Remains of a Pier

Derelict or crumbling structures, especially those with an illustrious past, always fascinate me and set me snapping away with whatever camera I have to hand. This is the sad skeleton of Brighton's once-proud West Pier, built in 1866 and genteel place of leisure and entertainment for over a century until it closed in 1975, and then suffered two fires in 2003 which more or less sealed its fate –at least for now (for there are strong calls for it to be restored). There is sadly little here to remind us of what it once was, but old postcards and photographs reveal it to be far prettier than the larger Palace Pier a bit further down the beach. Now it's a forlorn and jumbled mass of iron, yet somehow it still retains a certain grace -and I do hope it sees new days of glory in the future. Location: Brighton, England