Brighton Aquarium

Brighton Aquarium was conceived and designed by Eugenius Birch, the architect responsible for the West Pier. Work began in 1869 and the building opened in 1872. The project cost £133,000 (equivalent to around £5.5 million today).

Brighton Aquarium, c1902

The Aquarium proved an initial success with the town’s visitors. In addition to the marine life on display, a number of other attractions were available. These included a conservatory, a reading room, and a roller-skating rink on the roof terrace.

This success proved short-lived, however. In 1901 financial difficulties forced the sale of the Aquarium to the Brighton Corporation. Although matters improved, the Corporation decided to extensively modernise the building in 1927. This reconstruction work led to the alteration of much of Birch’s original design.

Original Brighton Aquarium

Brighton Aquarium, c1885

Eugenius Birch’s original design incorporated a variety of styles. Grand archways, columns and elaborate stonework reflected the Pompeian and Gothic influence. Statues of Bath stone, green marble and red Edinburgh granite were used in its construction. The Aquarium’s foundations were dug deep into the ground as the building was not allowed to be taller than the neighbouring promenade, Marine Parade.

The distinctive clock tower and gateway to the Aquarium were added in 1874. The four corners of the clock tower bore bronze statues symbolising the seasons. Images of mermaids and sea-nymphs were evident elsewhere in the structure. A frieze inscription at the entrance stated: ‘And God said, Let the water bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that hath life.’

Among those moving creatures were a number of specimens that inspired great interest. The Dublin Bay Prawn of 1874 attracted considerable excitement. In 1880 a manatee was displayed in a huge tank that enabled the viewer to witness the creature at eye level. Sea lions arrived in 1877 and were able to successfully breed.

Rather drier attractions could be found elsewhere. The waterfall grotto proved a popular meeting place, and concerts were regularly held in the conservatory. By 1876 the roof terrace had been expanded to incorporate a roller-skating rink and smoking room. Film shows were increasingly common from the end of the nineteenth century, and the conservatory was briefly known as the Aquarium Kinema.

Reconstruction of Brighton Aquarium

Brighton Aquarium, 11th May 1928

Brighton Aquarium was extensively reconstructed between 1927 and 1929. The new design was produced by David Edwards, the Borough Engineer.The Italianate features of Birch’s design were replaced by a neoclassical style. White Empire stonework was applied to the exterior walls. The clock tower was demolished and replaced by two square kiosks.

As with the original development, much of the surrounding area was affected. Several smallholdings on Madeira Drive were demolished to make way for a colonnaded walkway. Internally, slipper and shower baths were fitted. A lift was also installed, leading up to Marine Parade.Work on the project was overseen by the Borough Surveyor‘s department. Throughout the reconstruction, photographs were taken of the work in progress. These provide a fascinating insight into the scale of the project. They also give a good indication of working practices of the time, and record the reaction of local people to the project.

The New Aquarium and Beyond

Brighton Aquarium, 1973

Brighton Aquarium reopened on 12 June 1929. The building continued to host a mixture of marine life exhibits and entertainment activities, but was unable to find a stable identity. Over time, the site became popularly regarded as something of a local ‘white elephant’.

During the Second World War the building was requisitioned by the RAF. During the 1950s it hosted the Florida Rooms Night Club, and chimpanzees’ tea parties and other animal attractions were introduced. Between 1961 and 1969 it was home to the Montagu Motor Museum before this made way for the Dolphinarium. Although initially popular, the Dolphinarium fell victim to a change in the public perception of animals. The dolphins’ confined conditions became of increasing concern through the 1980s. In 1991 the Dolphinarium was closed.

The Aquarium is still in operation, although it is now a Sea Life Centre.

Kevin Bacon
Digital Development Officer

May Day!

Today is May Day, although many of us may need to defer our celebrations until the bank holiday next week. Although traditional May Day festivities have a long and interesting history,  when the May Day Bank Holiday was introduced in 1978 it was not timed to coincide with any pagan festival, but with International Workers’ Day.

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The idea of a day devoted to the celebration of working-class culture has its origins in the 19^th century struggle for an eight-hour day. In Brighton, as in many cities across Europe, history is often recounted through the eyes of the upper classes, those who rubbed shoulders with royalty, perhaps, and occupied the town’s grandest crescents and squares. But as historian Antony Dale pointed out in his introduction to Brighton Town and Brighton People, ‘these people were never the real residents of Brighton’. The real residents were ordinary, working people, many of whom lived in unimaginable squalor.

A local Trades Council was established in Brighton in 1890. The idea was to promote solidarity among workers belonging to different trades, but the council also tried to address some of the issues affecting the workers, such as health, housing and education. In the years leading up to World War One, a wide range of unions were active in the town, and Labour Day demonstrations were an annual affair. Flyers were distributed to promote the events, some of which were translated into French and German, to include foreign hotel and restaurant workers based in the town.

Despite the militant tendencies of some groups, there was often fun to be had at these gatherings. A procession would head from the Aquarium to The Level, where speakers would address the crowds. One of Brighton’s most memorable May Day Fairs took place in 1969; it featured activities for all the family, from live music and football matches to Punch & Judy shows, street theatre and, of course, food and drink. According to a report published in the Brighton and Hove Herald on 9 May 1969, ‘The posters billed this event as a “Levelution”. But it was really a workers’ playtime.’

For more about the history of ordinary Brightonians, Underdog Brighton by local author Rocky Hill is a fascinating account of life in ‘the other Brighton’. A reference copy is available at Brighton History Centre.

Kate Elms, Brighton History Centre

Emperor Haile Selassie on the West Pier

Haile Selassie on the West Pier, April 1938

Haile Selassie was the Emperor of Ethiopa from 1930 to 1974. In 1935 Ethiopia was invaded by Italian forces, and he left the country the following year. He spent most of his exile in Bath. During this time he visited other parts of England, including a visit to Brighton in April 1938. The Brighton and Hove Herald took several photographs of Selassie’s visit, including an image of him leaving the Royal Pavilion accompanied by his family. But this solemn portrait on the West Pier was the most dramatic and carefully composed.

Press photography often uses carefully composed images with subtle hints of the wider issues they illustrate. This is a very good example. By the late 1930s, Selassie had become an iconic victim of fascism. In June 1936 he had delivered a moving speech to the League of Nations describing the brutality of the Italian invasion of his country. This led him to be named Man of the Year by the influential US magazine Time.

This photograph supports Selassie’s iconic status. His black overcoat and hat, and his sorrowful expression, suggest a man in mourning for the loss of his country. The choice of location has a double purpose. The West Pier is an obvious landmark, and immediately ties Selassie to Brighton. But his choice of seat has an extra significance: as an emperor, Selassie should be seated on a throne. Having been forced from his country, he is reduced to sitting on a deckchair: cheap furniture for working class visitors.

Haile Selassie and family at the Royal Pavilion, 30 April 1938

Selassie was returned to power in 1941 after British and Ethiopian forces took control of Ethiopia during World War Two. He reigned the country until he was deposed in a coup in 1974. He died the following year. Although an Orthodox Christian, Selassie is claimed to be an incarnation of God by members of the Rastafari religion.

Kevin Bacon
Digital Development Officer