About SEA LIFE Brighton - Information center

Reviews and news for “SEA LIFE Brighton”

• A fin-tastic evening of food and cocktails under the sea  The Argus
  
• Brighton aquarium set for 'emotional' loggerhead turtle release  BBC
  
• Turtle nursed back to health at Brighton now released into the wild  Brighton and Hove News
  
• Team cycles 128 miles to support marine conservation work  The Argus
  
• Find our more about the secrets beneath the sea on Brighton seafront  SussexWorld
  

SEA LIFE Brighton, known originally as Brighton Aquarium and then from 1969 until 1991 as Brighton Aquarium and Dolphinarium, is an aquarium attraction in Brighton, part of the English seaside city of Brighton and Hove. Opened as Brighton Aquarium in 1872, it is the oldest continuously operating aquarium in the world, and the main tank was the largest in the world at the time. The attraction was bought by SEA LIFE in 1991.

Occupying a prominent position on Brighton seafront, the aquarium was immediately popular among fashionable visitors when it opened and continued to be "one of Brighton's great tourist attractions" for many years afterwards, despite periods of decline. 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. The building was requisitioned during World War II and many changes were made after the war, including the introduction of a motor museum, nightclub, dolphinarium and children's adventure playground; all of these were short-lived. The SEA LIFE chain bought the attraction in 1991 and converted it into a Sea Life Centre. Historic England has listed the building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.

Where to get tickets for SEA LIFE Brighton events: