The 1250 foot pier was opened by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh in 1871. It cost £10,000 and was designed by Mr (later Sir) Thomas Bouch who also engineered the first Tay Bridge.

The pier was initially successful, with attractions including pleasure sailings and a seaward end concert hall. However, the cost of structural alterations and repairs, necessitated by storm damage, caused the pier company to be wound up and sold to a Mr Galloway for just £1,500. It was demolished in 1917.

There were proposals for a new pier from the mid-1920s and a £45,000 scheme was launched in 1939 to give Edinburgh’s seaside resort a 1000 foot pier. However, the outbreak of World War II caused the abandonment of these plans and road signs are now the only indication that a pier ever existed.

June 2015 – Plans for a new Portobello pier
In June 2015, the Big Things on the Beach trust, together with Smith Scott Mullan Architects, showed proposals they had drawn up to create a landmark which would attract beach lovers from across Edinburgh and beyond and incorporate a “multi-function” performance and live events space, together with a cafe, meeting rooms and facilities for sports clubs.

National Piers Society

Celebrating Seaside Piers

Portobello

Portobello

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