[Brighton] Who burnt down the West pier?

[WATFORD zero]

There's a lot of thoughts about this, but maybe refrain from posting about those thoughts until @Bozza has taken a look at this thread

 

[Triggaaar]

It took a fair bit of effort to set it on fire, so it's difficult to imagine it wasn't done by someone who had a motive. But who had a motive?

the Palace Pier

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Whoever it was it was very ignoble of them.

 

[Weststander]

There seems to be quite a bit of history of things in Europe burning down when planning permission isn't granted to build something else on the site. Doubt that applies in this case so possibly an insurance job?

Expanded for you.

A ploy throughout southern European nations is for landowners to illegally destroy precious ecology by fire, for their blocked development plans. Greek authorities have highlighted this this summer.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

How much would it cost to build a pier?

 

[Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ]

Surely the answer for this type of thing is Hoogstraaten?!

 

[Aging Seagull Flying High]

Brighton's Piers - Their history and some fascinating facts

www.expertskiphire.co.uk

 

[WATFORD zero]

Expanded for you.

A ploy throughout southern European nations is for landowners to illegally destroy precious ecology by fire, for their blocked development plans. Greek authorities have highlighted this this summer.

I'm assuming that by 'Southern European' you are also including Sackville Road and a whole series of addresses along Kingsway

 

[The Clamp]

Deserted structures with no access and with no working services, standing in the sea, don’t usually catch alight by themselves.

 

[Rookie]

Didn’t a pigeon or seagull fly over and dropped a lit cigarette on it. Swear that was one of the daft theories at the time

 

[dejavuatbtn]

We need a west pier photo thread. We must all have some. Great for editing

From 2002

 

[WATFORD zero]

It took a fair bit of effort to set it on fire, so it's difficult to imagine it wasn't done by someone who had a motive. But who had a motive?

I really can't imagine anyone in Brighton at the time, that would have benefited from one of Brighton's two piers being completely destroyed

I remember the Red Arrows well. I was living in Kemp Town and we were sitting out in the backyard having a beer. They came roaring over really low, very impressive, and a few minutes later there was an almighty Bang (not so impressive). We turned on the wireless immediately to find out what had happened

Still have a bit of a wooden plank from the West Pier on my kitchen windowsill

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

Deserted structures with no access and with no working services, standing in the sea, don’t usually catch alight by themselves.

Global warming?

 

[trueblue]

The Ignoble Organisation. ****s

Eek. Libel alert.

 

[AK74]

The latest accounts for The West Pier Trust shows a fund balance of £1,783,918.

I know you can't build a full-scale replacement/replica for that amount, but they seem determined to restore and rebuild the main kiosk which has been in storage since its removal in 1996. It would be great to see part of the fabric of Brighton restitched into the seafront somewhere.

 

[osgood]

Not a good idea to name anyone at all , however unlikely it may seem theyd be seeing this post

 

[Seasider78]

Didn’t a pigeon or seagull fly over and dropped a lit cigarette on it. Swear that was one of the daft theories at the time

 

[Coalburner]

I thought the re arrow clipped a mast on the east side of the palace pier and went down there.
The pier itself was such a waste- great memories of living over the road from it in the winter of 62/63 when is was covered with ice. Sat on the beach with the missus in 2003 watching the rest of it burn. So sad.

I was there and saw it all. A yacht with a tall mast sailed to the east side of the west pier while the Arrows were displaying. As they came in from the west, the wingtip of one aircraft clipped the mast. The aircraft went into a roll over the Palace Pier and crashed inverted into the sea. The pilot had ejected and received a huge round of applause when he was brought ashore. I believe he was Squadron Leader Johnson.

 

[Triggaaar]

The latest accounts for The West Pier Trust shows a fund balance of £1,783,918.

I know you can't build a full-scale replacement/replica for that amount, but they seem determined to restore and rebuild the main kiosk which has been in storage since its removal in 1996. It would be great to see part of the fabric of Brighton restitched into the seafront somewhere.

I'm not sure what size pier you could build, but with that much money you could create a bloody good fire

 

[Weststander]

I'm assuming that by 'Southern European' you are also including Sackville Road and a whole series of addresses along Kingsway

Any realtor worth his salt knows the quarter from Hove Town Hall to The King Alfred is exclusive.