West Pier Revealed | Remarkable results from new West Pier exploration
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ย. 2024
- Brighton’s iconic West Pier has been revealed and viewed close up for the first time in 20 years. Ever since two devastating fires in 2003, the pier has been too dangerous to access and, battered by frequent storms, experts feared the worst for its condition and prospects for the future.
But now, specialist drone footage, taken on one of the lowest tides of the year, has enabled the ruin to be studied in detail, and its future assessed. The results are extraordinary.
Despite the constant battering by nature, the terminally damaged pier is in better condition than experts dared hope, and it is the arson attacks, not storms, that have caused the worst damage. Beautiful decorative sections are still intact. Decades old concrete sleeves remain, protecting the original struts and piles screwed into the seabed in 1866. Staircases used to board the pleasure steamers are still clearly visible and sections of the old promenade walkways survive.
The investigation also shows how whilst the pier may be unsafe for humans, a wealth of seabirds and marine life have turned it into a living iron reef.
I don't know why I am intrigued by this structure, but I am. I've seen it in at least one TV show on Britbox. I'm in New Mexico, USA and it's 6:39 AM here now. Thank you for a lovely video.
Because it was the only Grade 1 listed pier in the UK. The Prime Minister John Major guaranteed the rebuild in 1994, via the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The money was granted for the rebuild, then somehow removed over disputes and disputes and excuses after excuses. I do not know how they got away with it
Gorgeous footage! Thank you!
I can’t help but find this desperately sad and frustrating. There’s nothing good about the state of the remains, they are an indication of failure and criminal activity and a sad result after years of attempts to restore this beautiful structure.
That said, this is a fascinating watch and it’s remarkable how nature reclaims man made structures.
It should be rebuilt with concert hall, theatre, eateries. If the owners of Brighton Pier don't like the competition too bad, Brighton gets enough visitors to sustain two piers particularly if they offer different attractions. This is a wealthy country, we waste vast amounts on far more pointless projects, some of which never even finally get implemented (eg London's absurd garden bridge), the West Pier is part of the UK's heritage it would be to everyone's benefit to restore it.
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The Noble Family said it was unfair competition ( it isnt unfair)
This is wonderful ❤️
Out of all the millions and billions of people living in the UK and outside.. no one has come forward to support the restoration of this magnificent structure. Goes to show such a depressing and incapable the English people have become. Thanks for the video
There's no way it could ever be restored, it was too far gone even before the fires. The only real option is to leave what is there to become what it will become- it is a valuable natural reef underwater, teeming with life and this should be allowed to continue. Trying to remove it would be huge waste of resources and effort for very little gain.
Regardless, I don't think that restoration is the best option- I would rather see a well designed modern structure designed to look forward rather than backwards. I worked at the Dubai Expo in 2022. There were some incredible modern structures there. The most impressive of which (to me, at least) were designed by British architects. We really should be using the talent that we have here for world beating innovation, just as the West Pier was incredibly innovative and impressive when it was first built.