A pier was first suggested in the 1840s but a company was not created until 1859. Work began the same year. Designed by James Brunlees, the 3600 foot pier opened in 1860. Waiting and refreshment rooms for boat passengers were added in 1862. A baggage line opened on May 7th 1863 but was re-laid the following year when the pier was widened and extended. It was upgraded to a cable-operated tramway in 1865. A further extension, in 1868, brought the length to 4380 feet. Storm damage and fires (in 1933 and 1957) reduced the length to the present 3633 foot, the second longest in Britain.
The tramway was re-laid in 1893 and electrified on April 3rd 1905. Southport Corporation took over in 1936, and rebuilt the tramway’s rolling stock. When the town lost its DC electricity supply in 1950, the tramway’s 3 foot 6 inch gauge line was replaced with one foot eleven and a half inch gauge using diesel stock.
A 1990 report estimated that it would cost £900,000 to secure the pier’s future, with £250,000 needed every five years for repainting. A demolition proposal was rejected (by one vote) by Sefton’s Leisure Services Committee. A Charitable Trust was established in 1993, and a Friends’ group in 1994. The pier’s forecourt was officially re-opened in 1994, after improvements. In 1995, the Trust were awarded a £641,000 European grant for structural and general improvement work. In 1996, a £2.8 million bid was submitted for Lottery funding and, in 1997, an initial £34,000 was awarded to pay for a major structural survey.
By 1999 sufficient funding had been obtained from the Heritage Lottery Fund and European Merseyside Objective, together with contributions from Sefton Council and the Southport Pier Trust, to restore the complete structure. Phase one, which included the restoration of the main structure and the construction of a new pavilion, was completed in May 2002 and the full length of the pier was re-opened to the public.
In 2005, a new 100-seater tram, using advanced battery-driven technology, was introduced, funded by Mersey Waterfront, Sefton Council and the Southport Pier Trust. The tram travels the mile long journey to the seaward end pavilion housing a variety of attractions including an interactive display and exhibition of the local wildlife and coastline, plus traditional, old-fashioned penny arcade amusements.
The large ‘Funland’ amusement hall is situated at the pier entrance and the famous vintage ‘Golden Gallopers’ carousel on the pier forecourt.
On August 2nd 2010, the pier celebrated its 150th anniversary with live music, free rides on the Pier Tram, and lots of family entertainment throughout the day.
In August 2011, the wheels of a heavy lorry delivering drinks to the pier fell through the deck and became stuck. Repairs to the damaged pier were said to cost £10,000.

In July 2013, Southport’s popular Pier Tram was temporarily suspended for four weeks following the discovery of cracks in cast iron support columns beneath the pier. Service was eventually restored following essential repairs to the famous Victorian structure.

June 2015 – Pier tram withdrawn from service
June 2015 saw the end of the line for Southport Pier’s tram service. The tram would be replaced by the smaller land train which had its route modified to incorporate the length of the pier. The move was made as part of ongoing council cost cutting measures and rising maintenance costs for the tram, which Sefton Council deemed to be too much to maintain.

August 2015 – Pier to close for essential maintenance work
In August 2015, Sefton Council announced that they would be carrying out essential maintenance work on the pier throughout September. The work would involve timber repairs and painting as well as scaffolding under the Pier. However, the pier would not be closed and the concessions on the pier would remain open.

March 2016 – The end of the line for Southport Pier tram
In March 2016, Southport’s iconic tram was removed from the pier and held in a secure compound until it could be sold. The tram service was withdrawn in June 2015 to help reduce maintenance costs caused by wear and tear on the timber Pier deck.

April 2016 – Pirates at Southport Pier!
In April 2016, a charity fund raising event saw 20 ‘pirates’ paddle a two mile course taking them far out to sea around Southport’s fantastic Pier and over the sea wall into the town’s amazing Marine Lake, passing once more under the pier, to raise funds for Southport Lifeboat (Southport Offshore Rescue Trust) and The Lakeside Christian Centre.

September 2016 – Major refurbishment and new attractions planned for Southport Pier
In September 2016, Sefton Council announced plans for the renovation and revamp of Southport Pier. The plans included building two new staircases linking the pier and the beach, two brand new food and beverage retail kiosks and an extension of the pier pavilion itself.

September 2016 – Further details revealed of revamp for Southport Pier
Later in the month, further details of the proposals for renovating and upgrading the pier’s facilities were published together with a number of artists impressions of the work.

October 2016 – New vision for Southport seafront revealed
In early October 2016, Sefton Council announced plans to develop a number of key seafront sites as part of the Southport Development Framework to guide future developments and attract investment. The most significant of these were the Marine Park site, from which the pier originates, and including Princes Park, and the land occupied by Southport Pleasureland.

November 2016 – Southport Pier’s first wedding
November 2016 saw the first happy couple braving the November chill to become the first to hold their wedding reception on Southport Pier. Paul Davies and Catherine Andrews chose the pier for their reception as it was where they had their first date.

January 2017 – Southport no longer a rubbish pier!
A local anti-litter group tackled a huge pile of litter and debris under Southport Pier in January 2017. The group called Rubbish Friends used 28 volunteers to clear the area and fill a record 87 bags of refuse.

March 2017 – Southport Pier nominated for engineering award
In March 2017, Southport Pier was nominated for the North West Civil Engineering Heritage Award together with eleven other nominations representing historic civil engineering across North West England and the Isle of Man.

April 2017 – Southport Pier gains £2 million from Coastal Communities Fund
In April 2017 it was reported that Southport Pier would receive funding from the £40 million Department for Communities and Local Government initiative which would include support for piers, promenades and coastal paths throughout the country aimed at helping coastal tourism regain its position as England’s largest holiday sector. Sefton Council announced that the money would be added to funding already set aside for the much needed Pier restoration project.

August 2017 – Work underway on £2.9m project to transform Southport Pier
And in August 2017, work commenced on the £2.9 million project to transform Southport Pier including repair works and improvements, new retail and food outlets and additional stairs to te beach. The pier would be kept open during the work which would be undertaken in two stages, the first phase for completion in December and the second by March 2018.

December 2017 – Southport Pier partially closed as revamp gets underway
In December 2017, it was announced that a section of Southport Pier would be temporarily closed the following month to allow contractors to begin the second phase of its £2.9m improvement works. Sefton Council said that the landward section of the pier, between Ocean Plaza and the Marine Lake cafe, would be closed off to the public until approximately March, 2018.

February 2018 – ‘Underwater’ webcams to be installed at Southport Pier!
In February 2018, it was announced that £40,000 was to be spent on improving ‘green’ tourism and connectivity on Southport Pier. This would include installing new telescopes to view wildlife and introducing underwater webcams and television screens to view other marine life.

June 2018 – Southport Pier Pavilion to become a nightclub?
In June 2018, plans were announced which would see the pier pavilion cafe’s opening hours extended to be open seven days a week, from 9am to 3.30am. The venue would serve food by day and then be transformed into a nightclub with late-night drinking, live music, dancing and entertainment.

June 2018 – Refurbishment plans for Southport Pier feature a pier-to-beach slide!
The refurbishment of the pier structure was planned to be carried out in two stages – the first phase took place in December 2017 and the second phase began in March, with the project due to finish in December 2018.
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August 2018 – Will we all be raving at the end of Southport pier?
Sefton Council in this week granted permission for the Pier Pavilion Cafe to operate seven days a week, from 9am to 3.30am. Owners were also now licensed to serve alcohol from 10am-3am each day.
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August 2018 – Southport Pier’s newly-refurbished ‘Pier Pit Stop’ opens
A new bar and ice cream parlour opened on Southport Pier as part of a £3m transformation.
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September 2018 – Southport Pier regeneration enters a new phase!
The third phase, scheduled to begin on 1 October, was for the construction of a second retail kiosk, power upgrades, a refurbished pavilion and timber decking repairs.
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July 2019 – Final phase of Southport Pier refurbishment begins
The last phase of the £2.9m upgrade included the opening of two new kiosks and the installation of webcams and TV screens to view wildlife, along with new telescopes on the pier.
Read More

December 2019 – Does its Pier make Southport one of the happiest places to live in the UK?
Southport landed in 10th place in Right Move’s 2019 Happy at Home Index.- with Hexham in the North East coming top of the list, followed by Harrogate in 2nd place. And what made Southport so unique was its vast stretch of sand, where the sea always seems to be miles away and of course its iconic pier.
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July 2020 – Southport Pier closed due to lorry collision
Southport Pier Pavillion said the lorry only “scraped off” some paint but the pier remained closed until it had been assessed. Sefton Council said a structural assessment would take place to determine if any repairs were needed. The pier was later reopened.
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August 2020 – 160th anniversary of Southport Pier marked with this detailed look-back at the pier’s history
With talk of constructing the country’s first pleasure pier going back over a decade beforehand, building work finally started in August 1859. It was opened on August 2, 1860, with a grand procession and holds the record as the oldest iron pier in the country. Waiting rooms for boat passengers were added during the pier’s first few years of operation, and a cable-operated tramway was installed in 1865.
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June 2021 – Southport Pier stars in BBC drama
In the BBC drama, Time, Sean Bean was seen walking down the 1,000-metre-long pier before entering the stunning pavilion, which is surrounded by walls of panelled glass providing an almost 360-degree view of the coast. On a really clear day, you’ll be able to see neighbouring Blackpool and the North Wales coast, according to Visit Southport.
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May 2022 – £200,000 needed for deck repairs at Southport Pier
Tourism chiefs hope a significant cash influx of more than £200,000 will be enough to save the ‘rotting’ Southport pier. Council bosses have revealed this week in a report that a huge project of works will begin to replace the entire length of wooden decking if funding is agreed.
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June 2022 – Decking failure at Southport Pier
A Sefton Council spokesperson said: “We can confirm we have been contacted by a member of the public about an incident that took place on the pier. Last month’s full Council meeting, approved over £200,000 for maintenance work that will start this month.”
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June 2022 – Re-decking of Southport Pier to take several years
With the work being seen as vital, the estimated £206,053 work will take a number of years and will begin this July. Despite work starting this summer, there will be minimal disruption with the pier remaining open during the works, with events already planned to go ahead.
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August 2022 – Southport Pier to undergo major redecking project
A report from the Sefton Council in May said that Southport Pier was “rotting from within”. Now the council has been advised to approve £3 million to complete the restoration. The pier will be replaced at the end of summer with work continuing throughout winter.
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December 2022 – Southport Pier closed until further notice
Freezing temperatures caused “significant and unavoidable damage” to the pier, Sefton Council said. “While we do not take this decision lightly, the temporary closure of Southport Pier is wholly necessary to keep people safe,” he said.
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January 2023 – Frustration over the continued closure of Southport Pier
With the confirmation that Southport Pier would remain closed for “weeks”, residents hit back at Sefton Council. Many residents believed that the renovations were well “overdue” and one of the most important landmarks in the town was at risk.
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January 2023 – Heritage railway benefits from Southport Pier refurbishment
West Lancashire narrow gauge railway made use of old equipment as the pier underwent restoration with a first set of recycled rails on site.
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February 2023 – Engineers start work at Southport Pier
In February, Sefton Council released an update, with a reopening date yet to be announced. A spokesperson for the council said: “Expert structural engineers have been appointed by the council to carry out the extensive work required to ensure Southport Pier can be reopened as soon as it is safe to do so”.
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April 2023 – Concerns raised over the continued closure of Southport Pier
Due to safety concerns suffered because of adverse weather conditions, the pier hadn’t been able to open all year. It was currently being surveyed but Sefton Council said they were unsure when the structure would be able to reopen.
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May 2023 – Southport Pier to remain closed or the summer season
May saw the announcement that the pier would remains closed, months after significant damage was detected in late 2022, and it was unclear when it would get the green light to reopen. The local council called it a “frustrating time for everyone”.
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May 2023 – Outcry at the closure of Southport Pier rumbles on
A highly critical report on the failure to re-open Southport Pier appeared in the Sun. Southport MP Damien Moore said: “It is unacceptable that Sefton Council remains content for Southport Pier to remain closed over key trading periods in 2023, following previous Council-approved closures over the Easter Weekend and school holidays”.
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June 2023 – Petition launched to restore and reopen Southport Pier
Months on, there was still no end in sight and uncertainty surrounded just how long the closure might last. Cllr John Pugh started a petition to persuade Sefton Council to do “what it takes to fully restore the Pier.”
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June 2023 – Full restoration of Southport Pier estimated to cost £13 million
In June it was reported that repairing Southport Pier could cost over £13 million as Sefton Council reaffirmed its support for the full refurbishment of the historic landmark attraction. It was announced that the pier would be closed until full repairs had taken place. Sefton Council said they were keen to explore funding options.
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June 2023 – No plans for a way forward at Southport Pier
To address the significant funding gap, the Council’s Cabinet agreed to progress engagement with potential funders and stakeholders as quickly as possible. However, no clear plan was proposed.
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July 2023 – Council ‘committed’ to restoring Southport Pier
The leader of Sefton Council said the local authority was “committed” to ensuring Southport’s historic pier is repaired but refused to be drawn on a timetable for work to be carried out.
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August 2023 – Closure ‘devastating’ for Southport Pier business owner
Colin Jamieson, owner of the Southport Pier Pavilion, the cafe and arcade, was forced to close in December after the Grade II listed structure was deemed unsafe by Sefton Council. Mr Jamieson said businesses and visitors were “losing out”, adding: “The whole situation is a total mess.”
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September 2023 – Southport Pier to remain closed until funding for repair is found
The pier was visited by the National Piers Society, working with the authority to help find “an immediate and long term solution to its reopening and long term maintenance”.
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November 2023 – Investigative works to commence at Southport Pier
An exploratory phase involving a significant section of the Pier’s damaged decking being removed as well as further assessments of the integrity of the structure’s steel and iron columns was expected to last until mid-February 2024.
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December 2023 – First anniversary of the closure of Southport Pier
December 13th marked the anniversary of the closure of Southport Pier. It was initially announced by Sefton Council as a ‘temporary’ measure, but the pier remained inaccessible to visitors and locals alike, casting a shadow over its future.
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December 2023 – Southport Pier – Severity of structural deterioration made evident in survey photographs
Council-led structural survey work continued at Southport Pier, which was closed to the public in December 2022. The photographs released by the Council showed that fundamental reconstruction works were essential for the Pier’s reopening; it was anticipated that this could cost upwards of £13 million. The previous reconstruction scheme, completed in 2002, cost £7 million.
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January 2024 – Structural inspection nears completion
In January, it was reported that the much-reported structural inspection of Southport Pier’s substructure, instructed by Sefton Council, would be completed in mid-February. Owing to the physical length of the pier and the intrusive nature of the inspection works (much of the decking needing to be dismantled in the process), the work extended over four months, before any repair work could be planned. This most important latter phase depended on the Council securing sufficient funding for the repair work.
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January 2024 – Southport College engineering students invited to observe survey works
Architecture and Engineering students from Southport College were given a remarkable opportunity to visit the pier to inspect the ongoing structural survey works with contractors A E Yates. The guided tour perhaps stoked heightened enthusiasm towards the rehabitation of the pier from both parties, whilst indicating a willingness from the Council and contractors towards meaningful community outreach.
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February 2024 – Political warefare provoked by timber sale
In February, Lawson’s Timber Reclaimation Yard began selling timber decking planks removed from the pier, something which upset some commentators. The timber, however, had been noted to be of a structural state that was now unsuitable for use as decking, such was its state of rot. Sefton Council suggested that this process reduced the cost of timber removal by a third-party, and allowed the material to be re-used instead of scrapped.
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April 2024 – Contractor Secured for Restoration, But Funding Barriers Persist
A E Yates had been previously engaged by Sefton Council to complete the intensive structural inspections of the pier structure. Now that that process was largely completed, the Council proceeded to agree the contracts with the same contractor for the design process of the reconstruction work. A number of architects and consultants had also been appointed, so the future reconstruction of the pier seemed to have been quite robustly prepared for. Fundraising was still ongoing, with the first £3 million of the £13 million target secured.
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May 2024 – Southport Pier – Trespassers?
The security barricades at the pier entrance were found breached on Sunday and led to 40 people finding themselves on the pier before being removed by police. Whether this circumstance of trespassing was genuinely illicit or a simple misunderstanding remains unclear. In any case, it seemed likely that the pier would remain closed to the public for a number of years.
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May 2024 – Southport Pier – Final Structural Report Released
The structural inspection report of Southport Pier, commissioned to A E Yates and subcontacted to Thomasons Partnership, was released in May. Its findings did not vary dramatically from previously-reported suspicions as to the pier’s condition, and solidified the belief that much of the pier’s present structural problems derived from latent issues in the 1998-2002 restoration work. The report is available to view on Sefton Council’s website.
Read More
Read More (Structural Report)

May 2024 – Southport Pier – The Saga Continues
The ongoing closure of Southport Pier was again emphasised in the first of the articles below, whilst setting out a wider history to the pier that showed the extent of its resilience to damage and neglect. Attached to the article was a gallery of nine historic photographs dating to various parts of the 20th Century; all presenting equally dismal prospects. That the pier remains following the various pictured damage certainly proves its resilience.
The overall saga was brought together in the BBC article, with a particular emphasis on the effects of the closure on the wider town. A well-written and detailed article – a good introduction to the situation.
The Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust hosted a competition of poetry and photography, and the winning entry for the photography category was a fine evening photograph of Southport Pier. (Image: Vilma Jureviciute)
Read More (Soutport Pier’s Troubled Hostory)
Read More (‘A Crying Shame’)
Read More (Competition Winner)

September 2024 – A Short Planning Update
November 2024 – Planning Application for Structural Repairs Submitted
January 2025 – No Further Progress Yet
January 2025 – Unmistakeable Public Pressure for Re-opening
February 2025 – Planning Consent Granted for Repair Works – And a Very Large Public Meeting
February 2025 – A Record of the 1990 Pier Festival
February 2025 – Tresspassing Vandals
March 2025 – Fundraising “Expression of Interest” Rejected by National Lottery Fund
March 2025 – Demands from the Liberal Democrat Group Leader
March 2025 – Southport Council’s Fundraising Efforts for Tourism Infrastructure (n.b. not solely pier-related)
May 2025 – Political Discussion on BBC Television
June 2025 – Potential Government Funding for Restoration
June 2025 – Yoga on the Pier (forecourt)
July 2025 – The Way Forward for the Council
August 2025 – The Case for the Pier Restoration
September 2025 – Fire Damage
September 2025 – A Vehicle Collision
September 2025 – Oktoberfest on the Pier Stub
September 2025 – Government Funding Announced
October 2025 – Halloween Programming
October 2025 – Reconstruction to Commence Early Next Year
January 2026 – Sefton Council Submits Business Case for Funding Application
February 2026 – Preliminary Works to Begin
March 2026 – Funding Officially Signed Off
April 2026 – Comments from the Silcock Leisure Group
April 2026 – Contractors Arrive at the Site
June 2026 – Construction Work Imminent

July 2026 – Reconstruction Work Begins

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