Find the nearest Piers in Essex
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 Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex activity.
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- The Pier at Clacton-on-Sea was opened on 27 July 1871. The pier was originaly a wooden structure 160 yards (150 m) in length and 4 yards (3.7 m) wide. Initially built as a landing stage for goods and passengers, and from when it opened steamships operated by the Woolwich Steam Packet Company docked at the pier. By the 1890s Clacton was becoming a popular holiday destination due to its easy reach from London for day trippers and in 1893 the pier was lengthened to 1180 ft (360m), and entertainment facilities including a pavilion and a waiting room were added. Today the pier has a variety of indoor and outdoor activities that helps make Clacton one of Essex’s popular family seaside resorts.
- Walton pier was originally built to a length of 530 feet in the 1870s but due to shallow water was extended in 1898 to a length of 2600 feet and is the second longest pier in Great Britain. Facilities on the pier include a large undercover amusement arcade at the shoreward end which has ten-pin bowling centre. There are fairground rides and a rail-less ‘train’ that takes passengers to the pier-head where there is fishing.
- The sea recedes over a mile from the beach at low tide leaving mud flats. Large boats were unable to stop at Southend near to the beach and no boats at all were able to stop at low tide. This meant that many potential visitors would travel past Southend and go to Margate, or other resorts where docking facilities were better. The solution was Southend Pier that extends 1.34 miles (2.16 km) into the Thames Estuary, it is the longest pleasure pier in the world. The pier railway runs the length of Southend Pier, providing public passenger transport from the shore to the pier head. It operates every day the pier is open, providing a quarter or half hourly service.
- 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.
