News

Punch Prof Glyn Edwards http://www.punch-and-judy.com/what-we-do.html remembers being inspired by this show, the Professor ‘was Tom Kemp, a well known performer who used to claim he was one of the only one…s to have a university degree. That was in the days when a graduate was very unlikely to be a P&J performer. His was the ... Read more

Here’s a very rare photo taken during the construction of the Concert Hall. The building opened in 1916 so this probably dates from 1915. Interesting that such a major piece of work took place during the upheavals of the World War I.

The Argus is running a competition inviting readers to submit photos that encapsulate what they most love about Sussex. Yesterday Tom Welland’s beautiful pictures of the pier were published http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10634650.Happy_snappers_send_in_all_their_wonderful_pictures_of_Sussex/

was an excellent compilation of archive seaside material interspersed with recent interviews – Gavin Henderson, President of the National Piers Society and I, on behalf of the Trust, are interviewed amongst others. It lasts three hours but is well worth the listen and is available for another week http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b038xhc6

will be broadcast at 9am and 7pm tomorrow, Saturday 24th August. The programme lasts three hours and features the West Pier! http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b038xhc6  

Did you know that Robert Peston is a great Punch & Judy enthusiast? After sharing this with PM listeners a few weeks ago Glyn Edwards invited him to Brighton for a lesson…http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23033994 http://www.thefedoragroup.com/Home.html

Local composer Paul Lewis has been in touch. He has written an orchestral piece about the Concert Hall which will be performed on 9th November by Sussex Symphony Orchestra http://ssomusic.co.uk/events-3/concert-schedule/ Many members of his family were musicians and he writes: The sad fate of the West Pier is very poignant for me since my mother ... Read more

It’s a shame Tim Ridgway didn’t talk to us, look at our website or even glance at our Facebook page before writing his article in today’s Argus (it’s not yet on the website so no link yet). We’ve written to the letters page setting the record straight!

Congratulations to Hastings Pier, another arson victim and recipient of a Heritage Lottery Fund award. It has cleared it’s legal problems and restoration can begin! Excellent news for Hastings. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-23699453

Apart from F10 Studios http://www.f10studios.co.uk/  virtual tour of the pier https://www.westpier.co.uk/gallery/virtual-west-pier/ the best way to get an idea of how the pier was in its heyday is to watch Richard Attenborough’s brilliant film version of Joan Littlewood’s Oh! What a Lovely War easily available on dvd at Amazon and other suppliers. It’ll amaze you! With ... Read more

This wonderful picture was taken soon after the pier’s reopening post WW2. It shows the interior of the Concert Hall (the building that was closest to the beach) when it was used as a café.

Here’s a rare aerial view of the pier. The photo was probably taken in the early 1960s when funfair amusements dominated the pier, the management’s attempt to lure holiday makers who were already deserting the UK for European package holidays. it also illustrates how the Brighton skyline has changed in recent decades.