This pier was built and opened in 1823 .At its completion it was regarded as one of the engineering marvels of the Victorian age. The cast iron towers weighed 15 tons each. Every link in the suspension chain weighed 1121 LBS .it was designed by Captain Samuel Brown .In its heyday it was the only place to be seen by the rich.

The Chain Pier was to stand as a monument to Samuel Brown for 73 years until 1896 when one of the fiercest storms hit the Sussex coast. The pier was in such a poor condition, that after that what was left was demolished.

In the same year that the Chain pier was demolished MAGNUS VOLK opened one of Brighton's more stranger attractions THE SEASHORE ELECTRIC RAILWAY which was nicknamed the: -

Nothing of this weird contraption now remains, but it ran from Rottingdean to the Chain pier .It was supported on "stilts" to enable it to travel along the sand at high or low tide .The passengers could then travel in the dry & in quite a luxurious style.It had a viewing deck similar to the piers & an indoor saloon that was 12 feet wide & 25 feet long and was furnished for comfort. On a calm day when the tide is out some of the rails that this contraption ran on can still be plainly seen!Sadly this strange marvel of MAGNUS VOLK'S was destined to go to the same fate as that of the Chain pier only 5 years later. In 1901 yet another storm hit the coast and the DADDY LONGLEGS was no more.

The Volk's Railway originally ran from its present station to the west of the Palace Pier right past what is now the marina as far as Rottingdean. After years of neglect and to some degree weather damage the track was shortened to its present length. The last station at the moment is the Black Rock station, there are plans being discussed to extend the line right into the Marina in the near future.

Magnus Volk opened his Electric Railway in 1883 and it was originally planed to last for about 10 - 15 years, it is now England's oldest electric railway and possibly the oldest in the world.

The West Pier is Grade I listed, the only pier to be so, and is historically, architecturally and scientifically unique. Built by Eugenius Birch one of England's greatest pier builders, it was opened to the public in 1866.Built on iron columns screwed into the seabed, the top deck is made of wood. Virtually unchanged since 1916 & over 130 years old the original buildings on the pier were six ornamental houses in an oriental design. In 1875 a bandstand was added & in the 1880's steamer landing stages were added. The last building to be added was the concert hall that was completed in 1916. The Pier became a casualty in World War Two, when peace came it was mended and tended and brought back into public use, but essential renovation work wasn't carried out and the pier fell into disrepair.

The Palace pier is the youngest of Brighton's piers. This year it celebrates its centenary, opened to the public in 1899 it was said somewhat cheekily that finally that the poorer people would now have their own place to "walk on water". Built to the East of the West pier & to the west of where the Chain pier had been the Palace pier at present is the only pier currently open to the general public.

The pier is presently owned by the Noble Organisation and is open all year round.They have invested heavily in the pier by widening the end and putting many funfair rides on it. This policy has made the pier very popular with visitors and tourists, but on occasion not with the council to whom they don't always apply for the correct planning permission to site their new rides and attractions.

The entrance is situated at the start of Madeira drive: -

Running East from the palace pier Madeira Drive has hardly changed in over a 100 years. The ornate iron arches are still on view with its open terracing. It is probably Brighton's straightest bit of road and because of this it is used yearly for speed trials. Often some very old sports cars & motor cycles can be seen racing the length of the ¼-1/2 mile stretch of road.

Madeira Drive is used regularly for special events & rally's such as in November when the veteran cars race from London to Brighton. Other events have been a regular rally of mini's, veteran bus rally's, veteran lorry rally's, charity events like sponsored walks, football tournaments, & giant market stalls. It is also the finishing point for the annual London to Brighton charity bike ride in aid of the heart foundation when anything up to 10,000 cyclists make the trip down to Brighton.