Blackpool Central – Decking Failure
A woman visiting Blackpool’s Central Pier was reported injured having fallen though a section of decking on Tuesday. The incident is now being investigated by Blackpool Council and the Blackpool Pier Company; the cause of the decking failure is presently under determination. Many commentators have noted that the opening in the decking is more characteristic of a maintenance-access “trapdoor” as opposed to the fracturing of rotted decking boards; the incidence of the latter situation is indeed very rare. Blackpool Council are preparing structural inspections of the decking of all three Blackpool piers. Meanwhile the woman is receiving hospital treatment and the Central Pier remains closed until the inspection is complete.
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Llandudno Pier – Reinstatement of Happy Valley Entrance
Further details have been provided for the proposed repairs and reopening of the pier’s original entrance on Happy Valley Road. The majority of the structure from the pier abutment to the intersection with the “pier extension” will be replaced. The detailed planning for the project is currently in progress and works will most likely start after the end of the Summer season.
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Helensburgh – a Waverley Sail-past
As highlighted in an article last month (paywall-restricted), further details have been issued for the anticipated sail-past of the P.S. Waverley on the 18th August. Helensburgh Pier is still unfit for landings but the Waverley will sail close past it to indicate support for its restoration and subsequent reinstatement on the sailing timetables. The day will be made into something of a public event by local campaigners and it is hoped that such an evocative prospect as the Waverley sounding its horn to the people of Helensburgh and, the people of Helensburgh cheering back, shall come to pass.
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Askam Pier is For Sale
A pier is for sale for £5000. It is, however, not recognised in any way by the National Piers Society and appears more as a natural land spit than an invention of grandiose Victorian folly. Located just North of Barrow-in-Furness, it is a manmade heap of iron slag from local Victorian ironworks, loosely pier-shaped and in excess of 600m long. Its modest cost is likely due to the fact that it presently is publicly-accessible (and perhaps will be required to remain so) and that any form of residential or commercial development upon it will be almost certainly unviable.
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Ramsey Queen’s (Isle of Man) – Pier Railway is Reopened
A weekend of comprehensive celebration followed the completion of the QRPT’s efforts towards reinstating the pier railway. This last operated in 1981 and the closure of the inactivity was marked with a number of weekend events which simultaneously celebrated 125 years of the arrival of the electric tramway to Ramsey and 60 years of Radio Caroline. A swarm of Peel P50s were witnessed to be buzzing around the deck on Friday, just prior to the first publicly-operating day of the railway. The popularity of the railway over the weekend is needless to say, and compounded with the rich programme of events generated in excess of £1500 towards ongoing restorations.
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Ryde Pier – Improvements to Passenger Facilities Completed
Improvements to the Isle of Wight’s transportation infrastructure and railway network is still ongoing, as has been previously reported. The Pier railway itself be closed until May 2025 in these works, but the recent improvements to passenger and visitor facilities have recently been completed. The entrance building appears to have been rebuilt to good effect, and most dramatically, a segregated pedestrian walkway has been opened on the former route of the pier tramway.
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Lowestoft Claremont – A Fireworks Display in Thanks to Restoration Support
Next Friday will see the seafront of Lowestoft taken over by works of fire and high pyrotechnics. Even during the daytime hours, the skies will be thusly illuminated in what is described as “a special daytime display”. After the first display at 7PM, a second display at 9PM is described as a “pioneering wildlife considered display”; what this means in practice, one can only guess at. Claremont Pier have commissioned these displays from professional pyrotechnics organisers Flash FX, as an appreciation of those visitors who have donated towards the restoration of the seaward section of the pier and who have supported the pier generally. Admission is free but further donations towards this cause will be welcomed.
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Southend – El Galeon
The much-anticipated return of the maritime replica “El Galeon” will take place over next week and into the Bank Holiday Weekend. The spectacle will be extended into a full weekend of musical performances; of sailors, pirates and performances of a more conventional nature. These events, which have taken place over several weekends through this year so far, always seem to attract generous crowds and this will be considerably swollen further by the presence of the Galleon.
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Clacton – A Re-living of the Dolphinarium
Dolphins and related Beasts of the Sea graced Clacton Pier during the 1970s and 1980s, here being relived in a series of photographs. The article is restricted to paying subscribers, but the photo gallery is available to all. Or, perhaps, skip the article altogether and discover the surprisingly extensive web-coverage of matters Dolphinaria in the second link. Further to this, and even more remarkably, an entire website exists which is devoted to the Clacton Pier Dolphinarium. It is, by any standards, an exceptional website and a most essential resource to anyone who happens to be an avid enthusiast in the organised display of dolphins (and other beasts of the sea). Links to all three pages are included; hopefully it is clear which one I recommend most fondly to you!
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*!!Read Mooree!!*
Cromer Carnival
The extremely featureful programming of Cromer Carnival began last weekend and much of it is hosted on the Pier Forecourt. The linked article highlights a number of children’s events at this particular venue. Aside from this, the Carnival will see a variety of musical events (including one from a symphonic wind ensemble); displays of equestrian dressage; quadbikes flying about in the air; an assemblage of owls; the Lancaster Bomber; then the Olde-Tyme Countrie Fayre and ye Cydere nd Beere Feftival.
Cromer Pier will also act as the backdrop for the crowning of “Miss Cromer 2024” on Sunday.
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Birnbeck Pier – Planning Approval given for Phase 1 Restoration
The ongoing planning process for the first phase of Birnbeck Pier’s restoration has concluded with a unanimous committee vote towards its approval, allowing the scheme of works to proceed this year. Specifically, this involves the restoration of the shore-side buildings including the pier master’s cottage; the delivery of infrastructure to the site in accordance with its future public uses; and the stabilisation (but not yet restoration) of the buildings on Birnbeck Island. Normally one would be able to track when work will begin using the Birnbeck Regeneration Trust’s online webcam, but it has been offline since the start of August.
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Mumbles Pier – Fire Damage
Following the 2022 fire at the Copperfish Restaurant, the land constituting part of Mumbles Pier received further damage by fire on Saturday morning. Much of the shoreward amusement arcade suffered smoke and heat damage, although the building remains largely intact. Like with the previous fire, a fire investigation has since concluded that it was accidental and not the cause of arson.
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Southend Pier – El Galeon has arrived
As repeatedly alluded to in previous newsletters, “El Galeon” will be moored at the pier over the coming week, having finally arrived on Thursday. See also Southend Pier’s Facebook page, which features numerous trumpetings about the arrival of the galleon and many photographs of it having arrived (including its depiction on a new post box topper).
Helensburgh Pier Restoration – P.S. Waverley passes by to considerable fanfare
As mentioned in the newsletter two weeks ago, P.S Waverley would be passing Helensburgh Pier in support of its restoration. On Sunday, the evocative prospect of the Waverley sounding its horn to the people of Helensburgh and, the people of Helensburgh cheering back, indeed did come to pass. On a day of inhospitable weather, in excess of 500 people visited to participate in the spectacle. Waverley management were most encouraged by the outcome of the event, expressing gratitude to organisers and participants. Tim Wardley, our Chairman for the National Piers Society, offered a formal endorsement of the efforts to restore Helensburgh Pier.
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Read More (Waverley Statement)
Great Yarmouth Wellington Pier – Proposals for Amusements Expansion
Wellington Pier enjoyed a dramatic resurrection about 15-20 years ago, providing it with up-to-date facilities and yet without severely impacting its architectural character. The amusement arcade, leading on from the restored entrance buildings, was completed by 2006 and this was followed by the completion of “Wellington Bowl” in 2008, situated at the seaward end of the pier and a replica of the previous Theatre, dating to 1903.
Now, Family Amusements Ltd. have proposed a considerable extension on South side of the amusement arcade. Predictably, the design will closely mirror the existing structure, which is a rather plain steel-framed, steel-clad building with an arching roof – much akin to some distribution centre buildings across the country. This characteristic was naturally mitigated by the fact that the building would be screened by the much more comely entrance buildings to the West and the Winter Gardens to the North. The new extension, which will at least double the floor area of the amusements, adds a second arching roof span and sits on the former skating rink to the South. The entrance buildings will receive a new extension to partly screen the starkly plain façade of the main building; the other elevations will also be exceptionally plain (pictured is the elevation towards the beach). A decision will be issued by the Council in October.
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Aquatic Fools and the Chanting of Laments at Herne Bay Pier
The resources of Whitstable RNLI had to be deployed on Monday after two teenagers attempted to swim to Herne Bay Pier’s abandoned pier head. Despite the foolishness of these actions, to swim such a distance would surely be an impressive achievement.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail revisits the Pier to collect some further utterances from bystanders… “Blot on the Landscape.” “It’s awful”. “If someone could restore it to its former glory.” “It is a real shame”. “It is ugly to look out”… and so on. Of course, the prospect of the pier’s reconnection and restoration could not be more eagerly wished for by much of the town, but the reality of this being a near-financial impossibility makes any such hope a mere murmur of naïve sentimentality. On a lighter note, the remaining shoreward part of the pier is surely more popular and bustling than it has been in decades, so one should enjoy what one does have.
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Lowestoft Claremont Pier – Further Decking Reinstatement
Arguably, Lowestoft has not had a true “Seaside Pier” in the traditional sense for over 40 years. Whilst its two piers have always been furnished with typical pier amusements, physically the South Pier is scarcely more than a harbour breakwater and, without a useable pier deck since 1982, Claremont Pier could only offer covered amusement facilities to the visitor. With this history, Lowestoft could not boast the same distinctive experience of walking over elevated decking boards towards the sea, that Great Yarmouth and Cromer might. This makes the present efforts of Lowestoft Claremont Pier so significant, in that it is giving the town back a “real” seaside pier. These commendable efforts have been correspondingly awarded with much public support and a substantial proportion of funding has come from public donations. The present news article reports that approximately half of the deck is now complete, and links for making donations and sponsoring planks are available.
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Two New German Piers to Open
NPS Member Martina Weyreter reports the following news of upcoming opening events at two of Germany’s newest piers:
Two of the newly-built German piers are finally due to open: Timmendorfer Strand Sea Loop Pier on 20 September and Haffkrug Pier on 28 September. Accompanying festivities at Timmendorfer Strand will include live music, a beach party and a fireworks display, while at Haffkrug there will be live music, guided tours, a boat race, a swimming contest and a laser show to attract visitors.
Unfortunately, completion of both piers has been delayed so that the openings are now taking place at the end rather than the beginning of the season. In Haffkrug, it was simply a case of building materials not arriving on time, whereas in Timmendorfer Strand, the pier was damaged while still under construction during a storm in May this year.
The third new pier in the region, at neighbouring Scharbeutz, is not due to open until the end of the year.
Live webcams of both piers are available in the included link.
Webcams
Lowestoft Fireworks – An Event Report
The two advertised fireworks displays, hosted by Claremont Pier, saw considerable success last Friday. The accompanying photograph (of which ten more can be found in the linked article) highlights the visual novelty of day-time fireworks. The events overall created a considerable stir on the seafront of Lowestoft, drawing seemingly the entire town out to the beach. The previously-mentioned fundraising efforts towards the continued restoration of the seaward deck, ironically, was something of a logistical failure – due not to visitors unwilling to donate, but rather that there were insufficient collection containers for the number of people. The pier has since set up a Justgiving page to give an opportunity to visitors who wished to donate but were unable to do so.
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Southend Pier – A Most Busy Week
“El Galeon”, as chanted in the newsletter over the last few weeks, has of course graced Southend Pier this week and eventually departed on Wednesday. The Bank Holiday event schedule appeared to be a general success, even though poor weather into Saturday led to some outdoor events being cancelled. A flurry of articles from Echo News covered all of this, although many of them seem to be restricted by paywalls.
This coming weekend will be just as busy on the pier, with the Southend City Jam Street Art Festival organising some events on the pier. The pier’s Facebook page recorded the arrival of a very large plywood cube on the pier head deck, which will have a central role in all this festivity… its function is revealed in Southend Pier’s blog post.
Galeon Visit Photographs
Bank Holiday Event Report
Blog Post – Art Festival
Eastbourne Pier – Artwork and Landing Stage
Worthing-based artist’s studio and gallery Two Faced Twins have completed a series of two artworks depicting Eastbourne Pier. It was revealed in a new exhibition in their gallery last Friday. There are only a few glimpses of the artwork on the website, but the artist’s other work reveals a style involving a highly-detailed pen and ink drawing process, followed by “illumination” in intensely lurid colours with digital software. In the right setting, these artworks appear extremely striking and many of the South-East Coast’s architectural “icons” have been depicted; thusly, there are many piers in the catalogue (Pictured is a previous artwork of… of course, Worthing Pier.
Also… a pier landing stage returns to service with the reinstatement of that at Eastbourne Pier. The Waverley will be docking as part of its South Coast cruse on the 12th September. Although the works to repair the landing stage, which are estimated to have been out of use for over 20 years, have occurred rather suddenly and seemingly without consultation with the Council’s planning department, a landing stage inspection was completed by Waverley staff in January and is now evidently ready to accept Waverley’s landing in two week’s time; additional calling points on The Waverley’s cruises are indeed always to be welcomed!
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A Rejuvination of Bognor Regis Pier
For pier enthusiasts, Bognor Regis pier has been perhaps one of the less attractive of this country’s piers during recent decades, but has always served the town well. Its shoreward is due to be reinvented with a new business taking over from the nightclub function of previous years. “Beachside Brew” is a deli and cocktail bar, rather more upmarket than previous businesses on the pier, and offering service during the day and into the night. Hopefully it will prove to be a versatile business that attracts a wide clientele.
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A Feature on Dorset’s Four Piers
A very well-written article whose viewing is highly recommended, not just because it was written by an NPS member! The four surviving piers of Dorset are surveyed in good detail and with notes from personal visits to each location. The four piers are Bournemouth, Boscombe, Swanage and Wemouth “Pleasure” (its pleasurableness is debatable!) Piers. The former three, of course, combine to form a pleasingly varied and individual suite of pier “styles” and shows that Dorset in general certainly has something for everyone.
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