It used to be known as the jewel of Merseyside but now the seaside resort of New Brighton yearns for the buzz of yesteryear when the streets were filled with flamboyant fun and sun seekers.

Today the only real excitement can be found in the town’s arcade where punters flock to try their fortunes on the large amount of gambling machines.

Efforts have been made in recent years to return New Brighton to her former glory but each time a proposal is muted it disappears into the sunset for one reason or another.

A £70 million redevelopment plan for the regeneration of New Brighton was unveiled in 2004, with the aim of bringing jobs and tourism into the area. Known as the Neptune Project, it involved filling in the Marine Lake to build a supermarket, and constructing a lido resort combining a pool and a new marine lake. However the plans were rejected on account of financial feasibility and scepticism over the actual worth to the community on the whole.

The town, once a haven for party goers by night and families by day now resembles a ghost town.

It was in the late 1800s that New Brighton was put on the tourism map in the UK.

The town became a thriving seaside resort serving Liverpool and the Lancashire industrial towns.

Hotels and guesthouses began to spring up everywhere to accommodate the massive crowds which flocked to the coast.

A pier was opened in the 1860s and the promenade from Seacombe to New Brighton was built in the 1890s. This served both as a recreational amenity in its own right, and to link up the developments along the estuary.
 
The New Brighton Tower, the tallest in the country, was opened in 1900 but closed in 1919. Sadly the tower was demolished by 1921 and the buildings destroyed by a fire in 1969.

After the Second World War the popularity of New Brighton as a seaside resort declined dramatically. However, the Tower Ballroom continued as a major venue, hosting numerous concerts in the 1950s and 60s by local Liverpool bands such as the Beatles as well as other international stars.

A ferry service from Liverpool to New Brighton ceased in 1971, after which the ferry pier and landing stage were dismantled. By 1977, the promenade pier had suffered the same fate. The once famous open air New Brighton Bathing Pool was closed in 1990 following storm damage and demolished a short time later.

Gambling is the main attraction in New Brighton today but even as the fruit machines chime the town which once provided so much joy for visitors lies weather beaten and without hope.

Print version