The historic West Pier, which closed in 1975, began to collapse into the sea in December 2002 and, having since caught fire twice, is just a dark shadow on the water. It’s a sad end for this Victorian marvel, where the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel once performed. Nevertheless it’s still quite an arresting, beautiful sight though the only flocks of visitors now are the thousands of starlings who swoop around it in winter.
West Pier
Brighton & Hove
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.65 MILES
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Brighton’s newest attraction opened in 2016, at the point the now defunct West Pier used to make landfall. The world’s most slender tower is a brutal,…
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Arundel Castle was first built in the 11th century but all that's left of the early structure are the modest remains of the keep. It was ransacked during…
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On this spot raged the pivotal battle in the last successful invasion of England in 1066: an event that had an unparalleled impact on the country’s…
0.68 MILES
This grand old Edwardian pier is the place to experience Brighton’s tackier side. There are plenty of stomach-churning fairground rides and noisy…
0.7 MILES
Not just for children, this aquarium is an underground exhibition of nature's fascinating water creatures. Walking around the church-like interior,…
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Lewes Castle & Barbican House Museum
7.9 MILES
Now little more than a set of ruins, this castle was built shortly after the 1066 Norman invasion. It never saw warfare, but there were riotous…
Nearby Brighton & Hove attractions
0.15 MILES
Brighton’s newest attraction opened in 2016, at the point the now defunct West Pier used to make landfall. The world’s most slender tower is a brutal,…
0.65 MILES
The Royal Pavilion is the city’s must-see attraction. The glittering party pad and palace of Prince George, later Prince Regent and then King George IV,…
3. Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
0.68 MILES
Set in the Royal Pavilion’s renovated stable block, this museum and art gallery has a glittering collection of 20th-century art and design, including a…
0.68 MILES
This grand old Edwardian pier is the place to experience Brighton’s tackier side. There are plenty of stomach-churning fairground rides and noisy…
0.7 MILES
Not just for children, this aquarium is an underground exhibition of nature's fascinating water creatures. Walking around the church-like interior,…
1.45 MILES
Hove can justifiably claim to be the birthplace of British cinema, with the first short film shot here in 1898. You can see it alongside other fascinating…
2.15 MILES
Europe' biggest, Brighton’s wave-shaped marina washes ashore 1.5 miles east of the pier. In addition to brand-name shopping, numerous chain eateries and…
8. Anne of Cleves House Museum
7.64 MILES
When Henry VIII divorced Anne of Cleves in 1541, he gave her this timber-framed house as part of her divorce settlement, although she never moved in. The…