kids encyclopedia robot

List of piers in the United Kingdom facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Brighton Pier at dusk
Brighton Palace Pier at dusk

Piers are long structures that stretch out from the land over water, like a bridge into the sea or a river. They are often built for people to walk on and enjoy the views, or for boats to dock. Some piers are very old and have lots of history, while others are more modern and have fun attractions like theme parks or arcades.

Coastal Piers in the UK

Many piers are found along the coastlines of the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man. They are popular places for walks, fishing, and enjoying the seaside.

Piers in England

  • Central Pier, Blackpool
    • Located in Blackpool, Lancashire.
    • Opened on May 30, 1868.
    • It is 1,118 feet long.
    • It was originally 1,518 feet long.
  • South Pier, Blackpool
    • Located in Blackpool, Lancashire.
    • Opened on March 31, 1893.
    • It is 492 feet long.
    • This pier has a fun theme park!
  • North Pier, Blackpool
    • Located in Blackpool, Lancashire.
    • Opened on May 21, 1863.
    • It is 1,318 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2004.
    • This is one of the oldest piers designed by Eugenius Birch that is still standing. It was originally 1,410 feet long.
  • Bognor Regis Pier
    • Located in Bognor Regis, West Sussex.
    • Opened on May 5, 1865.
    • It is 350 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 1985.
  • Bournemouth Pier
    • Located in Bournemouth, Dorset.
    • Opened on September 17, 1861.
    • It is 1,000 feet long.
    • In 2014, a cool zip wire was added that goes from the end of the pier to the beach! The first version of this pier was a wooden jetty opened in 1856.
  • Boscombe Pier
    • Located in Bournemouth, Dorset.
    • Opened on July 29, 1889.
    • It is 720 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2010.
  • Brighton Palace Pier
    • Located in Brighton, East Sussex.
    • Opened on May 20, 1899.
    • It is 1,722 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 1998.
  • Burnham-on-Sea Pier
    • Located in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset.
    • Opened in 1858.
    • It is 90 feet long.
    • This pier claims to be the shortest in Britain, but some people don't count it as a true pier because it's more like a building on the beach.
  • Clacton Pier
    • Located in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.
    • Opened on July 27, 1871.
    • It is 1,180 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2020.
  • Cleethorpes Pier
    • Located in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire.
    • Opened on August 4, 1873.
    • It is 335 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2016.
  • Clevedon Pier
    • Located in Clevedon, Somerset.
    • Opened on March 29, 1869.
    • It is 1,020 feet long.
    • This pier has won "Pier of the Year" three times: in 1999, 2013, and 2021!
  • Cromer Pier
    • Located in Cromer, Norfolk.
    • Opened on June 8, 1901.
    • It is 495 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2000 and 2015.
  • Deal Pier
    • Located in Deal, Kent.
    • Opened on November 19, 1957.
    • It is 1,026 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2008.
    • This was one of the last pleasure piers built in the UK. Two older piers were built here in 1838 and 1864.
  • Eastbourne Pier
    • Located in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
    • Opened on June 13, 1870.
    • It is 1,000 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 1997.
  • Prince of Wales Pier
    • Located in Falmouth, Cornwall.
    • Opened on May 5, 1905.
  • Felixstowe Pier
    • Located in Felixstowe, Suffolk.
    • Opened in August 1905.
    • It is 450 feet long.
    • The pier was updated a lot in 2017 with a new amusement building. The part that goes out over the sea is not open yet.
  • Folkestone Harbour Arm
    • Located in Folkestone, Kent.
    • Opened in 1904.
    • It is 1,600 feet long.
    • This pier was first used in 1904 for ferries going to Boulogne, France. It reopened in 2016 and is now used for fun activities and fishing.
  • Gravesend Town Pier
    • Located in Gravesend, Kent.
    • Opened in 1834.
    • It is 172 feet long.
    • This pier is on the River Thames, not the sea, so some people don't count it as a seaside pier.
  • Royal Terrace Pier
    • Located in Gravesend, Kent.
    • Opened in 1844.
    • This pier is also on the River Thames and is not usually seen as a seaside pier.
  • Britannia Pier
    • Located in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
    • Opened on July 13, 1858.
    • It is 810 feet long.
  • Wellington Pier
    • Located in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
    • Opened on October 31, 1853.
    • It is 700 feet long.
  • Ha'penny Pier
    • Located in Harwich, Essex.
    • Opened in July 1853.
    • This pier is not considered a seaside pier by most experts.
  • Hastings Pier
    • Located in Hastings, East Sussex.
    • Opened on August 5, 1872.
    • It is 912 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2017 after a lot of work to fix it up.
  • Herne Bay Pier
    • Located in Herne Bay, Kent.
    • Opened in 1899.
    • Most of this pier was destroyed in a big storm in 1978. A small part near the shore is still open, and the pier head (the end part) is still out in the sea, about 1 kilometer away.
  • Hythe Pier
    • Located in Hythe, Hampshire.
    • Opened on January 1, 1881.
    • It is 2,100 feet long.
    • This pier has the oldest continuously running pier train in the world!
  • Claremont Pier
    • Located in Lowestoft, Suffolk.
    • Opened in 1903.
    • It is 600 feet long.
    • You can't walk on the pier decking here.
  • South Pier, Lowestoft
    • Located in Lowestoft, Suffolk.
    • Opened in 1846.
    • It is 1,320 feet long.
  • St Annes Pier
    • Located in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire.
    • Opened on June 15, 1885.
    • It is 600 feet long.
  • Paignton Pier
    • Located in Paignton, Devon.
    • Opened in June 1879.
    • It is 780 feet long.
  • Ryde Pier
    • Located in Ryde, Isle of Wight.
    • Opened on July 26, 1814.
    • It is 2,234 feet long.
    • This is the UK's oldest pleasure pier! A train line runs along its entire length.
  • Saltburn Pier
    • Located in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire.
    • Opened in May 1869.
    • It is 681 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2009.
  • Culver Pier
    • Located in Sandown, Isle of Wight.
    • Opened on May 29, 1878.
    • It is 870 feet long.
  • Skegness Pier
    • Located in Skegness, Lincolnshire.
    • Opened on June 4, 1881.
    • It is 387 feet long.
    • The part of the pier that went out into the sea was destroyed in a storm in 1978.
  • Royal Pier, Southampton
    • Located in Southampton, Hampshire.
    • Opened on July 8, 1833.
    • It is 900 feet long.
    • This pier closed in 1980 and is now in very bad shape. It's considered a "Lost Pier."
  • Southend Pier
    • Located in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.
    • Opened in 1830.
    • It is 6,900 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2007.
    • This is the longest pleasure pier in the world, stretching 2.1 kilometers into the Thames Estuary!
  • Southport Pier
    • Located in Southport, Merseyside.
    • Opened on August 2, 1860.
    • It is 3,536 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2003.
  • South Parade Pier
    • Located in Southsea, Hampshire.
    • Opened on July 26, 1879.
    • It is 600 feet long.
    • This pier reopened in 2017.
  • Clarence Pier
    • Located in Southsea, Hampshire.
    • Opened in 1861.
    • It is 203 feet long.
    • This pier is three times wider than it is long, running along the beach instead of out to sea. The whole pier is an amusement park.
  • Southwold Pier
    • Located in Southwold, Suffolk.
    • Opened in 1900.
    • It is 623 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2002.
    • This pier has a fun collection of modern coin-operated novelty machines.
  • Swanage Pier
    • Located in Swanage, Dorset.
    • Opened on March 29, 1897.
    • It is 643 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2012.
  • Grand Pier, Teignmouth
    • Located in Teignmouth, Devon.
    • Opened in 1867.
    • It is 696 feet long.
  • Princess Pier
    • Located in Torquay, Devon.
    • Opened in 1890.
  • Totland Pier
    • Located in Totland Bay, Isle of Wight.
    • Opened in 1880.
  • Walton Pier
    • Located in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex.
    • Opened in 1871.
    • It is 2,610 feet long.
    • It was first built to be 530 feet long in 1871, then made longer and reopened in August 1898.
  • Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare
    • Located in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.
    • Opened on June 11, 1904.
    • It is 1,201 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2011.
  • Birnbeck Pier
    • Located in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.
    • Opened on June 5, 1867.
    • It is 1,150 feet long.
    • This pier has been closed since 1994, but work is being done to restore it. It's one of the few piers designed by Eugenius Birch that is still standing.
  • Weymouth Pier
    • Located in Weymouth, Dorset.
    • Opened in 1860.
    • It is 787 feet long.
    • The Weymouth Stone Pier is a wall built to protect the harbor. The Weymouth Pleasure Pier is described as a "man-made peninsula."
  • Worthing Pier
    • Located in Worthing, West Sussex.
    • Opened on April 12, 1862.
    • It is 960 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2006 and 2019.
  • Yarmouth Pier
    • Located in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight.
    • Opened in 1876.
    • It is 610 feet long.

Piers in Scotland

In Scotland, no structures are officially recognized as "true" seaside pleasure piers. Many are working piers for boats.

  • Dunoon Pier
    • Located in Dunoon.
    • Opened in 1889.
    • It is 370 feet long.
    • This was built as a working pier, not for fun.
  • Helensburgh Pier
    • Located in Helensburgh.
    • Opened in 1860.
    • It is 804 feet long.
    • This pier has been closed to boats since October 2018.
  • Kilcreggan Pier
    • Located in Kilcreggan.
    • It is 279 feet long.
    • This pier is used for a ferry that only carries passengers.
  • Rothesay Pier
    • Located in Rothesay.
    • It is 433 feet long.
    • This pier is mainly used as a ferry terminal and a small place for boats to dock, not for pleasure.
  • Fort William Pier
    • Located in Fort William.
    • It is 1,538 feet long.

Piers in Wales

  • Royal Pier, Aberystwyth
    • Located in Aberystwyth.
    • Opened in 1865.
    • It is 794 feet long.
  • Garth Pier
    • Located in Bangor.
    • Opened on May 14, 1896.
    • It is 1,510 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2022.
    • This pier reopened in 1988.
  • Beaumaris Pier
    • Located in Beaumaris.
    • Opened in 1846.
    • It is 570 feet long.
    • It was updated between 2011 and 2012.
  • Llandudno Pier
    • Located in Llandudno.
    • Opened on August 1, 1877.
    • It is 2,295 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2005.
  • Mumbles Pier
    • Located in Mumbles, Swansea.
    • Opened on May 10, 1898.
    • It is 835 feet long.
  • Penarth Pier
    • Located in Penarth.
    • Opened in February 1895.
    • It is 650 feet long.
    • It was named "Pier of the Year" in 2014.

Piers in the Isle of Man

  • Queen's Pier
    • Located in Ramsey, Isle of Man.
    • Opened on July 22, 1886.
    • It is 2,241 feet long.
    • This pier closed in June 1990. Restoration work started in 2016, and the first three sections reopened in July 2021.

Piers on the River Thames in London

Former Piers

These piers no longer exist or are mostly gone.

  • West Pier, Brighton
    • Located in Brighton.
    • Opened on October 6, 1866.
    • It was 1,115 feet long.
    • This pier closed in 1975 and slowly fell apart. It's now considered a "lost pier."
  • Victoria Pier, Colwyn Bay
    • Located in Colwyn Bay.
    • Opened on June 1, 1900.
    • It was 750 feet long.
    • This pier closed in 2008. Part of it collapsed in 2017, and the end section was taken down.
  • Leith Trinity Chain Pier
    • Located in Edinburgh.
    • Opened on August 14, 1821.
    • It was 627 feet long.
    • This pier was mostly closed by the 1850s and was destroyed by a storm on October 18, 1898.
  • Portobello Pier
    • Located in Edinburgh.
    • Opened in 1871.
    • It was 1,250 feet long.
    • This pier was designed by Sir Thomas Bouch, who also designed the famous Tay Bridge. It was taken down in 1917 after the owner ran out of money trying to fix storm damage.
  • Fleetwood Pier
    • Located in Fleetwood.
    • Opened on May 16, 1910.
    • It was 492 feet long.
    • This pier was destroyed by fire in 2008, so it's a lost pier.
  • Lytham Pier
    • Located in Lytham.
    • Opened on April 17, 1865.
    • It was 914 feet long.
    • It closed to the public before World War II. Even though many local people protested, it was taken down in 1960.
  • Central Pier, Morecambe
    • Located in Morecambe.
    • Opened on March 25, 1869.
    • It was 912 feet long.
    • This pier was taken down in 1992.
  • West End Pier, Morecambe
    • Located in Morecambe.
    • Opened in 1896.
    • It was 1,800 feet long.
    • This pier was taken down in 1978.
  • New Brighton Pier
    • Located in New Brighton.
    • Opened in 1867.
    • It was 600 feet long.
    • This pier was taken down in 1978.
  • Aberavon Pier
    • Located in Port Talbot.
    • Opened in 1898.
    • It was 900 feet long.
    • This pier was lost in 1962 and is now a breakwater (a structure that protects the coast from waves).
  • Redcar Pier
    • Located in Redcar.
    • Opened on June 2, 1873.
    • It was 1,300 feet long.
    • This pier closed and was taken down in 1980.
  • Rhos-on-Sea Pier
    • Located in Rhos-on-Sea, North Wales.
    • Opened in 1895.
    • It was 1,300 feet long.
    • This pier was lost in 1954.
  • Rhyl Pier
    • Located in Rhyl.
    • Opened on August 19, 1867.
    • It was 2,355 feet long.
    • This pier was taken down in 1973.
  • Scarborough North Pier
    • Located in Scarborough.
    • Opened in 1868.
    • It was 1,000 feet long.
    • This pier was lost in 1905.
  • Shanklin Pier
    • Located in Shanklin.
    • Opened in 1890.
    • It was 1,200 feet long.
    • This pier was taken down in February 1993.
  • St Leonards Pier
    • Located in St Leonards-on-Sea.
    • Opened in 1891.
    • It was 950 feet long.
    • It was damaged by bombs, strong winds, and fire during World War II. It was taken down between 1951 and 1955.
  • Royal Victoria Pier
    • Located in Tenby.
    • Opened in 1899.
    • It was 330 feet long.
    • It was first 230 feet long and then made longer. This pier was lost in 1953.
  • Weymouth Pier Bandstand
    • Located in Weymouth.
    • Opened on May 25, 1939.
    • It was 200 feet long.
    • Most of this pier was taken down in 1986. Only the entrance building remains on 48 feet of the pier, so it's no longer a seaside pier.
  • Withernsea Pier
    • Located in Withernsea.
    • Opened in August 1877.
    • It was 1,196 feet long.
    • Parts of it were destroyed by a storm in 1882 and by ships crashing into it in 1890 and 1893. The last part of it was removed in 1903.

See also

Images for kids

  • Central Pier - geograph.org.uk - 528111

    Central Pier, Blackpool

  • South pier, Blackpool - DSC07077

    South Pier, Blackpool

  • North Pier, Blackpool

    North Pier, Blackpool

  • Bognor Regis Pier - geograph.org.uk - 1751557

    Bognor Regis Pier

  • Bournemouth pier 2021

    Bournemouth Pier

  • Boscombe Pier 2021

    Boscombe Pier

  • Brighton Pier 2006

    Brighton Palace Pier

  • Burnham Pier from north

    Burnham-on-Sea Pier

  • Clacton pier 700

    Clacton Pier

  • Cleethorpes Pier

    Cleethorpes Pier

  • Clevedon Pier from beach

    Clevedon Pier

  • Cromer Pier, Cromer, Norfolk, England-2Jan2012

    Cromer Pier

  • Deal Pier

    Deal Pier

  • Eastbourne Pier - geograph.org.uk - 1478224

    Eastbourne Pier

  • Falmouth Town Pier - geograph.org.uk - 197888

    Prince of Wales Pier, Falmouth

  • The Pier, Felixstowe - geograph.org.uk - 1467954

    Felixstowe Pier

  • GravesendThames3370

    Gravesend Town Pier

  • Royal Terrace Pier and London River House, Gravesend

    Royal Terrace Pier, Gravesend

  • Britannia Pier, Great Yarmouth - geograph.org.uk - 346438

    Britannia Pier, Great Yarmouth

  • Wellington Pier at night

    Wellington Pier, Great Yarmouth

  • Beach and Pier, Hastings - geograph.org.uk - 1563686

    Hastings Pier

  • 3rd Herne Bay Pier 1899-1908 001

    Herne Bay Pier

  • Hythe pier from a red funnel ferry

    Hythe Pier

  • Claremont Pier 2016

    Claremont Pier, Lowestoft

  • St Anne's Pier - geograph.org.uk - 95732

    St Annes Pier

  • 20190505 145903 corel 4 cr2

    Paignton Pier

  • Ryde Pier

    Ryde Pier

  • Saltburn Pier - geograph.org.uk - 1776103

    Saltburn Pier

  • Sandown Pier Isle of Wight England

    Culver Pier, Sandown

  • Skegness Pier. - geograph.org.uk - 15134

    Skegness Pier

  • Lighting up the evening gloom, Royal Pier, Southampton - geograph.org.uk - 1715333

    Royal Pier, Southampton

  • Southend Pier Autumn 2007 - crop

    Southend Pier

  • Southport Pier 1

    Southport Pier

  • South Parade Pier 2011

    South Parade Pier, Southsea

  • Clarence Pier Amusement Park - geograph.org.uk - 1702589

    Clarence Pier, Southsea

  • Southwold Pier1 KevinScottNL 2005

    Southwold Pier

  • Swanage Pier at Dusk

    Swanage Pier

  • Mini-dodgems, on Teignmouth Pier - geograph.org.uk - 1425295

    Grand Pier, Teignmouth

  • Princess Pier, Torquay - geograph.org.uk - 830062

    Princess Pier, Torquay

  • Totland Pier in May 2007

    Totland Pier

  • Walton Pier - geograph.org.uk - 880081

    Walton Pier

  • 2011 at Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier - pavilion

    Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare

  • Birnbeck Pier and Island

    Birnbeck Pier, Weston-super-Mare

  • The Stone Pier, Weymouth - geograph.org.uk - 23221

    Weymouth Stone Pier

  • Worthing Pier at sunset, low tide

    Worthing Pier

  • Yarmouth Pier in October 2011

    Yarmouth Pier

  • Harbour at Dunoon - geograph.org.uk - 49147

    Dunoon Pier

  • Helensburgh Pier - geograph.org.uk - 2108405

    Helensburgh Pier

  • Kilcreggan Pier

    Kilcreggan Pier

  • Rothesay Pier from Rothesay Bay - geograph.org.uk - 2556582

    Rothesay Pier

  • Fort Willam Pier - geograph.org.uk - 140945

    Fort William Pier

  • Aberystwyth Pier - geograph.org.uk - 1166324

    Royal Pier, Aberystwyth

  • BangorPier7143293

    Garth Pier, Bangor

  • Beaumaris Pier - geograph.org.uk - 693339

    Beaumaris Pier

  • Another angle of Llandudno Pier. - geograph.org.uk - 57921

    Llandudno Pier

  • MumblesPier

    Mumbles Pier

  • Penarth Pier 2013

    Penarth Pier

  • The Queens Pier Tram, Ramsey, Isle of Man - geograph.org.uk - 262557

    Queen's Pier, Ramsey

  • West Pier, Brighton - geograph.org.uk - 809050

    West Pier, Brighton

  • Victoria Pier, Colwyn Bay - geograph.org.uk - 527462

    Victoria Pier, Colwyn Bay

  • The pier Portobello Scotland

    Portobello Pier, Edinburgh

  • Fleetwood Pier - geograph.org.uk - 1237426

    Fleetwood Pier

  • Lytham Pier C1920

    Lytham Pier

  • Morecambe Central Pier pavilions c1900

    Central Pier, Morecambe

  • West End Pier, Morecambe, England-LCCN2002697087

    West End Pier, Morecambe

  • New Brighton Pier, c1914

    New Brighton Pier

  • Redcar, the pier, Yorkshire, England-LCCN2002708316

    Redcar Pier

  • Rhyl, View From The Pier (8513049573)

    Rhyl Pier

  • Shanklin Pier 9sep1964

    Shanklin Pier

  • St.Leonards Pier. St.Leonards on sea (15454717136)

    St Leonards Pier

  • The Pier Bandstand, The Esplanade, Weymouth

    Weymouth Pier Bandstand

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of piers in the United Kingdom Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.