Discover the Best Pier in Sussex
The best pier in Sussex could be in Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne and Hastings. All are popular and several have won awards.
Brighton Pier is a very popular tourist attraction and stands to define Brighton as a holiday destination. However in 2019, Worthing Pier was named ‘UK Pier of the Year’! Eastbourne and Hastings Pier have also won this award in previous years. Why not visit them yourself and decide which you like the most!
British seaside piers date from the early 1800’s with sixty one of the original hundred and three still standing.
Most were originally built as landing stations for pleasure steamers, so had to be long enough for boats to dock at low tide.
As part of the Victorian seaside leisure boom, many sprang up after the railways arrived, becoming ostentatious attractions and places to be seen in Sunday outfits.
Over the years they have had to adapt to maintain their popular appeal.
Brighton Pier
The very popular Brighton Pier dates from 1899. It was a replacement for the older, more utilitarian ‘Royal Suspension Chain Pier’, which was one of the earliest in the UK, opening in 1823.
The main pier building has a lovely dome, and stained-glass windows along the sides showing Brighton-related images. It’s open all year with free admission and free use of deck chairs!
Read more about Brighton Pier
Brighton’s West Pier
Completed in the 1860’s this became Brighton’s second pier, joining the Royal Suspension Chain Pier, that opened in 1823. It was extended in 1893, and a concert hall was added in 1916. The pier reached its peak attendance at this time, with 2 million visitors between 1918 and 1919. Its popularity began to decline after World War II, and a funfair and tearoom replaced the concert hall. A local company took over ownership of the pier in 1965, but could not meet the increasing costs of maintenance and filed for bankruptcy.
The pier closed to the public in 1975 and fell into disrepair and gradually collapsed. Major sections fell into the sea during storms in late 2002, and two separate fires in 2003 destroyed most of the remaining structure.
Worthing Pier
This was the thirteenth pier in England, built at a cost of £6,500. Most of this money was raised by local residents through the purchase of £1 shares. Designed by Sir Robert Rawlinson, it officially opened in April 1862.
I love Worthing pier, especially the glass art on the central partitions, which make it very special. There is a very beautiful bar and restaurant at the end of the pier, called The Perch, which is definitely worth a visit. The Pavilion Theatre is at the northern end, with an amusement arcade in the middle part.
Admission is free!
Eastbourne Pier
The Eastbourne Pier Company started in April 1865, with a working capital of £15,000, and opened 4 years later.
The pier is 300 meters long and built on stilts, which rest in cups on the seabed allowing the whole structure to move during rough weather.
There is a music venue, bar, cafe, food stalls and gift shops, along with many benches for sitting and admiring the views.
Free admission.
Eastbourne is a 50 minute drive from Steyning.
Hastings Pier
Built in 1872, Hastings Pier closed in 2008 and nearly burnt down in 2010. It reopened once again in 2016 and won the ‘UK Pier of the Year’ award in 2017!
It’s a one hour and ten minute drive from Steyning.
Littlehampton Pier
