Local estate agent G.B. Trent formed the Folkestone Pier & Lift Co. in the early 1880s, originally proposing an 800 foot pier. The foundation stone was laid on 7th May 1887 and the Victoria Pier (in honour of the 1887 Golden Jubilee), opened on 21st July 1888 to the design of M.N. Ridley. The finished length was 683 feet and included a 700-seat pavilion. The first floating landing stage was added in 1890 but was rarely used.

The pier was popular but not profitable until 1898. In 1903, Keith Prowse & Co. Ltd. took over the lease on the pavilion and introduced variety performers including Lily Langtry and Dan Leno. In 1907, the lease on the pier transferred to local businessman Robert and Lloyd Forsyth who abandoned expensive entertainers in favour of more profitable attractions such as wrestling, a cinema, and beauty contests.

In 1910, the ‘Olympia’ roller-skating rink was added on the shore to the west of the pier. The pier was sectioned in 1940 for defence purposes. A temporary bridge was installed in 1943, but a fire on Whit Sunday wrecked the pavilion and badly damaged the seaward end of the pier. The remains were demolished in 1954.

A lovely look-back at Folkestone Victoria Pier
A small supporting column is all that remains of a grand pier which never stood the test of time in Folkestone. Victoria Pier, as it was named, used to face the Lower Leas area of the town, and guests stepping onto it were greeted with beautiful, ornate gates over the years. But, its fate was clouded by financial woes and two world wars, with the final pieces demolished by the mid 1950s.
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June 2024 – Folkestone Victoria Pier – Foundation Stone Recovered
Folkestone Victoria Pier opened in 1887 and succumbed to the commonly-seen sequence of damage inflicted during WWII, followed by terminal neglect from Post-War austerity. While it disappeared in 1954, its foundation stone was recovered and preserved in a local salvage yard. It has since been restored and installed within the Lower Leas Coastal Park, adjacent to the original position of the pier.

National Piers Society

Celebrating Seaside Piers

Folkestone Victoria Pier

Folkestone Victoria Pier

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