Two hundred years ago, the Chain Pier (officially called the Royal Suspension Chain Pier) opened in Brighton. The Chain Pier was the first of three piers built in Brighton. Today, only the Palace Pier remains. Brighton’s first pier was also one of the earliest piers in the UK.
Brighton had become a popular destination over the late Georgian period thanks to its popularity with Prince George (later the Prince Regent and George IV) and the social elite, and the onset of the sea bathing craze. It was also a well-used stopping point for travellers to and from Europe via Dieppe. However, there was no embarkation point and travellers had to be ferried to the larger ships out at sea by small, uncomfortable boats.
To provide travellers with a more dignified method of boarding their ships, the pier was proposed in 1806. Marine engineer Captain Sir Samuel Brown was commissioned to design the pier. He had pioneered and patented the use of wrought iron chains. The Union Suspension Bridge over the River Tweed is also one of his designs and is still in use.
Egyptian Design
The Chain Pier extended out into the sea over one thousand feet and spanned almost three hundred feet. Four block islands upheld hollow, cast-iron, arch-shaped towers linked with wrought iron chains. At the end of the pier, a landing platform allowed people to board their ships.
The design was influenced by the Egyptian revival following Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt and the discovery of the Rosetta stone. Brown modelled the arched towers on the gateways of Karnak in Egypt.
“… a curious specimen of modern ingenuity and scientific art.”
E.W. Brayley, Topographical Sketches of Brighthelmston and its Neighbourhood (1825)
The pier cost £30,000, and they celebrated its opening on 25th November 1823 with a procession, fireworks, and music enjoyed by 30,000 spectators.
The Pleasure Pier
While they originally built the pier as a landing stage, it did not take long for it to double as a pleasure pier. The hollow towers allowed shops and attractions to operate from them.
Promenading out over the waves became a popular and invigorating experience. For tuppence, one could walk out on the pier and enjoy the pleasures it offered. Attractions on the pier included exhibitions, musicians, entertainers, a telescope, a sundial, a camera obscura, and lots of benches where one could sit, relax and take in the sea air. Let’s not forget, it was also a popular spot for local amateur fishermen.
Decline of the Chain Pier
Unfortunately, the pier could not meet the demands of a dedicated pleasure pier and plans for new piers began in the 1850s.
Over the years, the pier had also suffered storm damage. The lure of newer attractions, such as the West Pier and the Aquarium in the 1860s and 1870s, led to the decline of the Chain Pier and it fell into disrepair.
In 1891, work began on the Palace Pier. The now decrepit Chain Pier was closed in 1896 and set to be demolished. However, a storm on 4th December 1896 destroyed what was left of the pier.
Today, we can see only a few masonry blocks from the foundations of the pier at low tide. However, the signal cannon from the pier is still intact and the entrance kiosks are now used as small shops on the Palace Pier.
You can find more images of the Royal Suspension Chain Pier here.
