Redcar Pier Company was formed in 1866 but work did not begin until August 1871. The 1300 foot structure opened on 2nd June 1873 to the design of J.E. & A.Dowson. Facilities included a 700-seat bandstand and separate landing stage.

In December 1885, a ship demolished the landing stage and further damage by the ‘Amarant’ in January 1897 caused a 60 foot breach. In August 1898, the pier-head burned down. Repairs cost £1,000 – £1,500 (the bandstand was not replaced.

A pavilion and ballroom were added in 1907 and extended in 1928 to include a cafe. The pier was breached in 1940 for defence reasons and mine and storm damage reduced its post-war length to just 45 feet beyond the pavilion.

Redcar Borough Council bought the pier in 1946 for £4,500. The 1953 east coast floods caused further damage but the pier remained open. However, in 1980, the pier was declared unsafe and was closed. The council accepted an offer to buy and remove it for just £250 and the site had been cleared by March 1981.

In June 2010, approval was given for a revamp of Redcar seafront which included an 80ft (24.3m) tower structure which was termed Redcar’s ‘vertical pier’. However, not everyone was enthusiastic about the development and calls began to emerge for Redcar to get a real, traditional pier once again.

By September 2011, driven by the enthusiasts of the Redcar Pier Association, the campaign to get Redcar a traditional pier was beginning to attract support from professionals who came forward to offer their expertise. An inaugural meeting of the new Association in December attracted more than 50 people interested in developing a modern structure to complement the controversial vertical pier being built in the town. At the meeting, organisers stated their mission statement was to design and build an environmentally-sound and culturally-iconic pier for the benefit of the people of Redcar and the general public.

January 2012 – Campaign grows for a traditional pier but A funding blow received
In January 2012, the Redcar Pier AssociationNow began pressing ahead with their proposals to design and build a new pier for Redcar. It’s objective was to work with Redcar and Cleveland Council and other groups to achieve charitable status so that they could access various funding streams.
However, later in the month, their initial approach to the Department of Transport was rejected on the grounds that a new pier would be unlikely to meet government transport objectives. Nevertheless, the group was not deterred and said that the whole ethos of their project was to raise funding themselves and involve local businesses.

April 2012 – Pier Association half-way to first target and Dreaming of a new pier for Redcar
In April 2012, membership of the Redcar Pier Association had reached 250, the half-way point on its initial aim of 500 members signed up paying £10 eaach. Once the target of 500 members had been reached, the Association would be eligible to apply for charitable status and pursue further funding options.

August 2013 – The fight for a new pier continues at Redcar
By August 2013, membership of the Association had risen to 520 but further promotional activities were being planned. These included a presence in Redcar High Street, inclusion in the local Gazette newspaper’s Wish grant scheme, posters, leaflets, badges and use of social media.

November 2013 – Calls for a new traditional pier to beincluded in council’s plans
November 2013 saw calls for Redcar and Cleveland Council to include a new pier in the council’s plans for the town’s future. But the council leader responded that this would depend on there being financial support from the government.

July 2014 – Traditional pier plan included in council’s local plan
Then, in July 2014, the council confirmed that the pier had now been included in the authority’s Local Plan. It was estimated that the new pier could cost around £20m and would be the first entirely new pier to be built since 1957.

February 2015 – The campaign for Redcar Pier ends as group closes
But in February 2015, the case for the pier suffered a hammer blow when the Redcar Pier Association announced that due to a shortage of volunteers to work for the group, the Association had become unsustainable and therefore had no choice but to disband.

March 2015 – Plans for a new pier back on the agenda
However, reports of the demise of the pier project seemed to be premature when the following month, Redcar and Cleveland Council’s new cabinet announced they were still examining the feasibility of a new pier and would be considering all of the possible options to achieve a successful outcome of the project.

October 2019 – Another Pier-revival plan for Redcar?
In October, it was reported that, as part of Redcar’s long-term regeneration ambitions, Redcar and Cleveland Council were looking into the feasibility of a pier that could be developed behind the new cinema, which would be a real draw for Redcar’s visitor economy.
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Wonderful look-back at the highs and lows of Redcar Pier
The 1,300ft structure opened on June 2, 1873. In 1980, the pier was declared unsafe and was closed. In June 2010, approval was given for a revamp of Redcar seafront which included an 80ft (24.3m) tower structure which was termed Redcar’s ‘vertical pier’. The original pier sold for £250 as scrap.
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September 2021 – Remembering the day that work on building Redcar Pier began
In Redcar, Rear Admiral Thomas Chaloner, of Guisborough, had driven the first pile of the pier into the beach. “The weather was exceedingly fine, and Redcar being full of visitors, there was a large number of spectators on the sands to witness the ceremony.”
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