Its exterior was substantially rebuilt in a modern style in the 1920s, and new attractions were added to the roof terrace, but the High Victorian Gothic interior remains.

From the 1850s, architect and civil engineer Eugenius Birch made a career out of designing pleasure piers at British seaside resorts.

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.

At the west end, on the site of the demolished Royal Suspension Chain Pier's toll-house, was an Italianate-style stone entrance building with steps down to an arched courtyard.

[9] A roller-skating rink was also provided, catering to the contemporary craze, and concerts and music recitals were a regular feature from the beginning.

Work continued until 1872, and the aquarium was opened by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn on Easter Monday (1 April) that year—although the building was then in a "very unfinished condition", hosting only one tank of fish.

[13] 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.

The entrance façade was also altered in 1874, when a cast iron structure topped by a clock tower was added on Marine Parade: this work was undertaken by T.

Brighton Corporation bought it for £30,000 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.

[17] 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.

Restrictions were placed on the forms of entertainment that could be provided, but the aquarium became more downmarket and suffered from structural neglect, with damp penetration and the loss of interior details through being covered up or overpainted.

Friday was Blues night and the club hosted, among others, Memphis Slim, John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Witherspoon.

Artists appearing on the Saturday night slot included The Animals, Manfred Mann, Georgie Fame and John Mayall's Bluesbrakers.

These dolphins were released into the wild in 1991 as part of Operation Into The Blue, after rehabilitation at a conch farm in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

[1] In the late 1990s the Aquarium's former roof terrace, which is still owned by the local council, was redeveloped into multiple commercial units, but these failed to attract many occupants.

[31] This new entrance structure, added in 1874 by T. Boxall and removed during the 1920s remodelling, consisted of an elaborate cast iron gateway with paired columns and arches set below gables, topped with a tall clock tower.

[32] Behind this, down a flight of shallow steps, was the Italianate entrance court, designed to resemble structures in ancient Rome (it has been described as the "Pompeian style").

On its frieze was a quote from the Book of Genesis: "And God said, 'Let the water bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that hath life'".

The easternmost aisle is articulated on the exterior by a seven-bay arcade with pilasters of the Tuscan order; the dolphinarium was entered through this section when it was operating.

[28][31] The columns are of green serpentine marble, granite from Edinburgh[35] and Bath stone, and their capitals are carved with representations of sea creatures designed by H.R.

[36] The extensive vaulting, and the aquarium's position set below the cliff and reached down a flight of steps, meant the interior was likened in contemporary accounts to an "undersea cathedral"[3] and a "vast underground extravaganza".

[38] Bus stops named "Brighton Sea Life Centre", situated on Marine Parade, are served by regular buses on various eastbound[39] and westbound routes.