James Gray: [One of a group of] original photographs, probably taken by Edward Fox. Such clues as there are suggest period of about 1866-1870. Copies of some of these appear on other pages. jgc_02_041
James Gray: This photograph provokes little comment. The original from which it was copied was faded, indistinct and blotchy. It obviously dates from the 1870s or 1880s. jgc_01_143
James Gray: This photograph of the pier by Frith, positively dated as 1894. jgc_02_064
James Gray: Photograph of the new pier, taken about 1870. Judging by the number of different photographs of the pier in its early form it must have been a great attraction to photographers. jgc_02_010
2020: The West Pier opened in 1866 so all the James Gray pictures here show it in its original, fairly simple, form. In 2020 what is left of the pier is even more stripped back and stark but it still dominates the view from the beach. It was closed to visitors in 1975 and after long neglect compounded by two fires in the early 2000s it is now reduced to a skeletal pierhead, with no physical link to the beach. A row of cast-iron posts, which used to support the part of the walkway to the main deck, stand among the pebbles at the land end and the whole haunting skeleton is still a magnet for photographers and visitors alike.
James Gray: Photograph of the pier in its original form. The dates are unknown but this was almost certainly of the period between 1883 and 1890. Note the huge drop between the promenade and the beach which existed before the building of the sea wall and groynes in 1894 which kept the sea much farther out than shown here. jgc_02_056
James Gray: The pier from the west, probably between 1884 and 1890. jgc_02_058
James Gray: This lovely photograph by Mr A H Fry dates from the 1890s after the pier head had been extended by the construction of the landing stage. It affords a fine view of the sea wall built in 1894 and it is interesting to note the very considerable drop from this wall to the sea below. Most of this groyne is now completely covered with shingle. jgc_02_065
James Gray: Note the covered band enclosure at the head of the open decking. jgc_02_050
2020: The 1880s image shows the West Pier at high tide with flags fluttering from the bandstand which was added in 1875. It is still a simple and elegant place to promenade but now visitors can enjoy live music as well. The 2020 image shows the same view at low tide, 140 years later. The foreshore has been redeveloped and paved as part of the building of the i360 tower. Black recycling bins, colour coded litter bins and big storage boxes for deckchairs are the new beach furniture. (Photographer: David Sears)
James Gray: Original [sepia] photograph, probably taken by Edward Fox. Such clues as there are suggest period of about 1868-72. jgc_02_039
James Gray: Copy of jgc_02_039. jgc_02_047
James Gray: This photograph was dated by the photographer as September 1898. jgc_02_106
2020: The James Gray images look south between the two tollbooths where the first visitors paid their entrance fees. In 2020 they have been restored and now flank the base of the i360 viewing tower. The one on the west (right) side is still selling tickets but today they are for rides to the top of the tower. The eastern one, on the left, is a tearoom. (Photographer: David Sears)
James Gray: No comment. Additional Information: Fine view of Pier and horse drawn carriages on the seafront. jgc_02_062
James Gray: View from King’s Road in 1903. jgc_02_087
James Gray: One would like to caption this The Pier in Edwardian days, but I have some doubts about this taken by a Hove photographer, Thomas Wiles of George Street. Why, for instance, is the pier so devoid of people? My guess is between 1911 and 1914. jgc_02_092
2020: In this 2020 picture, taken on a sunny June day, there is a strange absence of people just like the one mentioned by James Gray but in this case we know the cause. In June 2020, Britain was in lockdown to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and the usual crowds of summer visitors have been banned from visiting Brighton – and all other seaside resorts. (Photographer: David Sears)
James Gray: The Pier from the east after 1890 in which year the pier head was widened. jgc_02_057
James Gray: It is impossible to date but some [photos in the same original group as this] seem to [show] construction work in progress on the Pier, which suggests the year 1866. jgc_02_004
2020: The James Gray images here show the West Pier at different stages of development. In 2020 there is little left of the pier, apart from the decaying skeleton of the pier head and some of the cast-iron piles that supported the original structure. Bicycles, not boats, can now be seen on this part of the beach, as much of the foreshore around the base of the i360 tower has been paved. (Photographer: David Sears)
James Gray: No comment. jgc_02_091
2020: These two images, taken just over 100 years apart, both show people relaxing on the beach by the West Pier. The Edwardian lady looks wonderfully elegant, paddling in her elaborate hat and long dress. Sadly, the pier head is now in ruins and only the cast iron piles are left on the shore. (Photographer: David Sears)
James Gray: It is impossible to date this photograph but the view is taken from the same spot as [jgc_02_001, below], which beyond all doubt was taken in 1865. jgc_02_003
James Gray: Original photograph, probably taken by Edward Fox. Such clues as there are suggest period of about 1866-70. jgc_02_037
2020: The James Gray images show the entrance to the West Pier around the time it opened in the autumn of 1866. The familiar tall, decorative seafront lamp posts were not erected until 10 years later, replacing shorter originals, one of which looks oddly stumpy here. In 2020 the old kiosk on the eastern edge of the pier has been restored as part of the British Airways i360 Viewing Tower which opened in August 2016. (Photographer: David Sears)
James Gray: The very clear photograph [jgc_02_095, below] is yet another of the many pictures taken of this popular pier at about the turn of the century. It differs little from many others in my collection. This small one, of the same period, is included for comparison. Taken by an amateur it lacks clarity and professional touch of the large photograph. jgc_02_096
2020: Thanks to modern cameras, in 2020 even amateur photographs capture this view with a clarity early photographers would have envied. (Photographer: David Sears)
James Gray: View of King’s Road, the promenade and West Pier in gas–lamp days. The row of posts on the beach is something of a mystery. At this period there was no lower promenade. jgc_01_183
2020: At the shore-end, the view is remarkably similar as the two kiosks which originally served as tollbooths for the old West Pier have been renovated and restored to the seafront. The area has been redeveloped as the base of the British Airways i360 Viewing Tower, the central column of which can be seen here. (Photographer: David Sears)
James Gray: An early photograph, probably taken by Edward Fox. jgc_02_007
James Gray: More of the many photographs of the new pier, taken about 1870. Judging by the number of different photographs of the pier in its early form it must have been a great attraction to photographers. jgc_02_009
James Gray: Five cameo photographs of the pier and the adjoining beach at low tide [jgc_02_028-032]. Obviously taken soon after the opening of the pier, the exact year is unknown. The dress of the people on the beach suggests the period 1868-72. Children’s habits do not seem to change very much. jgc_02_028 and jgc_02_032
James Gray: Photograph of the beach, just to the east of the West Pier. Period, the late 1890s. Nothing to call for special comment. jgc_01_193
James Gray: The sorry scene in 1943. In 1940 as an anti–invasion measure, the beach, gardens and pools were mined and wired off. The children’s paddling pool seen here with the adjoining putting green were laid out in the 1930s. jgc_01_080
2020: The James Gray picture of the 1890s shows the beach in its Victorian prime, with fishing boats in the foreground, benches on the shore overlooking the sea and the pier looking pristine. In 1943 the war defences are a chilling sight. In 2020 the beach is welcoming visitors again although the boats are all for leisure now. The pier survived the war, only for neglect and two disastrous fires to reduce it to the burnt-out shell we see here. (Photographer: David Sears)
James Gray: King’s Road during the early days of the Pier. Work on the pier commenced in 1863, and the first pile was driven in 1864. The flagpole marks the site of the West Battery, removed in 1858, after which the roadway was widened. Note the old wooden railings. In its original form, the pier was 1,115 feet long, and 55 feet in width, though at the pier head it widened out to 120 feet. At the pier head was a bandstand, one or two kiosks, but little else. It was opened to the public on October 6th, 1866.
James Gray: It is impossible to date these five photographs, [jgc_02_002, 003, 004, 005 and 006] but some of the small ones seem to show construction work in progress on the pier, which suggests the year 1866. The lower hand view is taken from the same spot as [jgc_02_001] which beyond all doubt was taken in 1865. Additional Information: Similar view to jgc_02_001 showing bathing machines. jgc_02_002
James Gray: See caption above. jgc_02_006
James Gray: See caption for jgc_02_002 above. jgc_02_005
James Gray: Three more photographs of the beach and the recently built West Pier [see also jgc_02_012 and 014] . Almost certainly the work of Edward Fox and of the year 1870, or soon afterwards. jgc_02_013
James Gray: No comment. jgc_02_105
James Gray: See caption for jgc_02_009 above. jgc_02_011
James Gray: Photographs of the beach and the recently built West Pier. Almost certainly the work of Edward Fox and in the year 1870, or soon afterwards. jgc_02_012
James Gray: Original photograph, probably taken by Edward Fox. Such clues as there are suggest period of about 1866-1870. Copies of some of these appear on other pages. jgc_02_042
James Gray: See caption for jgc_02_042. jgc_02_040
James Gray: Good photograph showing the pier during the 1880s. Note the covered band enclosure at the head of the opening decking. In the photograph there are signs that work is starting on the construction of the landing stages. jgc_02_051
James Gray: A copy of an old photograph by Edward Fox, dating from about 1870 and contemporary with the five small photographs of the pier [jgc_02_002 to 006] on this page. jgc_02_053
James Gray: The only certain thing about the period is that it was pre-1890. Probably the late 1880s. jgc_02_052
James Gray: Original photograph, probably taken by Edward Fox. Such clues as there are suggest period of about 1866-1870. jgc_02_033
James Gray: See caption for jgc_02_053 above. jgc_02_055
James Gray: This photograph was taken in the summer of 1957, 87 years after the previous one and provides a most interesting comparison. The ironwork of the railings is however unchanged. jgc_02_054
James Gray: This photograph of 1909 shows the electric light standards and also the old kerbside railings which were removed in June 1926. jgc_02_061
James Gray: Yet another of the many photographs of this pier, taken about the turn of the century. There is nothing to give a clue as to the exact year. One wonders what the box-like structure was for in the foreground? Additional Information: ‘Merely Mary Ann’ was on at the theatre at the end of the pier and the H M 1st Dragoon Guards band were playing on the bandstand. jgc_02_070
James Gray: This postcard shows, in the centre of the pier, the third bandstand which lasted from 1893 until 1916 when the present central enclosure was erected. jgc_02_049
James Gray: No comment. jgc_02_067
James Gray: Period unknown – possibly mid-1890s. jgc_02_083
James Gray: No comment. jgc_01_149
James Gray: Contrasting photographs of the West Pier showing stages in its development. On the left, in its original form – period unknown, could be 1870s. The period of the later photograph also is unknown, probably 1900-10. jgc_02_078 and jgc_02_079
James Gray: Birds eye view of King’s Road. jgc_02_090
James Gray: The pier remained in its original form until 1890 when the pier head was considerably widened and the iron landing stages constructed. The windbreak dividing the long promenade deck was also erected at this period. A pavilion was built in 1893. Ten years later, in 1903, this was converted to a theatre with a raked floor. The central concert hall was not built until 1916. The flat deck near to the entrance was a very popular dance floor during the 1920s. Admission was cheap – only 6d, but the rough surface was a bit hard on the feet. This deck was converted to a miniature car track and the entrance gates reconstructed in 1932. On the beach can be seen parts of the 1894 sea wall. On this site was built the children’s paddling pool and later the putting green, in the mid 1930s. jgc_02_097
James Gray: See caption for jgc_02_092 above. Additional Information: Pier illuminated by night. jgc_02_094
James Gray: This very clear photograph is yet another of the many pictures taken of this popular pier at about the turn of the century. It differs little from many others in my collection. jgc_02_095
James Gray: No information is available as to the dates of these photos, but the two above must have been taken within a year or two of the opening of the pier, say 1866-1870. The small one to the right is probably of about ten years later, 1875-1880. Additional Information: Written on this photo, Brighton New West Pier, opened 1866, length, 1,115 ft; width at Head, 146 ft. Cost circa £36,000, Engineer E. Birch Esq., Pier Master, W A Cheesman. No precise date for this photo or the next but they were probably within a year or two of the pier opening. jgc_02_018