BRIGHTON, ENGLAND.- Eugenius Birch was a prolific Victorian engineer who liked to be beside the seaside. Born in London in 1818, he designed and built no fewer than 14 piers off the coasts of England and Wales, the first at Margate in 1853, the last at Plymouth in 1884, the year he died. Birch was a fine draughtsman and a talented artist, painting more than 100 watercolors during a tour of Italy, Egypt and Nubia in the winter of 1874-75. His works adorn rather than destroy views. They heighten rather than diminish the strength of the sea. His masterpiece was Brighton's West Pier (1863-66), a glorious seaside architectural fantasia. Enlivened with oriental decoration, it was hugely popular, attracting two million visitors a year in its heyday. This queen of piers was closed in 1975. Ravaged by the great storm of 1987, it has been in a sorry state ever since. Finally, after years of wrangling, the pier is about to be restored to its full 1920s glory. The Heritage Lottery has donated £15m for its restoration.