Looking back at West Street in Brighton over the years.
Brighton’s West Street has undergone significant alterations over the years. We take a look back at the ever-changing road.
The Boulevard, which is lined with bars, clubs, and restaurants, serves as a nightlife hotspot in Brighton. Revolution occupies the street, Pryzm is on the corner, and Barbara’s Bier Haus has lately taken over the previous Walkabout apartment.
The much-anticipated Premier Inn construction may bring even more changes. Plans for the 187-bedroom hotel on West Street were approved last year, but little development appears to have taken place at the long-vacant site.
In 2015, authorisation was given to destroy Sherry’s Dance Hall, the former nightclub on the site, and replace it with a hotel.
West Street in Brighton (Image: The Argus Photographic Archive)
The structure, which also housed a roller rink, bingo hall and several other nightclubs such as the Pink Coconut, Paradox, Tru and Hedkandi, was demolished, but no construction began.
The hotel business, which already owns a hotel on North Street, filed a separate planning application in November 2024, requesting permission to use Premier Inn branding on the new hotel, but it was withdrawn on February 17, 2024.
This withdrawal, combined with a lack of construction work, has raised concerns about the new hotel’s future.
Premier Inn confirmed in February that it remains completely committed to the West Street project. There was also a sports facility on the busy route that lasted just over 30 years.
It began in 1934 as an Olympic-sized swimming pool but failed to generate revenue, thus the following year it was transformed into an ice rink.
West Street in Brighton (Imag
Despite its popularity for skating, the Brighton Tigers ice hockey team, and ice shows, it closed in 1965 and was demolished. Despite intense campaigning from skaters, it has never been fully replaced.
The snapshot below shows the bottom of West Street was taken about 1929, back when horses were more common than cars. Take note of the policeman on the small structure in the middle of the road.
The bottom of West Street circa 1929 (Image: The Argus Photographic Archive)
St. Paul’s Church is also located on West Street.
Father Henry Michell Wagner erected the church in 1848 to serve his son, Arthur Henry Wagner, as well as the residents of the impoverished fisheries region to the west of the street. What are you missing about West Street?
Do you have any nice memories from there?
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