new image of the West Pier especially created for this exhibition. Nicky is a graphic designer, illustrator, lecturer and occasional fine artist and since 1994 he has owned and managed design studio, Lemondrop Creative. He … Read more
Some new West Pier stories In the 25 years since Walking on Water was published, we have discovered much more about the history of the West Pier. In this talk by Fred Gray, the West Pier Trust’s honorary historian, he explores new material about the pier from its 1860s design to the present day. Ticket … Read more
The next exhibition at the West Pier Centre, Pierspace, runs from 6 July until 25 September, and showcases work by members of Artspace. This volunteer-led arts and mental health charity provides a community-based studio for people with experience of mental health issues to engage with art activities in a stable and supportive environment.The charity was … Read more
A talk by Jackie Marsh-Hobbs The life of the West Pier beautifully illustrated in art and photography. Showing the West Pier through art in early photographs of its construction to over a hundred years of fame and success until its decline and closure in 1975. Despite the ravages of time, subsequent decades saw the defiant, … Read more
Andy Garth of Brighton and Hove Stuff presents an interactive mosey through the news, non news and events of the time via the archive of black and white photographs and negatives of which he has guardianship and reminds us of what was going on in an age where the local paper was the king of … Read more
