The pier was opened on 5 August 1872 by the then Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Earl of Granville.

[4] 600 guests sat down to lunch on the pier immediately following the opening ceremony, and included the local member of parliament Thomas Brassey and Egyptian princes.

[5] This was eventually replaced in 1922 and played host in the 1960s and the 1970s to notable artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Genesis, Tom Jones, Ten Years After, and Pink Floyd.

From the 1980s onwards, ownership and management of Hastings Pier changed hands on a regular basis with erratic structural renovation input from its owners.

Financial losses led to the appointment of liquidators Leonard Curtis who closed the pier in 1999.

[7] Protracted legal wranglings between the pier's owners, Ravenclaw Investments, and Hastings Borough Council followed.

The failure of the owners to respond to appeals from the Council to repair the areas and the continual deterioration of the structure led to its long-term future becoming uncertain.

The Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust (HPWRT) strongly oppose to any decision to demolish and clear the site of the structure, which would cost an estimated £4 million of local money.

However, after a structural assessment it was estimated that repairs would cost over £24 million, with a similar amount needed to restore attractions at the pier head.

On 1 February 2010, Hastings Borough Council finally resolved to develop an approval in principle to compulsorily purchase the Pier on the agreement of a business plan and suitable funding source.

This funding was intended to pay for structural supports to be applied to the central section which was weakened by the loss of the deck in the fire.

The remaining award (Stage 2) was subject to the funding match being raised, the authorisation of the business plan by the HLF and the successful completion of the CPO.

In August 2013, a compulsory purchase order was enacted and the pier was returned to local ownership which enabled a £14m renovation project to go forward.

The pier has featured in many films and TV series, such as The Dark Man (1951), ITV wartime drama Foyle's War, Kingmaker's "Queen Jane" music video (1993), Ash's "Tracers" music video (2009), the film Byzantium (2012) and the British television series Giri/Haji (2019).