Find the nearest Piers
When we think of a traditional seaside town most of us automatically think of the Victorian pier. Our Piers category brings all Coast Radar’s listings related to the traditional seaside pier together, where most now offer family entertainment and places to eat.
Finding the best things to see and do on a day out with your family or friends is easy – simply explore the piers links below, hit the jump to my location button or use the search bar to plan your next UK and Ireland activity.
OR
- Cromer Pier is at the heart of the edwardian seaside resort of Cromer with its narrow roads and cliffs. Cropmer has had wooden piers since the 1400s and in the mid 1800s the pier was still just a short structure. In 1901 the pier was finally replaced with a more elegant structure.
- Ramsey Queens pier was built in 1886 and is 2241 feet long. The pier is being restored in sections by the Queen’s Pier Restoration Trust that has a long fight to keep this Victorian pier from being demolished and to enable to be accessed by future generations, please check their website for current progress and to support them.
- Brighton Palace Pier features in films like Sweeney Todd, Dr Who and Carry on at your convenience and is as much fun in real life as it is in the films! It was built in 1891 and opened in 1899 and was one of three in the area. It had a concert hall which housed great shows during WWII but in 1973 a storm sent a barge into the pier and the theatre was lost. Today this modern entertainment centre houses fairground rides, thrill and children’s rides and a huge amusement arcade. In 2003 a large fire caused damage but luckily most of it was unscathed. The pier is now listed as a Grade II structure and brings Summer fun and entertainment to the hundreds of thousands of holiday makers who visit it every year! The pier is known for its rides and most visit at night when the whole structure is lit up and fun is in the air. The Booster stands 130 ft and rotates you 360 degrees accelerating to over 3.6G’s in 2.8 seconds! The Twist and the Galaxia rides spin at speeds that make your eyes ache. In the Summer you can cool down withan ice cream and a log flume ride with oceanic wave landings! What is great about the pier is that it has retained it is old worlde charm even though it has been thoroughly modernised with video games, shops, restaurants, bars and even a presence on social media in Facebook and Twitter to keep you abreast of all the news and events. Brighton Pier (1700ft/520m long) was opened in grand ceremony on May 20th 1899. Nowadays the Pier has amusements, theme park rides, restaurants and bars.
- The pier build started in 1852 and was opened in July 1953 and was originally twice the current size but due to a fire in the later 1920’s half was destroyed. The name of this pier is thought to originate from the half an old penny toll charged and the pier was a popular departure point for paddle steamers until the First World War.
- Saltburn Pier located in Saltburn-by-the-Sea is the last pier remaining in Yorkshire. Construction started in 1867 and the 1,500 feet (460 m) pier opened in May 1869, with a steamer landing stage at the head of the pier and two circular kiosks at the entrance. Access to the pier was difficult from the town via the steep cliff so a wooden Cliff Hoist was constructed in 1870 that allowed 20 people to be placed in a wooden cage and then lowered by rope to beach level.
- Colwyn Bay Pier is a Victorian Pier but was closed at the time we visited in August 2010. It seemed to be part restored but with no indication as to what was happening. If this statement is out of date please update or drop us an email!
- Hythe Pier stretches 700 yards (640 m) from the centre of Hythe to the deep water channel of Southampton Water. It is approximately 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, and carries a pedestrian walkway and cycleway on its northern side, and the track of the Hythe Pier Railway on its southern side. Designed by J Wright, construction of Hythe Pier commenced in 1878 and completed in 1881. Hythe Pier, the Hythe Pier Railway and the Hythe Ferry together provide a transport link between Southampton and Hythe on the opposite side of Southampton Water. This link is heavily used by commuters and shoppers from Hythe, as well as forming an important link in the Solent Way and E9 European coastal paths. Each train on the Pier Railway connects at the pier head with an arrival and departure of the Hythe Ferry. The ferry service carries both passengers and bicycles, and takes about 10 minutes for the crossing.
- Ryde Pier was a group of three separate piers: – a promenade pier (now a listed building) – an electric tramway pier (now gone) – and a steam railway pier (still used although not by steam trains). Pier History Designed by John Kent of Southampton, the construction started in 1813 and completed in 1814. The pier was constructed to solve the problem of embarkation and disembarkation from the ferries. Originally built of timber, to a length of 1,740ft (527m) and 12ft (3.6m) wide. As ferry size grew from small sailing boats then the pier had to adapt. It was extended to 2,040ft (618m) in 1824 and the pier-head was enlarged in 1827. A further extension in 1833 took the overall length to 2,250ft (681m), while the pier-head was again extended in 1842 and the late 1850s. A second horse drawn ‘tramway’ pier was built alongside the existing structure, opening in 1864. This proved to be of little success later to be replaced by electric trams. In 1880 on a third pier adjacent to the tramway pier a direct steam railway link to the pier-head was created. In 1895 a concert pavilion was constructed (demolished later) at the pier-head and over the next sixteen years the original wooden piles were replaced in cast iron.
- Torquay Pier was built in the 1890s but has the appearance of a harbour wall protecting the marina. The pier is also known as Torquay Princess Pier.
- The second longest pier in Britain, Southport Pier was first opened in 1860 with an original length of 3,600 ft. In 1868 it was further extended to 4,380 ft. The Pier has a tram is the walk is too much!
- Birnbeck Pier is unusual in that it links the mainland with Birnbeck Island, a 1.2 hectares (12,000 m2) rocky island. The pier has been closed to the public since 1994. The grade II* listed pier was designed by Eugenius Birch and opened in 1867. The gothic toll house and pierhead buildings were designed by local architect Hans Price. The main pier is 1,150 feet (351 m) long and 20 feet (6 m) wide. As it has abutments at either end, one on the mainland and one on Birnbeck Island. The construction is more like a bridge than other traditional pleasure piers. A landing jetty extended on the west side of the island to allow steamers to bring day trippers to Weston-super-Mare from ports on both the English and Welsh side of the Bristol Channel. The pier opened on 6 June 1867, Cecil Hugh Pigot-Smyth again being the host of the ceremony, the town taking a holiday and holding a banquet in the Town Hall. The toll to walk on the pier was 1d, but this was quickly raised to 2d, the maximum allowed by Act of Parliament; 120,000 people paid the toll in the first three months. A new wooden northern jetty was added in 1872 which allowed the removal of the original western landing place. Another jetty was added on the south west corner in 1898 which reached deep water even at low tide, thus allowing steamers to use the pier at all states of the tide. This was damaged in a gale in 1903, rebuilt in 1909 but closed in 1916. It was finally removed in 1923. The northern jetty had also been damaged in the 1903 storm but was replaced by the present steel structure in 1905. Article taken from wikipedia.
- Bournemouth Pier is at the heart of the Bournemouth sea front with various attractions, amusements, boat trips, restaurant, cafe, bar and fishing decks. Originally built in 1856 as wood, rebuilt with iron and then as concrete this has been around for generations. Small charge applies for access to help with the upkeep. Dogs are allowed on to the pier but not allowed in some of the attractions.
