Royal Suspension Chain Pier facts for kids
The Royal Suspension Chain Pier was a very important pier built in Brighton, England. It was the first large pier there. Built in 1823, it stood for many years before a big storm destroyed it in 1896.
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What Was the Chain Pier?
This famous pier was often called the Chain Pier. It was designed by Captain Samuel Brown, a Royal Navy officer. He had already built another chain pier in Scotland in 1821.
The main reason for building the Chain Pier was to create a place for packet boats to dock. These boats traveled between Brighton and Dieppe, France. But the pier was also a fun place to visit. It had a few attractions, like a camera obscura.
To get onto the pier, people had to pay a small fee at an entrance booth. This booth was located on an esplanade, which is a long, open, level area, usually by the sea. The pier was roughly in line with an area called the New Steine.
Famous Visitors and Art
Many famous people visited the Chain Pier. Artists like Turner and Constable even painted pictures of it. These paintings show how beautiful and important the pier was.
King William IV also landed on the pier during his visits. The pier was so well-known that someone even wrote a song about it!
The Pier's End
For a while, the Chain Pier existed at the same time as another pier, the West Pier. Later, when plans were made to build the Palace Pier, there was a rule that the Chain Pier had to be taken down.
However, nature took care of this task. A powerful storm hit Brighton on December 4, 1896. The Chain Pier was already closed and in poor condition, and the storm completely destroyed it.
What Remains Today?
Even though the pier is gone, you could still see some parts of it for many years. Around 2010, at low tide, you could spot the remains of some of the pier's strong oak piles. These were the wooden supports that held it up. By 2021, they were no longer visible.
However, you can still see some of the heavy masonry blocks that were part of its foundation. Also, the signal cannon from the Chain Pier is still around. It's now on the Palace Pier. The small buildings that were once the entrance kiosks for the Chain Pier are also still used today as little shops on the Palace Pier.
Images for kids
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An old postcard showing the pier.
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A photochrom image of Brighton Aquarium with the pier in the background, taken around 1890.
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The Chain Pier at Brighton, painted by J. M. W. Turner.
