Calls made to preserve West Pier in its current state

Leading figures from the worlds of art and culture issued the plea as a section of the Victorian structure collapsed following Storm Imogen earlier this week.

The iconic frame attracts thousands of tourists each year and is the subject for countless paintings, photographs and other artworks.

While traditionally campaigners have urged for it to be restored back to its Victorian splendour, there is a new drive to preserve it in its derelict state.

Judy Stevens, director of the Artists Open Houses festival, said it would be a tragedy to see it go.

She said: “There is so much modern development on the seafront and we would be losing what originally made Brighton, Brighton.

“It is abstract and interesting and its skeleton is a reminder of a past history. It would be a project well worth investing in to preserve what is a landmark.”

Earlier this week The Argus revealed the consultant engineer at the West Pier Trust estimates the150-year-old structure may have as little as five years left before collapses into the sea.

Dr Megha Rajguru, senior lecturer in history of art and design, described the pier as a “beautiful ruin."

He added: "Its rusty metal structure is like a line drawing or a sculpture, silhouetted against the sky and sea.

"There would be a huge sense of loss and it would change the city’s seascape forever.

“I would like to see it preserved the way it is. I know that may not be the case as it may be too expensive, but if we lived in a perfect world it would be great to see.”

Sculptor Jo Sweeting, from Brighton, added her voice to the calls the preserve the structure as it is.

She said it should be preserved while it “remained beautiful” adding “I am not sure what would go in its place."

But Rachel Clark, chief executive of the West Pier Trust, said while preservation was a “lovely interesting idea” it was not possible unless there was a “bottomless pit of money."

She said: “The funds are just not there. It is incredibly expensive to maintain a derelict structure in the sea.

“Unless there is a wonderful benefactor unfortunately I cannot see how it could happen.

“I have a lot of sympathy with these ideas, it is a very beautiful structure and an important landmark.”

"However, quite a few people think it looks horrible and is a sign of decay.”

IF ONLY THINGS HAD BEEN DONE DIFFERENTLY, BRIGHTON COULD HAVE HAD TWO FANTASTIC PIERS

NOT a day goes by when the promenade is not filled with tourists pointing their cameras towards the rusting ruin of the West Pier.

Yes, they come to take pictures of Palace Pier and the Wheel.

But the Victorian ruin is the subject of choice for most photographers (amateur and professional) as well as artists.

Photographer Brian Johnson said he fell in love after seeing a picture of the dilapidated structure and now frequently travels down from his home in Essex just to take pictures of it.

He always tries to book a room at The Brighton Hotel with a view of the pier so he can sit and admire the structure. He argues the wreck needs to be preserved as it is for future generations.

He said: “There is something haunting and peaceful about it, it just sits there like a monument and really holds something special.”

His passion for the pier resulted in him staging an exhibition in the hotel with his favourite shots.

At The Argus we are flooded daily with outstanding photographs of the haunting structure taken by our readers.

Walk into any tourist shop and you will see three famous images of Brighton and Hove: the Royal Pavilion, the Palace Pier and the West Pier.

Solange Leon Iriarte, an artist and architect, described the West Pier and as “one of her muses”.

She said: “It is sad that there has been no more effort to rescue the stranded-whale like structure but there is also a romantic side to it. It is almost like a dying poet and this is part of its beauty.

“If it only has five to 10 years, I cannot see in the current climate anyone investing the money needed for a derelict building. It is like trying to extend the life of a dying patient.”

Every few years or so when a major storm blows its way across the Sussex coasts, residents wait with baited breath to see whether the Grand Old Lady will withstand the battering.

Earlier this week, Jon Orrell, consultant engineer at the West Pier Trust, warned it could be unrecognisable in as little as five years.

Judy Steven, director of the Artists Open Houses Festival, hailed the pier as a landmark and part of Brighton’s history.

She argues that preserving it would be well worth the investment.

Photographer Sam Moore took an incredible set of pictures with his drone. He said it was an “an iconic symbol of Brighton that people still have a connection to".

Writing in The Guardian this week, Hove author Polly Samson, wife of David Gilmour, paid tribute to the West Pier.

She said: “All that’s left now is a rusting iron carcass but on misty nights you can sense the ghosts of the concert-goers and at sunset it plays host to clouds of murmurating starlings.”

But some who appreciate the West Pier’s beauty think the time has come for the structure to succumb to Mother Nature.

Christopher Costello, director of the Victorian Society, said: “Ruins are very difficult as they can often have great symbolic and architectural value but they are very difficult to maintain and that is magnified 10 times when it is a metal structure in the sea.

“There is a beauty and poignancy to its slow decay and it is not going to last for ever as the events of the last few days prove. For the moment I cannot think of a way to save it.

“It is very tragic. It will be massive loss to Brighton and quite a sad one. If things had been done differently then Brighton could have looked forward to having two fantastic piers instead of one.”

University of Sussex lecturer Dr Geoffrey Mead said while he loved the structure - likening it to a haunted house on the hill - he was content to let the sea take the last of the wreck.

Architect Nick Lomax, who was involved in one of the bids to save the pier before two devastating fires in 2003, said he is “keen to see it replaced with a modern pier, retaining the spirit of the former pier and its place on the seafront”.

He said: “It was one of the icons of the city, both historically and architecturally, and any new proposal would have to respond well to its unique and stunning position both in profile and in detail.

“Its location, pushing out to sea means it can be seen from a myriad of angles, both long distance as well as close up, so a striking silhouette would be crucial. Now the i360 is being built, the pier would need to be a good neighbour to it."

“Free access for citizens of the city would also be important along with providing activities that will complement the i360.”

A BUMPY RIDE LASTING 150 YEARS

MAYOR Henry Martin cut the ribbon of the West Pier on October 6, 1866.

It was opened to much fanfare at a time when the city was experiencing a boom in its holiday trade.

It was the place to be seen and back then would have been filled with Victorian ladies and gentlemen strutting up and down Eugenius Birch’s creation.

It underwent a number of new looks in its formative years including the addition of a bandstand, a widened pier head and a large pavilion.

But after the collapse of the Chain Pier and the construction of the Palace Pier, the West Pier started its decline.

It was damaged in the Second World War and fell into disrepair throughout the second half of the 20th century.

In 1975 it was closed for safety reasons and in 1977 the West Pier Company was liquidated.

The West Pier Trust picked took over in 1983 and bought the pier for £100.

After a number of failed attempts to restore it, the trust was awarded £14.2 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund in 1998.

But just as things started to look up, disaster struck when two fires brought the structure to its knees in 2003.

In 2004 the Lottery bosses pulled the plug and hopes for a restored pier were left in tatters.