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Opened in 1899, Brighton Palace Pier was one of the last piers to be constructed in England. Designed by R St George Moore, it was to be built solely as an amusement and pleasure emporium. At 1,760ft (533.3m) in length, and boasting a wider than usual deck, the pier had everything the discerning tripper could wish for. A 1,500-seater pavilion at the seaward end was complimented by smaller pavilions containing dining rooms, grill rooms, smoking rooms and reading rooms. There were ornamental arches for the electrical illuminations, and an electric tramway ran up the centre. Provision for bathers at the pier head, and a landing stage for pleasure craft completed the picture.

In 1984 the pier was purchased by the Noble organisation who renamed it Brighton Pier however most locals still prefer to continue to refer to it as the Palace Pier.

Link

Seaside pleasure piers were first built during the early 19th century, and became popular during the Victorian era of the mid to late 1800s. During this period, the railways were expanding allowing mass tourism to the coastal resort towns. Pleasure piers allowed holiday makers to promenade over and alongside the sea at all times. Since the introduction of commercial flights from the 1950s holiday makers flocked abroad and the seaside towns lost the tourist trade. Many piers became unprofitable and fell into disrepair. Many have since been destroyed by storms, demolished, or lay derelict. The earliest pier was built at Ryde and opened 1814. It is still open to this day.
See pleasure piers of Great Britain Link