Sea Life Centre
Brighton Aquarium
I remember visiting the Aquarium as a child and finding it totally thrilling. When I was young, they still had dolphins in the large tank and the anticipation of waiting for the show to start was almost too much to bare. I remember watching the birthday children getting pulled around the tank, in a little yellow boat, by a dolphin and wishing that could be me. How lucky they were. As I have grown up and realise that I passionately believe such animals should be left in the wild, and on seeing the tank again am totally amazed at how small it was. With that being said I enjoyed my visit very much. I still felt the thrill of such wonderful place, along with the atmosphere of it being presented in this old Victorian setting. The improvements have made a great difference and I was very pleased to see so many visitors all seemingly enjoying it as much as I was. It has become so child friendly and gives plenty of opportunities for children to see many species from the ocean they may never otherwise see, and at such close range. I would definitely visit again.
The Aquarium was the brain-child and designed by Eugenius Birch, the celebrated architect of the West Pier. Work started in 1869 and the entrance was positioned on the original site of the Chain Pier's toll-house, stretching back 700ft into the western end of the cliff. It was inaugurated and officially opened by Prince Arthur in March 1872, but did not house many exhibitions until the August when the Mayor, Cordy Burrows headed a Grand Opening, with a total build cost of £130,000. An expensive project in its day.
A large flight of descending steps leading to the courtyard and the original entrance to the 224ft corridor with huge vaulted ceilings and lined with large tanks. This led to the Dolphin Lounge, a huge tank containing 110,000 gallons - the largest tank in the world in its time. A roof terrace was completed in the summer of 1874 and included the distinctive clock tower, gateway and toll-houses which were added by T.Boxall in the October. In June of 1876 the terrace was extended 180ft and a roller-skating rink, terrace garden, smoking room, cafe and music conservatory were added.
The Aquarium proved to be a huge hit and adding to its popularity new exhibits were added. A large octopus arrived and in 1877 the first sea-lions arrived. By this tine two organ recitals a day were being performed and regular concerts were being held in the conservatory. Lectures and exhibitions were introduced in 1883 to further stimulate the public's interest further.
The Aquariums popularity was however short lived and the Aquarium found itself in such financial difficulties it was sold to the corporation for just £30,000 and has been managed by a municipal enterprise ever since; apart from a brief private let in 1905/1906.
Did you know:
* During the war the Aquarium was requisitioned by the RAF.
* The Aquarium used to house Chimpanzee tea-parties.
* The first dolphins arrived to the Aquarium in 1968, an enormous attraction in the first few years, quickly turned into a major public debate whether it was healthy for the intelligent mammals to enclosed in such a small area. This led to the exhibits closure.
* In 1988 a film was made called "fruit machine" where two gay teenagers run away to Brighton after seeing a murder. One of the teenagers spends a lot of time at the dolphinarium. This is probably the last footage of the dolphinarium and the dolphins before it closed down.
* An electric cricket score board - sponsored by Johnny Walker was mounted on the Aquarium sun terrace. The location of each ball bowled was shown on an oval representing the pitch, and cricket fans would gather to watch the progress of Test Matches.
Information taken from:
http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__7688_path__0p115p195p898p.aspxhttp://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk
