Palace Pier

Brighton’s Palace Pier, originally known as Brighton Marine Palace and Pier, opened to the public for the first time on 20 May 1899. The pier was not actually complete on this date. Like many ambitious schemes, its construction had been severely delayed, requiring Acts of Parliament and the intervention of a local benefactor to keep the project alive. But the fact that it had come this far was obviously seen as a cause for celebration; the promenade deck was duly unveiled and the Mayoress, Mrs Clara Hawkes, gamely secured the first column of the soon-to-be-built pavilion with a silver spanner.

The Brighton Herald, May 1899

The opening ceremony, which was blighted by stormy weather, was reported in detail in the local papers. The Brighton Herald described how the Mayoress found herself, with a group of local dignitaries, ‘on the planked decking of the Pier, at least fourteen hundred feet out at sea, surrounded on all sides by a tumultuous swirl of waters, speeding shorewards in great, white, foam-topped waves.’ Speeches were made to honour the occasion but ‘the boisterous wind blew the words far away’ and, once the formalities were complete, the group retreated to the Royal Pavilion’s Music Room. There, according to The Brighton, Hove and Sussex Society, ‘under the comforting influences of dainty viands and choice wines, the discomforts of an hour ago were quickly forgotten.’

Palace Pier, 1902 Image courtesy of James Gray Collection / The Regency Society

Kate Elms, Brighton History Centre

Coronation Day 1953

Brighton Palais, now the Sea Life Centre

The Brighton History Centre will be presenting a free talk about life in Brighton in June 1953. Come and find out where you could have gone dancing, what films were on at Brighton’s many cinemas, where you could collect your ration books and, most importantly, which coronation festivities you could have taken part in.

Essoldo Theatre, North Street

The talk is free but limited to twenty people so it is best to book on 01273 296972.  It will take place at the Brighton History Centre (first floor of the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery) on Wednesday 30 May from 11 – 12 and will be repeated on the Wednesday 6 June at the same time.

Paul Jordan, Senior History Centre 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