English: Brighton Aquarium / Sea Life Centre This site has had an extraordinarily chequered history. The original aquarium building here was designed by Eugenius Birch, who was reponsible for the now sadly lost West Pier, as the first recreational aquarium in the world, and built between 1869 and 1872 at a cost of £130,000. With its massive 100 foot long tank holding 110,000 gallons of water, and with its evening gas-lit exhibitions of the fish, it proved an instant success with Victorian tourists, and a roof terrace, roller-skating rink, and music conservatory were rapidly added. However enthusiasm waned as rapidly as it had started and by 1901 the Aquarium was in grave financial difficulties, to the extent that Brighton Corporation purchased it. It has been run as a municipal operation for most of the time since. The exterior of the building seen here, with its two kiosks with pagoda-style roofs, dates from 1929, the original Birch designed entrance, which was dominated by a distinctive Gothic clock tower, having been demolished by the Corporation around 1927. The building was then variously used as an aquarium, cinema, restaurant, RAF operations base (during the Second World War), night-club, motor museum and dolphinarium. Eugenius Birch would be pleased to see that the Aquarium is currently back in use as the Brighton Sea Life Centre http://www.sealifeeurope.com/local/index.php?loc=brighton providing entertainment, and hopefully education, to tourists.

There is currently a picture of the original 1872 entrance from a postcard dated 1926 here http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Brighton/BrightonAquarium.htm

The temporarily closed road to the right is Madeira Drive while Marine Parade goes up to the left.