I want to go to Brighton!

I Want to go to Brighton!

Brighton Beach

On about Tuesday last week Tony and I decided we wanted to go away for the weekend. We looked on the map, and after looking at some lovely escapes recommended by Sawdays over near Bristol, we decided we just wanted somewhere close. As it turned out - one of the  closest pieces of beach to London is Brighton. 

All I knew of Brighton was that it was the scene of Lydia's disgrace in Pride and Prejudice - and that 'a little sea bathing' would have set Mrs Bennett up forever.  Nevertheless we threw out 'togs' and beach towels into our duffel bags, slung them over our shoulders and jumped on the train with all the rest of London escaping to the beach for what was forecast to be a properly sunny weekend.

Brighton Pier

Brighton, no longer the place of Regency era parties, balls and promenades, is now a bustling English resort.  We booked into The Old Ship Hotel facing the waterfront and neatly between Brighton Pier and West Pier, in a room on the top floor overlooking the sea. The hotel was once obviously the scene of dances, with reception rooms still used today for weddings and the like. It had lovely folding doors opening the bar and restaurant onto the beachfront - letting in the sea breeze where we ensconced ourselves with cold beer to escape the heat.

We had spent our morning wandering the promenade, taking in the carnival sights on Brighton Pier (which is basically like sideshow alley from the Canberra Show - but over the water).Do not be fooled into thinking that any actual fishing or boats are associated with this Pier. I imagine if you were a teenager spending the summer in Brighton with your folks, it would be a great place to kill time - but for us we were more than satisfied with a quick walk the full length and back - cultural experience done.

Below the Promenade

One thing that has amazed us is the lengths the English went to to transform the beachfront for their purposes. Apart from the two huge piers - but built for leisure not work - a promenade the entire length of the heads was built - with wrought iron arches, and long gentle ramps to take you down to the sea.  Such effort to fore the sea to shape to people seems very at odds to us as Australians - even Bondi hasn't tamed the beachfront to this level. The promenades do however provide a useful roof for bars, clubs, restaurants and cafes that line up to serve the swarms of people promenading their way past.

Pebbles for Sand

Tony being forced to pose for a photo

Also very odd to us was the pebbly beach - quite painful to walk on rare foot - but conveniently means you come out without the usual covering of sand. We only bothered to go in up to our knees but spent a long time sitting on the pebbles watching other people play in the tame surf less water. With no waves, and therefore no rips, we realised why it is that English tourists get to Bondi and promptly have to be rescued by our lifeguards. They haven't grown up with an understanding and respect for the rules of the waves and the sea.

The only way to sit on this beach

After buying me a large sun hat (I left all mine in Australia) we also realised how little respect there is here for the sun. We re both covered in 50+ sunscreen, and me now also in my umbrella sized hat and still felt it was time to heat out of the sun after a few hours. However no one else seemed to ca re - most of them were lobster coloured with sunburn, and no one had a hat on - not even the children. Whilst no where near as ferocious as the Australian sun, the English sun on a summer day is certainly enough to make you burn.

Lunch time found us looking for a traditional fish and chips - of which here were lots - serving fresh fish heavily battered with great chips in cones of paper - vinegar not lemon. We took ours to the edge of the promenade to watch the beach whilst eating. Within a few bites however we were ducking for cover as the seagulls appeared from nowhere, stealing pieces of fish in their beaks and knocking into our shoulders ant almost taking my hat in their rush to get our food. We sought shelter in a nearby bus stop until they dispersed - much to he amusement of everyone walking past.

The oldest surviving
Victorian Bandstand - apparently

The pleasure gardens

After our scene from The Birds was over we hid from the sun in The Lanes - the oldest parts of the town which were one the old fishing village before sea bathing became a fad and brought the whole of London to visit every summer. I had hoped the Lanes might be full of vintage - and everyone had told me how wonderful they were.  Unfortunate they were all new shops - just in lovely narrow and old lane ways. I think I've been spoiled by Portobello rd - but I can't be bothered with chain stores regardless of how quaint their surroundings.

West Pier

Probably my favourite part was the ruins of the West Pier. About 200m down the beach from the carnival of the Brighton Pier, stands an iron shell of a very large pier. It was built in 1880s and a ballroom and concert hall was added in the early 1900s. It must have been an amazing venue - right out over the water- with grand Victorian architecture and music floating out into the night over the sea. The pier sadly closed in 1975 when the corporation that owned it went bankrupt. It slowly fell into disrepair, although you could go on guided tours of it until large storms damaged it during the 90s, and the walkway was removed for safety reasons. In 2002 it suffered 2 huge fires that completely gutted the structure.  Fire crews couldn't put the blaze out ash they had no way of reaching it.  There has been talk of restoring it to its former glory however the cost would seem prohibitive. Until someone finds the money it is now only a blackened reminder of a more elegant past for a city that has hopes of somehow finding its way back there one day.