News

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 themselves, Tom was fascinated by the people playing and working on piers. Tom completed his coastal odyssey in 1984, calling the finished collection ‘Britain’s Threatened Victorian Piers’. He then ... Read more

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 of emotions. How about a valentine for your enemy? Your hated boss? Your annoying neighbour? Your despised ex? Victorian valentines included them all. This talk showcases the vicious and ... Read more

We are releasing for sale some important and rare original pieces of the Pier. This is a chance to own unique elements of Brighton’s most beloved and iconic seaside structure. Items include an exceptional cast-iron serpent lamp column (see above) and rare cast-iron seat backs, both of which lined the perimeter of the original 1866 ... Read more

Queen Mary was the patron of the first Regency Exhibition in the Summer of 1946. This was an important moment in the Royal Pavilion’s history when the public could see its rooms furnished for the first time. The success of the exhibition sparked the idea of returning the Royal Palace to its former glory. In ... Read more

A supermarket worker is displaying his photographic work inspired by the West Pier in a community exhibition opening on Brighton seafront this month. Bradley Moon is one of 16 artists and photographers whose work all features the power and beauty of the iconic structure, and will be shown at the West Pier Centre in Kings Road Arches, Brighton, from September 12.

Access to the coast was severely restricted during World War II and many resorts suffered bomb damage to key parts of their tourism infrastructure. This talk looks at the recovery period, as the pent-up demand for seaside holidays helped resorts bounce back and start building new visitor attractions that embodied the optimistic mood of the ... Read more

The Academy of Punch & Judy project launched recently at the West Pier Centre. Prof. Glyn Edwards Brighton’s Punch and Judy man and ‘Professor’ says, ‘The Academy is very much about spreading the word to see if we can identify any local talent who might want to take up the torch. Equally the Academy will ... Read more

‘The End of the Pier’ Exhibition at the West Pier Centre from 6th July 2024. A nostalgic photographic journey. Tim Rudman FRPS ‘After being declared unsafe in 1975, the Victorian West Pier at Brighton was closed for twenty-five years. Cut off from land, it was abandoned to the elements, the pigeons and the sea birds ... Read more

This talk examines a much-ridiculed aspect of British seaside dress. More than an unfashionable solution to the vagaries of the weather, however, wearing socks and sandals can be surprisingly radical. This talk charts their origins, their intersection with the history of socialism, and their association with local figures and events, from the Brighton-born poet Edward ... Read more

Crime fiction’s popularity shows no sign of waning. If anything, over the last decade it’s taken an even more central place on our bookshelves and TV screens. Local crime fiction author William Shaw, whose work is set in and around Dungeness, thinks he has an answer – and it’s probably not what you think. Willliam’s ... Read more

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