FA000297 – The Chain Pier, Brighton, H Eavens, Late 19th century
Published by:
Alex Alexander
Part of the One Minute Wonders trail, a story written by one of our volunteers, inspired by objects on display.
By Alex Alexander
The rough sea in this picture of the Chain Pier looks so life-like; you can almost see it moving. Maybe it is a foretelling of the devastation that will result from the coming storm.
What strikes you most about this object? Is it the deep waves, the strong, steadfast structure of the pier? Or the beautifully polished wooden frame?
Opened in 1823, the Chain Pier stood for 73 years until, on 4 December 1896, it was destroyed in a huge storm.
The frame of this picture was made from wood salvaged from the pier after the storm. It has beauty in itself and is a piece of our own local history.
How lucky we are that Mr Clark collected this wood for us to see and framed it around this magnificent amateur painting by Mr Eavens.