Brighton Pier

Brighton Palace Pier

Brighton Palace Pier in early-October 2011
Official name	Brighton Palace Pier
Type	Pleasure Pier
Design	R. St George Moore
Total length	524 metres (1,719 ft)
Opening date	May 1899

Coordinates: 50°48′59″N 0°08′14″W / 50.81639°N 0.13722°W / 50.81639; -0.13722

The Brighton Marine Palace and Pier is a pleasure pier in Brighton, England, which opened in 1899. It is generally known as Palace Pier for short but was renamed Brighton Pier in 2000 by its owners, the Noble Organisation. In July 2016, the owners announced it would be renamed Brighton Palace Pier. The West Pier was its rival but was closed in 1975 and was subsequently severely damaged by fires and storms, with the remaining iron structure being partially demolished in 2010. Historically, the now destroyed Royal Suspension Chain Pier was the first pier structure built in Brighton.

Work began on the Palace Pier in 1891. The inaugural ceremony for laying of the first pile was held on 7 November 1891, overseen by Mayor Samuel Henry Soper. The pier opened in May 1899 after costing a record £27,000 to build. This was Brighton's third pier. A condition to be met by its builders, in exchange for permission to build, was that the first, the Royal Suspension Chain Pier of 1823, which had fallen into a state of disrepair, was to be demolished. They were saved this task by a storm which largely destroyed the Chain Pier.

A concert hall opened two years later, and by 1911 this had become a theatre.

During World War 2, the pier was closed and some decking removed as a security precaution.

Summer shows with stars such as Dick Emery, Tommy Trinder and Doris and Elsie Waters were held in the theatre until the 1970s.