Attraction

West Pier

Skeletal pier ruins, best seen at sunset

6.6/10

Local score

No. 9 of 25 places to visit on r/brighton, from 43 locals across 48 threads.

78% would send a mate. Some say it’s gone downhill lately.

The burnt-out shell of the West Pier, closed since 1975, is Brighton's most photographed sunset spot and a favourite backdrop for evening walks and skyline views from nearby high-rises. It's become a bit of an in-joke among local photographers for how often the same sunset shot gets taken there.

Go for
Sunset photos and a nostalgic seafront walk
Heads up
Just derelict ruins now, not a working pier

What locals say

My wife and I viewed a flat on the top floor of Sussex Heights, the views were incredible! I spent the entire viewing just looking down on the West Pier and the seafront. Some of the windows were cracked because apparently seagulls always fly into them…
u/panicpumpkin, 202115 upvotes“Tall buildings! Anyone live in Sussex Heights, Theobald House, Chartwell Court, Essex Place, Wiltshire House or similar?”
I used to sit on Regency Square on summer days and spend the entire day reading there. That was before the I360, and I could look out to sea and the West Pier and contemplate each chapter. If I needed to I would stroll up to Western Road and get a drink. I miss those…
u/rymeryme, 202511 upvotes“Where are you reading in Brighton?”
Remember skateboarding using the slope here, many youthful hours wasted on what seemed to be endless summer evenings. I even remember as a child going fishing from the platforms around the edge of the West Pier, and buying ice cream on the pier itself. All those moments, like Rutger Hauer said in Blade Runner……
u/ColonelBonk, 20233 upvotes“West Pier and surroundings, January 1995”
I'd recommend The Booth Museum for a rainy day. Old fashioned cabinets full of exhibits. A walk along the promenade from the Palace Pier to the decaying (but iconic) West Pier is good value, with some trinket shops, many ice cream booths from posh to Walls to niche Cornwall handmade. The Fishing Museum. My friend once bought a pot of winkles (?whelks?) from a promenade stall and ate them with relish while her children watched in utter horror. You can end up at the Shelter Hall…
u/SonOfGreebo, 20243 upvotes“Midweek in Brighton tips and what to do?”

Ranked from 21,200 r/brighton comments. Summaries are written by AI from what locals said; quotes are word for word. Not affiliated with Reddit. Back to the guide