Penarth Pier is one of the last remaining Victorian piers in Wales. Building of the pier, which was privately owned by the Penarth Promenade & Landing Pier Company, commenced in April 1894. The contractors were James & Arthur Mayoh with a local man, Herbert Francis Edwards, being the engineer for the project. It was 658 feet long, this being the maximum length allowed to avoid affecting the deep water channel into Cardiff Docks.

It was opened to the public in February 1895, but the formal opening ceremony did not occur untl 13th April. The original structure was of cast iron with a timber deck and acted as a promenade and landing jetty for the then lucrative steam ship trade in the Bristol Channel. It was an immediate success , due chiefly to the popularity of cruises on the pleasure steamers that used the pier’s landing stage. But there was also entertainment provided on the pier, even though at that time there was no covered pavilion. All performances therefore had to be in the open air or under canvas awnings until a wooden pavilion, called the Bijou Pavilion, was added to the pier-head in 1907.
Following the outbreak of war in 1914, the pleasure steamers took up duties as minesweepers and the pier was requisitioned by the Army. At the end of the war, although the pier itself had fared reasonably well, the landing stage was found to be in a very bad condition and could not be used. The compensation paid to the pier owners was nowhere near enough to fund the repairs and the landing stage remained closed. Without the pleasure steamers calling, the pier’s income fell drastically and by the early 1920s it became clear that the pier company could not sustain the dire financial position. So on 1st August 1924, ownership passed to the Penarth Urban District Council for the sum of £5,000.

Despite early plans to have the landing stage repaired for the 1925 season, the new landing stage built in ferro-concrete, was not completed until February 1926. However, the pier had also been extensively redecked and the landward end widened to in order to allow a new pavilion to be built. The new pavilion was constructed in ferro-concrete in the art-deco style and covered an area of 4,000 square feet. enhancements. The new pavilion was officially opened on 18 May 1929.
This meant that the pier now had two pavilions, one at each end. Initially, the old pavilion became very run down but in 1930 it was refurbished and re-opened as a dance hall. But disaster was to strike. On August Bank Holiday Monday 1931 a fire destroyed the shelters and shops, the wooden pavilion and the decking. The girders were also damaged but the landward concert pavilion survived. All 800 people on the pier escaped. The pier was rebuilt at a cost of £3,157, but the wooden pavilion was not replaced.
As the 1930s progressed, people’s tastes began to change and the type of concerts and variety entertainment that had been the mainstay of the pavilion began to be less popular. Films were now attracting big audiences and so it seemed natural for the pavilion to become a cinema. This wasn’t successful however and in June 1933, the cinema closed. There was a brief attempt to return the pavilion to being a concert hall but in October 1934, a group of businessmen turned the pavilion into something that people remember to this day – the Marina Ballroom. The Marina was a great success and was hosting dances right up to the start of the second World War in 1939.
The pier was closed to the public and once again the paddle steamers were requisitoned for the war use. The Marina ballroom still hosted the occasional dance throughout the war but it was officially reopened in May 1946. The paddle steamers returned and it looked as though everything was going to be the way it been before the war had interrupted things. However, on 2nd May 1947, disaster struck again when the Canadian merchant ship, Port Royal Park, a vessel of over 7,000 tons crashed into the pier in a gale, shattering and buckling the decking and fracturing or pushing out of alignment over 70 of the main supporting cast-iron columns. Repair work began quickly but it wasn’t until 4th June 1949 that the pier could open again.
Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, although the Pavilion and its Marina ballroom remained very popular, public tastes were changing again and the motor car was now making its presence felt. Cruises on paddle steamers were now nowhere near as popular as they had been and the steamer companies were in financial difficulties. The world was turning again. In August 1966, the paddle steamer ‘Bristol Queen’, operated by the White Funnel line, also collided with the pier in dense fog, again causing serious damage.
The last paddle steamer operating from the pier – the Bristol Queen – was finally withdrawn in 1966, although the motor vessel MV Balmoral continued to provide a cruise service from the pier. By the early 1970s, the future of the pier itself was in doubt. In 1974, in a local government reorganisation, ownership of the pier passed to the Vale of Glamorgan Council. There was even some discussion that the pier should be sold. The pier’s demise continued into the 1980s although the Marina which had now changed its name to the Commodore continued to be a dance hall and later became a snooker club.
Cruises on the White Funnel fleet, owned by the famous Bristol based P & A Cambell Ltd, ceased operating in 1981 and over the years, this trade dwindled with the commercial shipping companies having now all disappeared. However, two ships, the MV Balmoral and PS Waverley, operated by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, continued to provide some pleasure cruises calling at the pier.
A restoration programme was begun in 1994 at a cost of £650,000. This included crucial repairs to the rotting substructure at the pier entrance. Further repairs costing £1.7 million, took place in 1996. This involved work on the steelwork, decking and facilities on the main pier and berthing structure. There was restricted public access during this phase.
The final stage saw the renovation of the rest of the pier with financial assistance totalling £1.1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The formal re-opening of the completely restored 650 foot structure took place in May 1998 and included a Victorian Fayre, concerts and street entertainment.
From its opening in 1929, the art-deco Pier Pavilion had been used as a venue for reviews, concerts and lectures, although it was rarely filled to capacity, particularly in winter months as it lacked proper heating. During its history it functioned as a cinema, a dance hall, a club and restaurant, a snooker club and a gym hall but as the millenium passed its story had become one of decay and poor management.
But just a few years later some very encouraging signs that new life might be being breathed back into this beautiful old building emerged. A public funded initiative, was launched in 2008 by Penarth Arts & Crafts Ltd (PACL) to restore this beautiful landmark and create an innovative, flexible and environmentally sound attraction for South Wales. An initial application to the National Heritage Lottery Fund failed but a second bid from PACL was awarded a grant of £99,600 in November 2009 to develop a detailed plan for the restoration of this iconic example of pier architecture. PACL had also earlier been awarded an HLF grant to uncover the history of the Pavilion during its heyday as the ‘Marina Ballroom’ in the 1940s.
The £3.9m refurbishment scheme involved the restoration and redevelopment of the pavilion for use as a cinema, cafe, observatory and multi-purpose community complex.
Planning permission was granted for the project and a succesful bid to the HLF provided a further £1.68m in May 2011. In October 2011, Penarth Arts and Crafts Ltd received £300,000 Welsh Government funding towards the restoration and refurbishment as part of the Community Facilities and Activities Programme and also in October a further £700,000 was awarded from a block of grants from the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) programme.
The gym club run by former Olympic gymnast Gwynedd Lingard which had been using the dilapidated interior of the Pavilion for many years was finally found alternative premises and moved out in October 2011.
Enabling work on the building, including the removal of the entire maple dance floor, began in February 2012. And in March 2012 potential designs for the mosaic which would adorn the foyer floor of the restored Pavilion went on show with the community being asked to select the final design.
May 2012 saw some major changes in the senior management of the project. Local businessman, Paul Twamley, was appointed as the new Chairman of Penarth Arts and Crafts Ltd (PACL), and Maggie Knight, until then the leader of PACL and project director and initial moving force behind the Penarth Pavilion Project, stepped down from her post to resettle in her former home in Australia.
In July 2012, PACL was awarded three new grants, to contribute to the restoration of the pier pavilion. Among them was £199,000 worth of funding from the Coastal Communities Fund Panel to fund a two-year project to support a marketing and activities office for the project. £15,000 was also provided by the Headley Trust towards the ceramic mosaic foyer floor of the new Pier Pavilion. And a CADW grant for £40,000 was made to help with the preservation of older parts of the iconic building. A showroom and offices on the ground floor of Windsor Court apartment block was also made available free of charge until December 2013 by Viscount Windsor.

Work finally began on the Pavilion in October 2012 with a target re-opening date of Autumn 2013.
In March 2013, Dr David Trotman was appointed as the new Director of the Pier Pavilion. Dr Trotman said he was excited and privileged to serve the community and said the iconic pier site would be used to educate, inform and entertain. April 2013 saw the installation of ornamental zinc tiles to replace the dilapidated paint covering the pier’s four domes and barrel roof and the exterior renovation began to take on its final appearance.

A number of open days were held between April and July to enable the public to see the way work was progressing inside the building and to outline the exciting programme of events planned nearer to the opening date. The Pavilion’s design included a 70-seater community cinema, an auditorium, exhibition spaces, designated education areas, a bar, and a restaurant overlooking the Bristol Channel. In July, the Pavilion’s membership scheme was launched with the first 500 applicants becoming Founder Members with special status.

Work on the refurbishment of the Pavilion continued throughout 2013 and even before the work was completed, a number of events were held in the main auditorium, including a swing jazz evening, a masqued ball, and the Three Jackets exhibition featuring the work of members of the armed services suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. A close link was also established with the RAF’s 617 Squadron – the WWII Dambusters Squadron – the leader of which, Guy Gibson, had strong family links with Penarth. The Pavilion Observatory was renamed the 617 Room to highlight this link.
The Pavilion’s cinema had also been in full swing during this period.

December 2013 – Pier reopens to the public after a £4.2m revamp
The Pavilion was fully opened to the public on Sunday 1st December 2013. A celebratory fly-past by an RAF Dambusters Tornado was made around mid-day on Tuesday 3rd December. Although parts of the Pavilion had already staged some events, this was the first time that the entire venue was open to the public.

January 2014 – Pavilion welcomes thousands of visitors
During its first month, over 8,500 people visited the new Pavilion until it closed temporarily on Christmas Eve. It reopened on January 2 2014, but the restaurant remained closed through the month to enable modifications to be made.

February 2014 – High tides batter Penarth Esplanade
High tides and gale force winds battered the pier and promenade during January and February 2014. The Esplanade and pier had to be closed temporarily as massive waves swept seaweed and stones on to the flooded Esplanade and hammered at the walls of the Pavilion. Damage was fortunately minimal.

April 2014 – Penarth Pier wins ‘Pier of the Year 2014’
In April 2014, the pier was granted the ultimate accolade by being voted the 2014 Pier of the Year by the members of the National Piers Society. Local councillors welcomed the Pier of the Year award and paid tribute to both the Vale Council and the Penarth Arts and Crafts Limited group for helping the £4.2million renovation take place.

April 2014 – New Chairman Chosen for Pier Pavilion
Also in April, Professor Tony Hazell became the new Chairman of Penarth Arts & Crafts Ltd. A member of PACL’s board of trustees since May 2012, Professor Hazell has lived in Penarth since 1986. He was a non-executive director in the corporate governance committee of the Welsh Government’s Department for Education and Skills and was also a former High Sheriff of South Glamorgan.

June 2014 – Pier Pavilion sign approved by Vale council
In June 2014, a new stainless steel sign to be mounted over the entrance of the Pier Pavilion was approved by the Vale of Glamorgan Council, despite being earlier turned down by Penarth Town Council. The Vale Council’s planning committee stated that the sign was “simple in style and non-illuminated and neither the size of the lettering nor the stainless steel material would detract from the visual qualities of this elevation of the Pavilion, and are therefore considered suitable.”
(The controversial new stainless steel name-sign was finally erected above the main entrance to the Penarth Pier Pavilion in August.)

Fascinating pictures of Penarth Pier through time
June also saw Wales Online publish a fascinating series of images of Penarth through the years.

June 2014 – Penarth couple become the first to marry on town’s iconic pier
Also in June, the first ever marriage ceremony was performed in the Pier Pavilion. The Pavilion was hired for the marriage ceremony itself, the wedding reception meal, and the evening party and the newly wedded couple, Lee Williams and Kristy Mellin, pronounced “The whole day from start to finish was just really brilliant”.

June 2014 – First sailing from pier of ‘Dame Shirley’
June also saw the inauguration of a what was hoped would be a new regular schedule of 90 minute cruises from Penarth Pier, around Flatholm Island, and back to Penarth on “Dame Shirley” – the red motor vessel operated by Cardiff Cruises. Penarth Pier hadn’t had a visit from a paddle steamer or a passenger-carrying vessel for more than a year, the Balmoral being out of commission.

June 2014 – Gareth Bale plays football on pier
Again in June, Wales’s own football super-star, Gareth Bale, filmed an advert for a sports network on the pier, showing off some of the skills that have made him the world’s most expensive footballer.

August 2014 – Balmoral to call again at Pier in 2015?
August 2014 saw the promise of the return to Penarth Pier of the much loved classic coastal cruising steamer, MV Balmoral. Although there was still much work to do and further funding required, the aim was to have Balmoral operating in the Channel again in 2015, visiting Penarth, Clevedon, Minehead and Ilfracombe plus other scheduled stops.

August 2014 – Penarth Pier the most Special Place in Wales
Also in August, following an eight-week long public campaign by the National Trust in Wales, Penarth Pier was voted the most special place in Wales. Announcing the award at the National Eisteddfod in Llanelli, the Director of National Trust Wales said: “Penarth Pier was up against some amazing competition but it’s clear to see why it ranked so highly; its iconic architecture, beautiful views and its representation of the Welsh seaside culture in general. “

October 2014 – Penarth Pier presented with NPS award
The following month, the presentation took place of the NPS Pier of the Year Award to Penarth Pier. Professor Tony Hazell, Chairman of Penarth Arts and Craft (PACL) representing the Pier Pavilion, and Tim Phillips Vice-Chairman of the Piers Society attended the presentation, along with Cllr. Lis Burnett, who accepted the award on behalf of the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

October 2014 – Spiral staircase set to be removed from Pier Pavilion
In October, the decision was announced to finally remove the spiral staircase from the Pier Pavilion restaurant. Originally designed to provide the link between the ground and first floors of the restaurant, the staircase was heavily criticised as creating a safety hazard.

October 2014 – Pier Pavilion named the R.I.C.S. Project of the Year
October also saw the Pier Pavilion receive yet another award from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors who gave it the accolade of Project of the Year.

February 2015 – Penarth Pier survives ‘super tide’
In February 2015, Penarth Pier fortunately escaped any damage arising from the so-called ‘super-tides’, which brought the water level as high as 13.4m at Penarth’s iconic seafront in the morning.

April 2015 – Penarth Pier Pavilion awarded grant of almost £50k from MoD
In April 2015, it was announced that the Pier Pavilion would receive a £47,600 Armed Forces Community Covenant Grant from the Ministry of Defence to run the ‘Pavilion Bridge Project’ which aims to forge a connection between former military personnel and the general public by holding workshops, exhibitions and volunteering programmes.

June 2015 – MV Balmoral to call at Penarth Pier and Clevedon Pier
The promise made in August 2014 to have Balmoral back sailing in the Bristol Channel in 2015 was honoured when in June 2015 it was announced that passengers would climb aboard the historic cruise vessel for the first time since 2012, after supporters had managed to raise almost £300,000 to carry out the vital repairs needed to get her sailing again. In January, a final huge boost had been given to the cause by a £344,000 grant from the Coastal Communities Fund.

April 2016 – MV Balmoral returns to Penarth Pier
In April 2016 it was announced that the Balmoral would be sailing her home waters of the Bristol Channel for the summer period between May and October, for a total of 52 sailing days. coming in and out of Penarth’s historic pier.

June 2016 – Penarth Pier goes to the theatre!
In June 2016, Penarth Pier Pavilion hosted its very first theatre night with a performance of Nine Suitcases by Mercury Theatre Wales. The play by Béla Zsolt, an anti-establishment Hungarian-Jewish author and journalist, is a one-man drama adapted from stories and journals of a Hungarian Jew in 1944 and is reputed to be a thinly disguised version of Zsolt himself.

June 2016 – The history of Penarth Pier told through dance!
Also in June 2016, the story of Penarth Pier was told through a unique combination of circus performance, dancing, music and visual art that took place on the pier itself.

July 2016 – Anglers campaign for summer fishing at Penarth Pier
Anglers campaigned in July 2017 for the lifting of a ban which had been in place during June, July and August since the 1960s and was originally put in place due to safety concerns after an alleged incident of someone being injured after becoming entangled in a fishing line.

September 2016 – Weather affects Waverley’s 70th Birthday cruises from Penarth
In September 2016, the paddle steamer Waverley which made a celebratory 70th birthday first call of the year at Penarth Pier yesterday, had to curtail a second planned voyage from Penarth to Ilfracombe the following day because of poor weather conditions.

September 2016 – Balmoral completes the year’s programme of sailings from Penarth
Also in September, the MV Balmoral returned to Penarth for the final three days of sailings from Penarth Pier before her winter layup.

February 2017 – Cash crisis forces Penarth Pier Pavilion to close for 3 days a week
In February 2017, Penarth Arts and Crafts Ltd (PACL), the charitable trust holding the lease on Penarth Pier Pavilion, announced it was closing the Pavilion Monday to Wednesday and closing the unique cinema completely until further notice. There had been persistent complaints regarding management weaknesses within the Pavilion management.

March 2017 – Questions raised over Pavilion closure plans
However,in March 2017, the competence of the Pavilion management was called into question and more than 1600 people signed a petition against the complete closure of the cinema. Ttwo separate public meetings were held for people to raise their concerns and local businesses stressed the importance of the pier and pavilion as a tourist attraction.

March 2017 – Waverley returns to Penarth for special anniversary year
The mood was lifted a little later in the month when it was announced that the Waverley paddle steamer would be returning to Penarth Pier in September of that year with excursions to Ilfracombe in Devon, Lundy Island, a steam train trip and visit to Minehead, a cruise to the Holm Islands or a cruise along the Exmoor Coast.

April 2017 – Public meeting calls for inquiry into Penarth Pier Pavilion management
In April 2017, following continuing concern at the management of the Pier Pavilion, a public meeting was organised by Nicki Page of the I Love Penarth Pier group to discuss the management of the building, which underwent a £4 million restoration in 2013. The meeting voted unanimously in favour of an inquiry into the management of the pavilion. However, given that the current operators, Penarth Arts & Crafts Ltd, insisted they were doing well and the fact that they had a 125 year lease from the building’s owners, the Vale of Glamorgan Council, it seemed unlikely that an inquiry would actually be held.

April 2017 – Pier pavilion management to receive £126k grant
Then later in the month, it was reported that Penarth Arts & Crafts Ltd had secured a £126,000 grant from the Resilient Heritage Programme of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), a newly established scheme designed to provide essential financial support to organisations looking to develop a sustainable model for its organisation. The Pavilion management thanked the Vale of Glamorgan Council and Penarth Town Council for their continued support.

May 2017 – MV Balmoral to sail again from Penarth Pier
May 2017 saw the welcome news that the classic coastal steamer MV Balmoral would be back in service from Penarth Pier for the 2017 season. This followed a successful fundraising appeal launched by the company which owns the ship which raised £290,000. Balmoral had a very difficult year financially in 2016 due to technical difficulties resulting in several days sailings being cancelled and further cancellations due to bad weather.

November 2017 – Pop-up cinema for Penarth Pier Pavilion
In November 2017, Penarth Arts and Crafts Limited claimed that it now had the basis for a “viable and sustainable” future for the building as it looked for a way to use the cinema that “does not present a risk” to the charity.

December 2017 – Penarth Civic Society to the rescue of Pier Pavilion?
As the pavilion marked the fourth anniversary since its reopening following its £4 million refurbishment, the Penarth Civic Society said it would like to meet with with Penarth Arts and Crafts Ltd to discuss how they could help.

February 2018 – New manager for Penarth Pier cafe
It was announced in February 2018 that the Penarth Pier Pavilion Cafe would be under new management from February after the owner of Waterloo Tea agreed to take responsibility for the running of the cafe.

February 2018 – New cafe opens at Penarth Pier
The new cafe opened on Tuesday, February 6 , with the new Waterloo Tea team serving their range of breakfasts, lunches and specialty teas and coffees.

Penarth

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