Brighton is still in the top ten of this blog’s most-depicted locations, but hasn’t been seen since February 2018, until yesterday anyway. There are reasons why I should regain the habit of coming here. How much longer the old West Pier will last before collapsing entirely into the sea, no one knows for sure, but the ruins will doubtless feature on many people’s photos before they do.
A bit of catching up to do after spending the weekend in Brighton. The ruined West Pier is always good for a shot, probably looks as photogenic now as it ever did when it was standing. This one is taken from the extent Palace Pier (now just known as Brighton Pier).
This is the ruined West Pier’s second appearance on the blog, the first — accompanied by a huge flock of starlings — being way back on Day 72. Earlier this year it lost another chunk of ironwork to the winter storms, although that damage is not really visible on this shot. The photo also proves that it was a glorious morning on the south coast today — rather nicer than the foul wind and rain back in the north when I got home tonight, I can tell you (grumble).
I grew up in the South of England but left 20 years ago and don’t tend to come back if I can help it. This place, however, is the one exception. Sometimes I wish they would swap it with Blackpool – the one carbuncle on the face of the North – then all the really good places would be up there and all the naff places down South, But it’s probably better this way round. However, a warning – there are plans to build some huge ‘observation tower’ in front of the ruined West Pier. Remember, if there is anything cool and beautiful, someone, somewhere, is planning to fuck it up.
Being 42 