Brighton Palace Pier gets protected status

Brighton Palace Pier has been granted protected status, a move that makes it easier for the community to buy and preserve the Victorian pleasure pier. The Grade II* listed structure sits in the centre of Brighton, opposite the Old Steine, and is described by Lord Bassam of Brighton, chair of the Seafront Development Board, as a 'national institution' and a 'jewel of our crown'.

The pier was designed by R. St George Moore and opened on 20 May 1899 after three years of construction, making it the third pier built in the city, following the Royal Suspension Chain Pier in 1823 and the West Pier in 1866. Work began in November 1881, though a storm in 1896 destroyed the remains of the previous Chain Pier and damaged the unfinished Palace Pier, delaying progress. It now extends about 1,722 feet into the English Channel and carries 85 miles of decking, with 67,000 light bulbs for night illumination and an annual repaint that takes three months. The original construction cost was a record £27,000, roughly £3 million in 2025 money.

Its history has been a busy one. It functioned as a theatre until 1986, when it was turned into an amusement park after a 70-tonne boat damaged it in 1973 and it was sold to the Noble Organisation in 1984. Along the way it has dealt with an IRA bomb defused near the pier on 13 August 1994, a suspected arson fire on 4 February 2003 that took out the ghost train, and a £37,000 safety breach fine in 2004. In 2016 it was sold to the Eclectic Bar Group, led by Luke Johnson, for £18 million and took back the name Brighton Palace Pier. In 2017 it was named Pier of the Year by the National Piers Society and was the most visited tourist attraction in the UK outside London, with 4.5 million visitors.

Today it is owned and traded by The Brighton Pier Group LTD, incorporated on 12 September 2013, with CEO Anne Ackord at the helm since April 2017 and Luke Johnson chairing the board. The group also runs seven indoor mini-golf sites. In January 2026, the company put the pier up for sale, citing difficult trading, declining tourism and poor summer weather, with costs rising by about 50%. An admission fee for non-residents was introduced at £1 on 25 May 2024 and doubled to £2 in March 2026. Visitors still get two arcades, 19 funfair rides, a restaurant, two bars, kiosks and event space that can hold parties of up to 2,000 people. It has stood in films like Brighton Rock, Cassandra's Dream and Stormzy's Big Man, and has hosted works such as Quadrophenia and Sweeney Todd.

The pier is a key piece of Brighton & Hove's seafront regeneration, which drew 12.2 million visits in 2024, brought in £1.39 billion for the local economy and supported over 25,600 jobs. The Seafront Development Board, chaired by Lord Bassam, was announced by the city council on 17 July 2025, with its first focus on the stretch between the Palace Pier and the Marina, alongside options for Black Rock, the restoration of Madeira Terrace and general seafront maintenance. Its first meeting is expected in the autumn.