I’m feeling the pull of the ocean a lot these days — and have been thinking about the UK and it’s rough waters. I’m not drawn to calm waters — but rather punishing waves and dangerous tides. It gives me a healthy respect for water and how it can reshape the landscape. I also find that most cultures that live on these waters are hardy, tough and adaptive.
These particular photos were taken in Brighton in the UK. Above was taken near the Palace Pier and the photo below is of the West Pier. In the 1800s there was a third pier — the Chain Pier — but it was claimed by the ocean during a storm in 1896.
The West pier is the neglected of the two; it was built in 1866 by Eugenius Birch but has stood unused for the past thirty years. Up until 2002 you could do a tour; however, the structure was deemed unsafe after a storm in 2002 and after that pigeons became the only creatures to visit the structure.
The photo I took of the West Pier while we were in Brighton is rather timely. In March before we arrived in the UK, the pavilion at the end of the pier caught fire — arson was suspected but never proved. Early in May 2003, another fire claimed the concert hall and I remember reading about it in the newspapers. The photo above was taken on May 22, 2003 — ten days after the fire. A month later a storm destroyed the middle pier.
And, the Star Wars arcade on the pier with what I think is a Cylon or a Transformer in the background:
