Sea Life Brighton

Sea Life Brighton
The entrance viewed from the northwest
50°49′11″N 0°08′07″W / 50.8196°N 0.1353°W / 50.8196; -0.1353
Date opened	1872
Location	Brighton, United Kingdom
No. of animals	Over 5,000
Volume of largest tank	110,000 gallons
Website	www.visitsealife.com/Brighton/

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.^[1][2]

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"^[3] 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.