Portobello Pier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Portobello Pier |
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| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Location | Portobello, Edinburgh |
| Completed | 1871 |
| Opened | 23rd May 1871 |
| Demolished | 1917 |
| Cost | £10,000 |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions | 1,250 feet (length) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Thomas Bouch |
The Portobello Pier was a fun pier built in Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland. It was designed by Thomas Bouch. This pier was super long, about 1,250 feet (381 meters)! It was also 22 feet (6.7 meters) wide.
The pier had lots of cool things for visitors. You could find a tea room, a camera obscura (a special room that projects images), and even a concert hall. Building the pier cost about £10,000.
History of the Pier
In 1869, a special law was passed to build the pier in Portobello. The idea was to make the town a more exciting place for people to visit. It was hoped that many visitors from Edinburgh and other places would come.
The Portobello Pier officially opened on May 23, 1871. It quickly became very popular! In August of that first year, over 2,500 people visited the pier on a single holiday. It only cost one penny to get in.
People would travel by train from all over southern Scotland just to spend a day at Portobello. The pier also offered exciting boat trips. You could take a pleasure boat to places like the Isle of May, Elie, North Berwick, and Bass Rock.
The pier changed owners in 1892 when the North British Railway Company bought it. They continued to offer boat services from the pier. However, during World War I, the government needed the boats for the war. This meant the pier had to close down.
Over time, the pier also started to fall apart. Storms damaged it, and the iron supports began to rust. Because of this, the Portobello Pier was taken down in 1917.
Plans for a New Pier
Even after the original pier was gone, people still wanted one. In 1933, some business people made plans for a brand new pier. This new pier would have been much bigger and had many more features.
The plans included a swimming area, a boating area, restaurants, shops, and a concert hall. It would have also had places for pleasure boats to dock. This new pier was estimated to cost about £60,000. However, the town council did not approve the plans. The idea was eventually stopped because of World War II.
More recently, in 2015, there was another idea to build a new pier in the same spot. A group called Big Things on the Beach Trust and an architecture company showed new plans. Their idea was for a modern pier with space for performances, a cafe, meeting rooms, and even sports clubs.
