Over Easter Break, my roommates and I went on a day trip to Brighton. It was an interesting city and it was definitely not what I expected. It had a Coney Island feel, though on a smaller scale. After walking along the water for a while, we came across the Brighton Pier. As like many other amusement parks and fairgrounds, the Pier is not as grand an attraction as it once was. Brighton Pier was built in 1866 as a simple sundeck with a few oriental houses to protect the Brighton visitors from the sun and the wind. It was transformed over the years to become a bigger and more attractive place to visit. In the early 1900s, it was transformed into a concert hall by 1916. It’s transformation was an attempt to draw busy Londoners out to the city for a relaxing, yet fun filled weekend by the sea. It was transformed again in 1932 to add a more amusement park aspect to the simple pier. I think this transformation was probably undergone in an attempt to keep up with the changing and more fun seeking lifestyle that had developed in the 1920s after the end of World War I. People were seeking to enjoy life; they were more interested in frivolous activities and pleasure pursuits. So the change in the pier was probably a result of society’s shift to an era of luxury and consumerism. However, construction was halted with the beginning of World War II. British people were more focused on survival from the enemy and working towards victory than they were on taking weekend trips to the sea. All efforts in Britain were geared towards the war and the pier was forgotten for the time being. However, at the end of the war people were so excited that the slaughter was over, that people again sought day trips at the relaxing seaside. Business on the forgotten pier boomed with people enjoying the fruits of victory. But this euphoria soon ended at the pier again fell into disarray around 1960. It’s modern state was established in the 1980s when the pier underwent major renovations. I think the story of the pier is very interesting and it coincides with all the turmoil and ups and downs of the 20th century. The Brighton pier suffered, just as the people suffered, from the destruction of two world wars.