Thursday 8 November 2018


WEST PIER 2003 


NING WANG BY WEST PIER


AFTER THE STORMS








WEST PIER FIRES  2003

THE WEST PIER TOOK A HARD BEATING FROM THE SEA DURING THE WINTER, AND WAS STILL LEFT STANDING TO TELL THE TALE.SINCE THEN THERE HAVE BEEN A SERIES OF MYSTERIOUS FIRES, THE CAUSE OF WHICH HAS NOT BEEN DISCOVERED............








..............ALL ANYONE COULD DO WAS LOOK ON FROM A DISTANCE DUE TO INACCESSIBILITY AND THE INTENSE HEAT............










...........A HELICOPTER ALSO CAME TO TAKE A LOOK............




..........FIREMAN USED A TUG AS A PLATFORM TO TRY AND COOL THE STRUCTURE DOWN, BUT THERE WAS LITTLE THEY COULD DO........









.......ALTHOUGH THE FIRE CREWS WERE QUICK ON THE SCENE, THEY COULD ONLY JOIN THE PUBLIC WHO STOOD ON THE BEACH........








..........HOLIDAY MAKERS STAND ON AND ALONG-SIDE THE BRIGHTON PIER AND OBSERVE THE FIRE AS THE COASTGUARD PASSES OVERHEAD..........












..............AS CAN BE SEEN FROM THESE PHOTOGRAPHS............










..............THE FIRES WERE EXTREMELY FEROCIOUS............










...........AN  AERIAL SHOT SHOWS THE EXTREMITY OF ONE OF THE FIRES ............








..........THE PROBLEM WAS MADE WORSE BY THE  DRY WEATHER AND , FLAMES FANNED BY HIGH WINDS........











....... THE HUGH AMOUNT OF SMOKE  COULD BE SEEN FOR SEVERAL MILES........ 





............AS THE STRUCTURE WAS MOSTLY CONSTRUCTED OF TIMBER, THERE WAS LITTLE HOPE OF MUCH REMAINING

ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO CLEAR EVIDENCE, IT WAS THOUGHT THAT ARSON MAY HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OR A  STRAY FIREWORK FROM A BEACH DISPLAY COULD HAVE STARTED ONE OF THE FIRES..............








............A FIRE ENGINE STANDS HELPLESSLY BY AS THE PIER BURNS............










.............THIS SHOT SHOWS THE INTENSITY OF THE FLAMES AND JUST HOW QUICKLY THE FIRE SPREAD............







...........A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE PIER TRUST SAYS THAT MANY OF THE PRECIOUS MOULDINGS HAD BEEN COPIED IN DETAIL IN PREPARATION FOR THE RESTORATION............







........THUS MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO RECREATE MANY OF THE ORIGINAL FEATURES........










.......THIS AERIAL SHOT SHOWS THE TOTAL DEVASTATION WREAKED BY THE FIRE........




.............SHORTLY AFTER THIS PHOTOGRAPH THE WEST PIER SIGN DISAPPEARED.
ALL THEY COULD DO WAS WAIT TO SEE WHETHER THE TRUST COULD RAISE SUFFICIENT FUNDS TO COMPLETE WHAT MANY FELT WAS AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK, AND ONE THAT SHOULD NOT BE UNDERTAKEN...........




.......... ALTHOUGH THE TRUST ASSURED PEOPLE THAT THE RESTORATION & REBUILDING WORK WOULD GO AHEAD AS PLANNED, SUBSEQUENT DAMAGE OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS HAS LED TO THE PROJECT BEING TOTALLY ABANDONED !

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