Sussex in the great pier heyday

And that's the opinion of a man who should know: Martin Easdown, archivist for the National Piers Society.

Of course it was fairly inevitable that Sussex should be a key part of the great British pier heyday. But it has managed to retain its piers pretty well - despite the great pier slump of the 60s and 70s.

And the good news for Martin is that we have now entered something of a pier revival. New piers aren't being built these days, but the ones we have got are certainly being looked after.

Martin considers Sussex to have three particularly fine examples - Brighton Palace pier, Worthing and Eastbourne.

"The Worthing one is very very indicative of the 1930s art deco style."

Somewhat further down the list is Bognor Regis' pier, one which Martin describes as 'disappearing gradually': "It has lost some of its length in recent years. It's a good example of what sometimes happens on piers that have all their attractions at the shore end. That's the bit that makes the money and the owners are sometimes not to keen to keep up the promenading bit - which is what has happened in Bognor."

All of which is explored in Martin's new book Piers Of Sussex, an exploration of a great Sussex tradition.

From the construction of the famous Chain Pier at Brighton in 1823, there followed a rich succession of pier-building along the Sussex coast from Hastings, St Leonards and Eastbourne to Selsey, Littlehampton, Bognor and Worthing.

These piers were places of entertainment for the British holidaymaker and included such delights as indoor skating rinks, concerts, theatres, funfairs and performing divers.

The very first piers were places for boats to tie up, but gradually the pleasure element took over as it became fashionable simply to walk up and down them, enjoying the sea air and revelling in the view back towards the town.

And so piers flourished - and so the entertainments on them grew.

But the downturn began not long after World War Two, particularly in the 1960s when people started going abroad for holidays.

"The 60s and 70s were really quite bad, though there is a revival now. Generally the Sussex ones are in reasonable repair. It's only the Brighton West Pier saga that has given them a bad name. Most piers are well maintained and popular.

"Only Brighton Chain Pier and St Leonards have been completely lost. The Victorian seaside pleasure pier will provide enjoyment and entertainment on the Sussex coast for many years to come."

Piers Of Sussex is published by The History Press at 12.99 (ISBN-13: 978-0752448848).