Archive March 2003
Stuart Jones Memoirs & Reviews

It's a quarter of a century since the West Pier was abandoned to the ravages of the weather and recently the poor old thing suffered further storm damage, leaving the twisted, nervous wreck that we see now. Many local people feel the pier has been deliberately left to rot, in order to clear the way for some ugly modern development.

Despite lottery funds being made available for restoration work over 5 years ago, nothing was done and now it's too late to save the old structure, let alone restore it. Ironically, the third and final Attrix album, Vaultage 80, featured a wreck of the pier on its front cover. But a visionary illustration by Ken Hogg bears an uncanny resemblance to what we see now.

The whole episode smacks of sharp practice, shady wheeling and dealing and vested interests, so expect to see the money-men get their way in the end. As with the fate of the pier, in the world of local politics, nothing has changed in 25 years.

Click to compare Ken Hogg's version
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