19th century of the aquarium as it appeared in the late 19th century, looking east From the 1850s, architect and civil engineer
Eugenius Birch made a career out of designing
pleasure piers at British seaside resorts. Prominent among these was the
West Pier in Brighton, built between 1863 and 1866. Soon after completing this pier, Birch travelled to
Boulogne-sur-Mer in France and visited its aquarium. Around this time, having seen the
Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London, in 1851 and then the aquatic exhibits at
The Crystal Palace, many people in Brighton were developing "an interest in the marvels of science", and demand was growing for the town to have an aquarium of its own. After returning from France, Birch developed a plan to build one; it was authorised by the '''''' (
32 & 33 Vict. c. lxxxviii), and work commenced in 1869. was to be widened; south of it, land would be reclaimed from the sea and a new seafront road built, leading from
Old Steine to
Black Rock; and the aquarium would be built in the sloping gap between these roads, Birch's original design included a series of turret-like structures rising from the roof, to be used as accommodation for staff. When reviewing the plans, though,
Borough of Brighton councillors stated that no part of the building should be higher than level with Marine Parade, to prevent views of the sea being interrupted. A roller-skating rink was also provided, catering to the contemporary craze, and concerts and music recitals were a regular feature from the beginning. A cinema, known as the Aquarium Kinema , also operated at the aquarium for a time. A formal opening ceremony took place on 10 August 1872, when Mayor of Brighton John Cordy Burrows officially inaugurated Brighton Aquarium, as it was known. An annual meeting of the
British Association for the Advancement of Science was held at the same time, at which naturalist
Francis Trevelyan (Frank) Buckland, who had been involved with the Brighton Aquarium Company for some years, "produced, apparently from his pocket, a couple of juvenile alligators" which were added to the aquarium's collection. Other activities continued to develop as the aquarium "proved to be an instant success with the town's fashionable society": daily organ recitals were supplemented from 1889 by regular plays following the granting of a theatre licence. Czech musician and composer
Wilhelm Kuhe was the aquarium's musical director during its early years.
Early 20th century and corporation ownership Brighton's fortunes declined around the turn of the 20th century, and the aquarium was badly affected. It encountered financial difficulties, and was threatened with closure in 1901. Brighton Corporation bought it for £30,000 under the '''''' (
1 Edw. 7. c. ccxxiv), and undertook several improvements, including building a winter garden and increasing the range of exhibits. Within a few years it had one of the largest and widest ranging collections of marine life of any European aquarium, and it resumed its position as one of the town's most important attractions. The corporation planned a larger series of improvements, but World War I interrupted this. A closure threat was averted in 1922, when the corporation initially granted and then withdrew permission for the
Southdown Motor Services bus company to take over the building and turn it into a bus station; The winter garden was replaced with a new concert hall, a bandstand and another restaurant were built on the roof terrace, and the equipment used to pump and cleanse the water in the tanks was improved and modernised. Other than this, very few changes were made inside. David Edwards, the Brighton Borough Surveyor, undertook this work. The roof terrace was redesignated as a "sun terrace", and it was initially provided with a large cricket scoreboard sponsored by
Johnnie Walker whisky, on which scores from
Test matches and other major cricket matches would be updated regularly. The 1,250-capacity concert hall which had replaced the winter garden in 1929 was converted into a nightclub, the Florida Rooms. A few years later, in 1961, a motor museum in connection with the
Montagu collection was added. The Florida Rooms hosted
jazz bands from the 1950s and became one of the first British
R&B clubs in the 1960s. Among the jazz musicians appearing regularly at the venue were
Chris Barber and
Acker Bilk. The High Numbers (an early incarnation of
The Who) played an early gig there and The Who were to become regulars at the venue, at one point playing every Wednesday night for an entrance fee of 1
s.6d. In 1965, Davy Jones and the Lower Third, fronted by a very young
David Bowie, appeared there.
Dolphinarium to Sea Life Centre When a pair of dolphins were introduced at the aquarium in 1968, they became a popular attraction and in 1969 a permanent
dolphinarium was set up in the former motor museum. A saltwater pool was installed, along with seating for 1,000 people, and the aquarium's name was changed to Brighton Aquarium and Dolphinarium. After taking over the aquarium, Sea Life undertook a £1.5 million restoration project. More work was done in 2012: the centre was closed for a time to allow the interior to be fully restored to its 19th-century style. In another part of the building, a
private members' club, part of the
Soho House chain, was proposed in 2014 and was given permission to open in April 2016. Rebuilding work at Sea Life Brighton delayed the redevelopment and demolition work needed (including of a large circular building which previously housed The Terraces restaurant), but in December 2017 it was announced that work would start in early 2018. An extension to its licencing hours was sought in 2022, when it was stated that the club could hold 500 people and had a separate 300-capacity shared workspace. ==Architecture==