Hastings Pier facts for kids
Image taken in June 2018
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| Type | Pleasure Pier |
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| Locale | Hastings, East Sussex |
| Design | Eugenius Birch Redevelopment by dRMM |
| Owner | Abid Gulzar |
| Total length | 910 feet (280 m) |
| Width | 45 feet (14 m) to 190 feet (58 m) |
| Opening date | 5 August 1872 |
Hastings Pier is a fun public pier in Hastings, East Sussex, England. It was built in 1872 and became very popular in the 1930s. Later, in the 1960s, it was a famous place for music concerts.
Sadly, the pier was badly damaged by a storm in 1990. It had to close completely in 2008. Then, in 2010, a big fire destroyed most of it. A group called Hastings Pier Charity worked hard to rebuild it. The pier finally reopened on 27 April 2016. The new design even won a big award for architecture in 2017 called the Stirling Prize.
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The charity that ran the pier faced financial difficulties in 2017. The pier was then sold to a private owner in 2018. It reopened again on 1 April 2019.
Contents
A Look Back: The Pier's Story
Hastings Pier first opened its doors on 5 August 1872. A special person called the Earl of Granville officially opened it. The pier was designed by Eugenius Birch. He also designed other famous piers like the West Pier in Brighton and Eastbourne Pier. His design was very clever for its time! A local company built the pier, with help from a firm from Glasgow. Many important guests, including a local politician and even Egyptian princes, came to the opening lunch on the pier.
The pier originally had a large building that could hold 2,000 people for shows. But this building was destroyed by a fire in 1917. A new building was put in its place in 1922. This new pavilion became a fantastic music venue in the 1960s and 1970s. Many famous bands played there, like The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Genesis, Tom Jones, and Pink Floyd. Did you know that Pink Floyd's founder, Syd Barrett, played his last show with the band here in 1968?
In the 1930s, the pier's buildings got a stylish new look called Art Deco. This was a very popular time for the pier. After a temporary closure during World War II, it was renovated again. In 1966, it even hosted the Hastings Embroidery as part of the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings.
Over the years, parts of the pier were given special protection as a historic building in 1976. The pier changed owners many times, and not all of them kept it in good repair.
In 1990, a big storm caused a lot of damage, costing about £1 million to fix. By 1996, the pier was put up for sale again. But buyers were worried because it needed so much money to fix its wobbly supports. Because of financial problems, the pier had to close in 1999.
It was sold again in 2000 and reopened in 2002. Then, in 2004, it was bought by a company called Ravenclaw.
Challenges and Comebacks
In July 2006, the local council found that part of the pier was unsafe. They quickly closed it to keep everyone safe. There were many legal arguments between the pier's owners and the council. Eventually, a company that ran games on the pier, along with the council, helped pay for £300,000 worth of repairs. This allowed most of the pier to reopen on 4 July 2007.
However, in March 2008, another storm caused more damage. Two support columns were in danger of collapsing! Strong barriers were put up to stop people from going near the damaged areas. Even though some repairs were made, the pier's future was still uncertain because the owners weren't fixing the bigger problems.
Many people in Hastings wanted to save the pier. A group called the Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust started raising money. They held community events like raffles and quiz nights. Their big goal was to buy the pier and run it as a community-owned place. They didn't want the pier to be torn down, which would have cost a lot of money.
In October 2009, people even marched in protest to show how much they wanted to save the pier. Another pier owner looked into buying Hastings Pier, but they found it would cost over £24 million to fix and add new attractions. Engineers said the pier was "one good storm away from collapse."
The 2010 Fire
A terrible fire broke out on the pier early in the morning of 5 October 2010. Even though firefighters arrived quickly, the fire spread fast through the wooden buildings. About 95% of the pier's main structure was destroyed. Two people were arrested because they were suspected of starting the fire, but no charges were ever made.
Rebuilding and Reopening
In August 2013, the pier was officially taken over by the local community. This allowed a big £14 million project to rebuild it. The work finished in early 2016, and the pier was joyfully reopened to the public on 27 April 2016.
Since reopening, Hastings Pier has won awards! It won the National Piers Society's "Pier of the Year" award in 2017. The newly designed pier also won the famous 2017 Stirling Prize for architecture, which is a very important award in the United Kingdom.
The group running the pier faced financial difficulties in November 2017, making its future uncertain again.
On 15 June 2018, a local businessman named Abid Gulzar bought Hastings Pier. He also owns Eastbourne Pier. The pier reopened on 25 July 2018. It closed for a short time in December 2018 and then reopened again on 1 April 2019.
On Film
Hastings Pier has appeared in many movies and TV shows! Some of these include The Dark Man (1951), the TV show Foyle's War, the music video for Kingmaker's "Queen Jane" (1993), Ash's "Tracers" music video (2009), the film Byzantium (2012), and the British TV series Giri/Haji (2019). In 2015, a documentary film about Hastings Pier called Re: A Pier was made by filmmaker Archie Lauchlan.
Images for kids
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The former entrance
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Hastings Pier before the fire in 2007
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Hastings Pier after the fire, showing damage at the seaward end
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Hastings Pier on the morning after the fire, 5 October 2010
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Damage to the shore-end of Hastings Pier, 9 October 2010
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Hastings Pier from the beach
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Hastings Pier at sunset
