A PANOPLY of PIERS
Seaside piers continue to enthral and entertain visitors in resorts up and down the land. You can still go angling on them, catch a steamer, take in a show, feast on sh and chips, play the slot machines, experience the thrill of fairground rides or simply relax in a deckchair and watch the world go by. You can even get married on some of them. Here is my pick of the piers.
Blackpool is the only resort with three piers, North, Central and South. Thousands of factory workers used to arrive on special excursion trains and headed for the piers, which offered every kind of attraction including open-air dancing, roller skating, speedboats, diving displays, hypnotists and even a boxing kangaroo! North Pier, the oldest, still has a theatre where entertainers such as Frankie Vaughan, Morecambe and Wise and Des O’Connor used to appear twice nightly throughout the summer. It was the birthplace of Sooty the glove puppet bear, whom Harry Corbett bought from a stall for 7/- (35p) in 1947.
Clockwise from left: Blackpool North Pier (c.1890). Brighton Palace Pier (1900s). Clacton Pier
Brighton Pier (formerly Palace Pier) opened in 1899 and is the most popular in the country. Many films have been shot there including Brighton Rock, Quadrophenia and Carry On At Your Convenience. It’s a typical ‘Kiss Me Quick’ pier with lots of rides and amusement arcades as well as the best fish and chips in the town.
Cromer Pier opening (June 1901)
Clevedon in Somerset is our only Grade I listed pier: Sir John Betjeman once described it as being ‘as delicate as a Japanese print in the mist’. It collapsed in 1970 and was only saved through the efforts of local enthusiasts. All along its decking there are brass plaques bearing the names of loved ones who spent happy times on it. The Waverley paddle steamer still calls in to take people on trips along the coast.
Cromer in Norfolk boasts the only remaining traditional end-of-the-pier summer show. It runs until 20 September and attracts coach parties from far and wide. One of its recent stars, ventriloquist Steve Hewlett, came fourth in Britain’s Got Talent in 2013.
Llandudno is the finest of the surviving Welsh piers. It was one of 14 designed by the wonderfully named Eugenius Birch (1818-84). At nearly 2,300ft it was too long for one holidaymaker, who complained to the local tourist office in the 1990s. Walk to the end and you will be rewarded with stunning views up to the Great Orme and along the bay.
Clockwise from top left: The main entrance to Penarth Pier, which is the National Pier Society’s Pier of the Year. Clevedon Pier. Llandudno Pier
At the opposite end of Wales, Penarth Pier is the National Piers Society’s current Pier of the Year. This award recognises the huge amount of work put in by volunteers in restoring its 1929 Art Deco pavilion, which now houses the UK’s only pier cinema as well as a cafe and art gallery. The pier, which is located at the end of a beautiful bay just four miles outside Cardiff, also has a landing stage with boats crossing to Clevedon, and is a popular spot for shing.
Ryde is the oldest pier in the United Kingdom and opened exactly 200 years ago. It was, and still is, the gateway to the Isle of Wight, and thousands of visitors catch the ferries to and from the mainland. Creaky ex-London Underground trains leave the pier head for the foreshore and on to the island’s main resorts of Sandown and Shanklin.
Southend is the longest pier in the country and also the world. The reason for its length is to allow boats to dock at all stages of the tide. Because of this it has experienced numerous storms, fires and ship collisions. It has had a passenger train service ever since it opened in 1890. Underneath the entrance there is a fascinating museum. At the end of the pier are a lifeboat station and a performance space where it is possible to get married. Jamie Oliver claims to have been conceived on this pier.
Southend Pier (c. 1920)
Southwold is a remarkable pier survivor. Originally 810ft long, it was cut in half during the Second World War to prevent invading forces from landing. By 1960 it had shrunk to about 150ft. A new owner almost single-handedly rebuilt it to enable steamers to call in at the pier head. This is a classy pier with wonderfully quirky amusement machines to enjoy and high-quality catering in the Boardwalk restaurant. A 30-bedroom hotel is planned for the pier entrance.
Clcokwise from top left: Southwold Pier. Ryde (1911). Weston-super- Mare Pier
Weston-super-Mare has two very contrasting piers. The older one, Birnbeck, is the most threatened pier in the country. It connects to an island and is an architectural marvel, worth a visit even though there has been no access since 1994. The Grand, right in the centre of the seafront, was the last of the great pleasure piers to be built, opening in 1904. It was called the Grand because of the huge pavilion at the end. After this burned down in 1930 it was replaced by a similarly large amusement hall with a ballroom attached. Since the Second World War the Grand has had only two owners. Shortly after it changed hands in 2008 its pavilion was totally destroyed by fire. Within two years the new owners had built a much larger replacement housing the latest attractions and an upstairs suite with live entertainment. The Grand is the only pier in this selection to operate an entrance toll, which is £1 per head.
British Seaside Piers by Anthony Wills and Tim Phillips (English Heritage, £25).
Blackpool is the only resort with three piers, North, Central and South. Thousands of factory workers used to arrive on special excursion trains and headed for the piers, which offered every kind of attraction including open-air dancing, roller skating, speedboats, diving displays, hypnotists and even a boxing kangaroo! North Pier, the oldest, still has a theatre where entertainers such as Frankie Vaughan, Morecambe and Wise and Des O’Connor used to appear twice nightly throughout the summer. It was the birthplace of Sooty the glove puppet bear, whom Harry Corbett bought from a stall for 7/- (35p) in 1947.
Clockwise from left: Blackpool North Pier (c.1890). Brighton Palace Pier (1900s). Clacton PierBrighton Pier (formerly Palace Pier) opened in 1899 and is the most popular in the country. Many films have been shot there including Brighton Rock, Quadrophenia and Carry On At Your Convenience. It’s a typical ‘Kiss Me Quick’ pier with lots of rides and amusement arcades as well as the best fish and chips in the town.
Cromer Pier opening (June 1901)Clevedon in Somerset is our only Grade I listed pier: Sir John Betjeman once described it as being ‘as delicate as a Japanese print in the mist’. It collapsed in 1970 and was only saved through the efforts of local enthusiasts. All along its decking there are brass plaques bearing the names of loved ones who spent happy times on it. The Waverley paddle steamer still calls in to take people on trips along the coast.
Cromer in Norfolk boasts the only remaining traditional end-of-the-pier summer show. It runs until 20 September and attracts coach parties from far and wide. One of its recent stars, ventriloquist Steve Hewlett, came fourth in Britain’s Got Talent in 2013.
Llandudno is the finest of the surviving Welsh piers. It was one of 14 designed by the wonderfully named Eugenius Birch (1818-84). At nearly 2,300ft it was too long for one holidaymaker, who complained to the local tourist office in the 1990s. Walk to the end and you will be rewarded with stunning views up to the Great Orme and along the bay.
Clockwise from top left: The main entrance to Penarth Pier, which is the National Pier Society’s Pier of the Year. Clevedon Pier. Llandudno PierAt the opposite end of Wales, Penarth Pier is the National Piers Society’s current Pier of the Year. This award recognises the huge amount of work put in by volunteers in restoring its 1929 Art Deco pavilion, which now houses the UK’s only pier cinema as well as a cafe and art gallery. The pier, which is located at the end of a beautiful bay just four miles outside Cardiff, also has a landing stage with boats crossing to Clevedon, and is a popular spot for shing.
Ryde is the oldest pier in the United Kingdom and opened exactly 200 years ago. It was, and still is, the gateway to the Isle of Wight, and thousands of visitors catch the ferries to and from the mainland. Creaky ex-London Underground trains leave the pier head for the foreshore and on to the island’s main resorts of Sandown and Shanklin.
Southend is the longest pier in the country and also the world. The reason for its length is to allow boats to dock at all stages of the tide. Because of this it has experienced numerous storms, fires and ship collisions. It has had a passenger train service ever since it opened in 1890. Underneath the entrance there is a fascinating museum. At the end of the pier are a lifeboat station and a performance space where it is possible to get married. Jamie Oliver claims to have been conceived on this pier.
Southend Pier (c. 1920)Southwold is a remarkable pier survivor. Originally 810ft long, it was cut in half during the Second World War to prevent invading forces from landing. By 1960 it had shrunk to about 150ft. A new owner almost single-handedly rebuilt it to enable steamers to call in at the pier head. This is a classy pier with wonderfully quirky amusement machines to enjoy and high-quality catering in the Boardwalk restaurant. A 30-bedroom hotel is planned for the pier entrance.
Clcokwise from top left: Southwold Pier. Ryde (1911). Weston-super- Mare PierWeston-super-Mare has two very contrasting piers. The older one, Birnbeck, is the most threatened pier in the country. It connects to an island and is an architectural marvel, worth a visit even though there has been no access since 1994. The Grand, right in the centre of the seafront, was the last of the great pleasure piers to be built, opening in 1904. It was called the Grand because of the huge pavilion at the end. After this burned down in 1930 it was replaced by a similarly large amusement hall with a ballroom attached. Since the Second World War the Grand has had only two owners. Shortly after it changed hands in 2008 its pavilion was totally destroyed by fire. Within two years the new owners had built a much larger replacement housing the latest attractions and an upstairs suite with live entertainment. The Grand is the only pier in this selection to operate an entrance toll, which is £1 per head.
British Seaside Piers by Anthony Wills and Tim Phillips (English Heritage, £25).