southend.on.sea pierA Brief History

Discover the rich and varied history of Southend’s most iconic landmark.

The Southend Pier Timeline

1829 - On the 14th May 1829 the f irst Pier Act received the Royal Assent. On 25th July of the same year, the Lord Mayor of London, Sir William Thompson, laid the foundation stone of the f irst section of the pier.

1830 - By June the 600-foot (180 m) wooden pier was opened.

1833 - It was soon realised that the 600-foot pier was still too shor t to be used at low tide, so by 1833 it extended to 1800-foot.

1848 - After numerous more extentions, the Pier gained the record of the longest pier in Europe by 1848, with the length recorded at being 7000-foot.

1850s - During the 1850s, the railway reached Southend, and the inf lux of visitors from London took their toll on the wooden pier, so plans were made to renovate it.

1875 - The Southend Local Board purchased the wooden pier for the princely sum of £10,000, and by 1887 they decided the best plan of action to maintain the pier would be to replace it with an iron structure.

1889 - Pedestrian traff ic was allowed on the Pier for the f irst time.

1890 - The f irst electric tramway installed by Cromptons of Chelmsford became operational.

1897 - The f irst iron extension was built to accommodate the increased number of steamboats that wished to call.

1898 - The new Pier Head was formally opened.

1908 - The upper deck to the Pier extension was off icially opened. It had 600 permanent seats and room for 500 deckchairs. The lower deck had room for 6,000 to 8,000, useful in bad weather and when the steamboats called. There was also a bandstand decked out in white and gold plus six shops.

1927 - Extensions to the upper deck were completed.

1929 - The Prince George Extension was off icially opened by HRH Prince George, Duke of Kent, bringing the Pier up to its present record length.

1935 - The Pier celebrated its centenary. It took place in this year rather than 1930 as it was the date taken from when the Admiralty began to include it on its char t and was par t of the Festival of Light.

1939-1945 - The Pier is closed during the Second World War, and was used by the Royal Navy as a military base.

1950 - At the Pier Head, a restaurant called the Dolphin is built out of the scrap and timber left by the navy. This joined the other main buildings such as the Sun Deck Theatre, the Solarium Café, as well as amusements and a Hall of Mirrors.

1959 - A major f ire destroyed the Pier Pavilion at the shore end of the Pier and a 10-pin bowling alley was built to replace it.

1971 - After a child injured itself, a detailed structural survey of the Pier was carried out. This led to the walkway being re-built between 1974 and 1979.

1976 - A f ire ravaged most of the 1908 Pier Head, destroying the cafés, theatre, amusement arcades, Coastguard Station and radar training school.

1980 - The Council proposed to close the Pier but this was met with enormous public outcry. It was agreed to keep it open until a permanent solution could be found and was managed on behalf of the Council by the Lecorgne brothers.

1982 - The Pier’s rolling stock was scrapped.

1983 - A grant from the Historic Buildings Committee meant the much needed repair work to the Pier could commence and new railway and rolling stock could be bought. The total cost of the 1984/86 reconstructions was £1.3 million. HRH Princess Anne inaugurated the new railway service on 2nd May 1986.

1986 - The MV Kingsabbey sliced through the Pier between the old and new Pier Heads. It severed the lifeboat slipway, caused irreparable damage to the boathouse and left a 70ft gap in the Pier. Repairs followed in 1989, with a new café and toilets opening on the stem extension.

1995 - The bowling alley at the shore end was destroyed by f ire.

1996 - The Pier Head superstructure was blasted, cleaned and painted.

1998 - The f ire damaged area at the shore end was rebuilt by French Kier Anglia Ltd.

2002 - RNLI Lifeboat Station and Gift shop was off icially opened in June, and was funded by the RNLI.

2003 - The new Pier entrance was completed in the Summer costing £1.9 million.

2005 - On 9th October the Pier Head was destroyed by f ire. The f ire ravaged the station, café, restaurant, toilets and the pavilion.

2007 - Southend Pier was named Pier of the Year 2007 amidst hot coast to coast competition. The world famous landmark was awarded the title after scooping the most votes from members of the National Piers Society, founded in 1979.

2009 - The new station platform and off ice was off icially opened in the summer by the Worshipful Mayor of Southend, on 16th September 2009.

2009/10 - Southend Pier Head design contest winner unveiled. Renowned Swedish based landscape architecture f irm White Arkitekter, which has

also won awards for other maritime architecture projects throughout the world - clinched the top place with a design called ‘Sculpted by Wind and Wave.’ This contest aimed to encourage ways to revitalise the Pier Head environment and devise innovative designs, enabling established leisure, recreation and tourism uses, to continue in an attractive, high quality and appealing setting.

2010 - Southend Pier underwent improvement works to the walkway and entrance area which enhance the experience for all visitors.

2011 - Southend Pier was brief ly closed following a collision by a barge. High winds caused the 80 foot barge; which was being used by contractors under taking work on the pier, to crash into the far end.

2012 - The pier suffered fur ther damage in February, after being struck by a f ishing boat and had to be closed while repairs were carried out.

17th May 2012 - The new Cultural Centre was lifted onto Southend Pier. The unique £3m Cultural Centre was designed by White Arkitekter working in par tnership with London-based architects Sprunt, and was constructed off-site at Tilbury Docks.

From there it was lowered onto a barge and transpor ted along the Thames. The 170-tonne structure was then hoisted onto the Pier Head at high tide using a 400-tonne marine sheer leg crane. Contractors Kier oversaw the off-site construction and were tasked with the challenge of managing the ‘big lift’. The building was gently lowered at a rate of 2mm a minute to mitigate impact damage to the 100-year-old cast iron piles that suppor t the Pier.

19th July 2012 - The Cultural Centre off icially opened its doors. The Centre is capable of seating 185 people in its main hall, houses a 40 sq m ar tists’ studio, is an Approved Premises to marry. It is home to the Pier Head Café, a unique eatery which is open every day, and offers amazing views over the Thames Estuary from its covered terrace.

2013 - In June, the Cultural Centre won a prestigious East Regional Award from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Judges said: “Despite a cash-strapped local council as client and the iconic nature of their brief‘s subject, the architects have produced a remarkable sculptural object sitting at the end of the Grade II listed pier. While strikingly modern, the new building is essentially a pavilion in the tradition of Victorian Pier architecture.”

17th July 2013 - His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent ceremonially re-named the iconic Southend Pier Cultural Centre ‘The Royal Pavilion‘.

The Duke unveiled the plaque bearing the building’s new name after off icially opening the new RNLI lifeboat house on Southend seafront, meeting RNLI crew members and suppor ters. Once the new name of The Royal Pavilion was revealed, the Duke of Kent was f irst person to sign the visitor’s book for the special building. Southend Pier has held a number of Royal visitors including the Duke‘s father, HRH Prince George, who off icially opened the Prince George extension in 1929.

Southend Pier DisastersThroughout the life of the Pier it has been subject to major and minor mishaps ranging from collision damage by drifting boats, to destruction by f ire. Details of early damage are described in the book ‗Century of Iron‘, which was published by the Southend Pier Museum Foundation in 1989 as part of the Pier Centenary Celebrations, and some are included here to give an indication of the f luctuating fortunes of the structure.

1921 - The concrete motor schooner ‗Violette‘ crashed through the Pier between the last shelter and the Pier Head, with her engines under full pressure. This caused the piles to break for around 160 feet, and it was only following this mishap that lights were installed along the length of the Pier.

1959 - A major f ire destroyed the Pier Pavilion which was located at the shore end of the Pier to the seaward side of the sea wall. A ten-pin bowling alley was then built on site, opening in 1962.

1976 - In July a f ire destroyed most of the 1908 Pier Head, including the cafes, theatre and amusement arcades. The Coastguard Station and radar training

school were also amongst the casualties, but despite this disaster and the later termination of the electric railway service, the Pier was not closed to the public.

1986 - Early in the evening of June 30th, the MV Kingsabbey sliced through the Pier between the old and new Pier Heads and severed the lifeboat slipway, causing irreparable damage to the boathouse. Six cast

iron piles were shattered causing two spans of main girders to collapse and a third. span to be supported at the end only by twisted steelwork. This left

a 70ft gap in the Pier, and a lightweight bridge was installed to restore essential electricity , water and telephone services, followed by a temporary pedestrian footbridge to restore full public access to the Pier Head. Permanent repairs followed and in 1989 a new café and toilets were opened on the stem extension.

1995 - On June 7th the Pier suffered another setback when the bowling alley was destroyed by f ire. Fortunately, there were no serious personal injuries and there was no damage to the shore railway station or the Pier Museum, although storerooms and workshops were destroyed. All services to the Pier Head were cut, access to the walkway was severed and some 30 metres of the railway track were damaged. However, services were reinstated and the railway track repaired in time for the Pier to reopen to the public only three weeks later. A temporary railway halt was constructed to enable visitors to travel through the f ire damaged area by train and then alight to use the walkway. The f ire debris was cleared and the pedestrian access to the

walkway was reinstated before the start of the 1996 season.

2005 - On 9 October a f ire severely damaged much of the Old Pier Head including the railway station, pub, restaurant, gift shop, and toilets. Much of the wooden planking was destroyed, but the main iron structure was largely undamaged. Heat from

the f ire was so intense that the Pier Railway tracks buckled and trains could only run to about 15m short of the old station. There were no injuries from the f ire, however the f ire f ighters did encounter diff iculties extinguishing the blaze as pumps installed on the Pier were rendered ineffective by the low tide. The Southend lifeboat was deployed to transport the f irst f ire f ighters to the scene. The Pier reopened to the public on 1st December. The Pier Head station was destroyed in the blaze, so a replacement with two platforms was constructed to take the pier trains as close as possible to the area where the blaze took place. Extensive repairs soon took place after the f ire damage.

Make your special day even more memorable...By holding the ceremony and/or reception at the Southend.on.Sea Pier Royal Pavilion,

A stunning & unique venue at the tip of the world’s longest Pleasure Pier.

For more details call 01702 215620

ROYAL PAVILION

southend.on.sea pierROYAL PAVILION

Weddings atEvents

southend.on.sea pier

Southend-on-sea Pier hosts a wide range of events, concerts and exhibitions throughout the year to keep both adults and children entertained. From visiting ships, the spooky ghost train, talented jazz musicians, to Santa on the Pier; there is something for everyone.

To f ind out more about any of these events, or you’d like to purchase tickets, then call 01702 215620 or visit

www.visitsouthend.co.uk.facebook.com/SouthendPier @VisitSouthend

southend.on.sea pier‘The Pier is Southend, Southend is the Pier.’

- Sir John Betjeman

Southend Pier is the town’s historical icon as well as being the longest pleasure pier in the world, with its glorious 1.33 miles literally putting Southend on the

map as well as into the record books.

Southend Pier is open every day throughout the summer season. During the winter the Pier is closed Mondays and Tuesdays and Christmas day.

The RNLI Station houses the two lifeboats and support equipment, plus facilities for the crew. The gift shop is open everyday throughout the summer

season, and is open throughout the winter (weather permitting).

Southend Pier Museum brings to life the fascinating past of the longest pleasure pier in the world. The Pier Museum is open May to October: Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Bank Holidays 11:00 - 17:00

(closes 17:30 school holidays).

For further information please contact:Southend Pier and Visitor Information Centre

Western Esplanade, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS1 1EE

E: vic@southend.gov.ukT: 01702 215620Design by

James Holmes