Haunted, bombed and burned - chilling history of Britain's historic piers still standing

Britain utilized to beryllium location to implicit 1 100 piers, present with lone 55 remaining, present are immoderate of the astir historical and champion to sojourn piers that the state has to offer

Is thing much evocative of the classical salty, breezy, seaside staycation than a pier?

From the caw of the wheeling gulls and the spinning pinkish drums of candy floss to the waft of food and chips and the rattle of coins successful the penny falls, these Victorian wonders are arsenic British arsenic it comes. Often primitively built to accommodate ferry oregon steamer passengers, present they’re a nationalist treasure and inactive precise overmuch a nationalist pleasure. Here, we observe our prime of the UK’s peerless piers…

Cromer, Norfolk

Length: 500ft
Opened: 1901
Status: Grade II

The North Sea has not been benignant to Cromer’s piers. A 210ft jetty built successful 1822 lasted until 1843, erstwhile it was washed away. Two years aboriginal it was replaced with a 240ft operation which stood until 1890 erstwhile the waves struck again. Today’s robust pier has been damaged by storms in 1949, 1953, 1976, 1978, 1990 and 2013 but inactive stands arrogant and its Pavilion Theatre hosts the lone full-season end-of-the-pier amusement successful the world, playing to delighted afloat houses.

Reputedly, determination are ghosts excessively – of an impresario and a murdered actress. Don’t instrumentality our connection for however good this pier is. TV prima Bradley Walsh started his vocation moving connected summertime shows present successful the 80s and past twelvemonth described it arsenic the “greatest spot connected the planet”.

cromerpier.co.uk

Southend, Essex

Length: 7,080ft
Opened: 1890
Status: Grade II

The world’s longest pleasance pier has a colourful 190-year past with assorted fires, wartime subject work and being divided successful 2 aft being deed by a ship. The archetypal woody conception opened successful 1830, with the existent robust replacement debuting successful 1890 and featuring an electrical railway.

An hold opened successful 1898, giving it the planetary status. Much improved successful the 21st period with caller and refurbished facilities, it draws much than 320,000 visitors a twelvemonth for a stroll oregon clanking obstruction travel heavy into the gaping maw of the Thames Estuary. Further concern is planned.

southendpier.co.uk

Brighton Palace, Sussex

Length: 1,760ft
Opened: 1899
Status: Grade II*

Britain’s reply to LA’s iconic Santa Monica pier? Quite perchance so. It started retired successful a emblematic genteel Victorian mode with a 1,500-seat theatre astatine the seaward end, with smaller pavilions for dining, smoking and reading. A wintertime plot was added earlier the First World War followed a twelvemonth aboriginal by a steamer landing stage. Little happened until 1973, erstwhile a barge being utilized during demolition of the unused landing signifier deed the pier, causing overmuch damage.

New owners successful the 1980s dismantled the theatre and added a Ferris wheel, with a occurrence successful 2000 destroying immoderate rides. By 2007 it was thriving, with caller thrill rides and a nutrient court. In 2016 it changed hands again, with the caller owners reverting the sanction to Brighton Palace Pier from the unpopular Brighton Pier. Today it’s rated arsenic 1 of the UK’s apical 10 Instagram spots and a vibrant success.

brightonpier.co.uk

Southwold, Suffolk

Length: Initially 810ft Now 623ft
Opened: 1900
Status: Unlisted

Like Southend, thing of an eventful past with a 1934 tempest destroying the T-shaped head, a Second World War excavation causing damage, and a 1955 gale isolating the seaward end, which washed away. Another tempest successful 1979 reduced the magnitude to 150ft. A large refurbishment started successful 1999 and by 2002 the T-shaped extremity was returned, making it 623ft and allowing steamers to visit.

Today’s highlights see the Pier View barroom for, well, fab pier views and the highly rated, unsocial and eccentric Under the Pier Show, which features the weird and fantastic interactive inventions from genius technologist Tim Hunkin.

southwoldpier.co.uk

Dunoon, Argyll and Bute

Length: 400ft
Opened: 1835
Status: Category B

A charming Highlands edifice municipality connected the Cowal Peninsula has an arsenic charming pier. Originally constructed to grip paddle-steamer postulation from Glasgow, it has a striking entranceway gathering with red-tiled roofs and elaborate timber successful chocolate, pick and yellow. By aboriginal 2010, the information of the pier buildings had deteriorated severely and locals feared it would person to beryllium demolished. However, the assembly owners committed to its restoration and present it’s backmost to its erstwhile glory and a fashionable tourer attraction.

argyll-bute.gov.uk/home

Ryde, Isle of Wight

Length: Initially 1,740ft Now 2,305ft
Opened: 1814
Status: Grade II

Britain’s oldest pier has been increasing since 1814 with respective extensions and expansions, including a tramway pier successful 1864 and past a railway pier successful 1880. The 20th period saw the woody piles gradually replaced with iron, past a rebuilding successful factual followed by closure of the tramway. As immoderate obstruction aficionado volition archer you, the trains are 1938 London Underground rolling banal – though they are owed to beryllium replaced with much modern units.

visitisleofwight.co.uk

Weston-Super-Mare, North Somerset

Length: Initially 1,080ft Now 1,200ft
Opened: 1904
Status: Grade II

The builders of Weston’s 2nd pier had expansive ideas with a 2,000-seat pavilion that staged opera, euphony hall, Shakespearean plays, ballet and... boxing. A 1,500ft low-water hold with a landing signifier was added successful the aboriginal 20th period but was small utilized due to the fact that of unsafe Bristol Channel conditions and it was demolished during the First World War. Amusements were added successful 1926 but destroyed by occurrence soon after. The 90s saw the summation of a bowling alley and Ferris wheel, but again a occurrence broke retired successful 2008. The existent pier reopened successful 2011 and has been a fashionable filming location.

grandpier.co.uk

Bangor Garth, Gwynedd

Length: Initially 1,550ft Now 1,500ft
Opened: 1896
Status: Grade II

You’ll instrumentality a radiance to this silvery sliver successful the Menai Strait which primitively served steamers from Liverpool, Blackpool and the Isle of Man. It was saved from demolition successful the 1970s and reopened successful 1988. More fiscal difficulties successful the 2010s person present been flooded and a four-year large refurbishment is nearing completion. There’s a fistful of bully section nutrient and portion stalls and large views of the Strait walking out, and Snowdonia’s peaks connected the skyline walking back.

bangorpier.org

Blackpool Central, Lancashire

Length: Originally 1,518ft present 1,118ft
Opened: 1868
Status: Grade II

Originally founded arsenic the South Pier, it changed its sanction erstwhile the Victoria (now South) Pier opened. The wide magnitude was reduced erstwhile a jetty was demolished successful the 1970s. Known arsenic the People’s Pier, it was renowned for its entertainment, peculiarly open-air dancing and theatre. Today’s boisterous offering is simply a small little highbrow but with a Ferris wheel, and funfair and tribute show, positive a pirate-themed household barroom wherever there’s ‘avast’ magnitude of swashbuckling mayhem.

blackpoolpiers.co.uk

For much info connected Britain’s piers some past and contiguous see piers.org.uk

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