Regency Square and the i360 end of the seafront

Walk west along the seafront from the Palace Pier and you eventually hit the stretch where Brighton changes gear. The crowds thin a little, the buildings get taller and paler, and out in the water sit the black bones of the West Pier. Behind it all, up the slope, is Regency Square. This is the end of the seafront for people who like their history with a sea view.

Regency Square: the square itself

Regency Square is a large early nineteenth-century residential development, and My Brighton and Hove describes it as the first of the big seafront squares in Brighton and Hove. Building began in 1818. Sources disagree on the finish date, but most of the houses around the garden were complete by the early 1820s.

The developer was Joshua Hanson, who conceived it as a three-sided set piece of 69 houses. The design is generally credited to Amon Wilds and his son Amon Henry Wilds, though attributions vary and a Regency Society page also names Charles Busby. It went up on a field that was briefly and unofficially known as Belle Vue Field.

Look up at the facades. The upper storeys are bare yellow brick rather than fully stuccoed, which is unusual for the period and goes back to the original scheme. The square became properly fashionable when the Duke of St Albans moved in during 1830 with his wife, the former actress Harriot Mellon.

Much of it is listed. Numbers 2 to 4, 5 to 20, 26 to 37, 51 to 56, 57 to 59 and 60 to 66, plus 131 King's Road, are Grade II*, while the other houses are Grade II (Wikipedia).

The West Pier and its approach

Out beyond the beach is the West Pier, designed by Eugenius Birch and opened on 6 October 1866. It closed in 1975 and was once 1,115 ft long. It was listed Grade I in 1969, and Arthur Lloyd calls it Britain's only Grade I listed pier. The West Pier Trust says two arson attacks in 2003 ended hopes of restoration, and that the ruin is in active collapse, though close-up photographs taken on the lowest tide of the year suggested the remains are in better shape than first hoped.

To learn more, the West Pier Centre is the Trust's seafront home, at beach level in an arch east of the i360, near the Golden Spiral opposite the Hilton Brighton Metropole. It has information, exhibitions, books, souvenirs and monthly talks. Opening times are seasonal, so check the West Pier Trust website before you go.

The i360

The British Airways i360 is 138 m (450 ft) tall, and its pod gives you the whole coast from above. The official ticket page lists View 360 at £20.50 for an adult, with an Anytime ticket at £25. Opening hours vary between listings, so check the i360 ticket page on the day.

Where to eat and drink

Pearly Cow, 123 King's Road

Pearly Cow sits in the basement of four Georgian and Regency townhouses, facing the i360 and the pier ruins. It is the in-house restaurant of the GuestHouse hotel group, and it is known for meat cooked over an open fire, native seafood and cocktails, plus a Terrace Bar. It is at the pricey end.

The Sunday roast is the easy order. The Argus reviewed it in October 2026: two courses are £38 and three are £45, served Sundays from 12:30pm to 8pm. Choose from locally reared roast beef, half roast chicken, pork belly or a vegetable nut roast, and a schooner of Long Man Brewery beer is £6. Book through the restaurant's own website.

The Regency Restaurant, 131 King's Road

This is the Grade II* corner building beside the square, opposite the i360, and Harden's says it was once the home of Harriot Mellon. It is known for fish and chips and shellfish, including oysters, lobster and king prawns, plus Mediterranean-style pasta. The south-facing terraces look across to the West Pier and the i360. Popular orders on Tripadvisor include chips, lobster spaghetti, fish soup, a single oyster and mussels marinière. It opens daily from 8am and runs till late.

Drift Bar and Kitchen, Lower King's Road

Drift is on the beach at the foot of the i360, and the i360's Fly and Dine package promotes it. Menu listings show a Nashville chicken bun at £18, a posh fish bap at £19 and burgers at £18. Cocktails such as an Aperol Spritz or Espresso Martini are £12, and an alcohol-free Wolf Spritz is £9. Other dishes on its listings include calamari, fish tacos and fish and chips. The Fly and Dine adds a pod flight, a main meal at Drift and a drink, but the adult price differs between pages, so check before you book.

The Salt Room, 106 King's Road

The Salt Room has a sea-view dining room within sight of the West Pier. It is known for fish and seafood cooked over coals, with a catch-of-the-day display, and it is part of Raz Helalat's Black Rock group. Dishes diners name include mussels, prawn toast, Dover sole from the coals with triple-cooked chips, and Basque cheesecake. It is high-end, and some diners question the value.

A sensible way to do it

• Start on the square for the yellow-brick facades.
• Walk down to King's Road for the view of the West Pier ruin.
• Call into the West Pier Centre if it is open.
• Finish with a Sunday roast at Pearly Cow, or fish and chips on the Regency Restaurant terrace.