Saltburn Pier facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Saltburn Pier

Saltburn Pier, 2011
Type	Pleasure
Carries	pedestrians
Spans	North Sea
Locale	Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Redcar and Cleveland
Design	John Anderson
Construction	hardwood decking on iron piles
Owner	Redcar and Cleveland
Total length	681 feet (208 m)
Opening date	1869
Coordinates	54°35′10.46″N 0°58′14.61″W / 54.5862389°N 0.9707250°W / 54.5862389; -0.9707250

Saltburn Pier is a famous pier found in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, a town in Redcar and Cleveland, England. It's also part of North Yorkshire. This pier is special because it's the very last one left in the whole of Yorkshire!

Building the Pier

The Stockton and Darlington Railway reached Saltburn in 1861. This brought many more visitors to the town. People came for day trips and holidays.

John Anderson was the railway's engineer. He saw how much Saltburn was growing. He bought land from the Saltburn Improvement Company. He also designed the town's sewer system in 1867.

Starting the Pier Project

In October 1867, Anderson created the Saltburn Pier Company. Their goal was to build a pier. Anderson was the designer and chief engineer. He decided to use strong iron piles screwed into the seabed. These would hold up a metal frame and a wooden deck. This was a new and modern way to build piers.

The iron parts for the pier arrived in December 1867. Building started on December 30. However, there were some delays. The government didn't approve the plans until April 1868. The land for the pier wasn't officially given to the company until July 1868.

Opening the Pier

The pier first opened in May 1869. It was 1,500 feet (460 m) long. At the end of the pier, there was a special area for ships to dock. At the entrance, there were two round kiosks.

The first ships left the pier on May 14, 1870. They sailed to Middlesbrough. In its first six months, 50,000 people paid to visit the pier.

The Cliff Hoist

Getting to the pier from the town was hard because of the steep cliff. So, Anderson was hired to build a "Cliff Hoist." This was a wooden lift. It could carry 20 people in a wooden cage. Ropes would lower them down to the beach.

The Cliff Hoist opened on July 1, 1870. It was built 14 months after the pier. People walked on a narrow path to reach it. The hoist would lower passengers 120 feet (37 m) down. It worked by using water to balance the weight.

How the Pier Operated

Boat trips from the pier made the company more money. They added new trips to Hartlepool and Scarborough. The pier company made good profits for its owners. By October 1873, all the company shares were sold.

Storm Damage and Repairs

On October 21-22, 1875, a big storm hit the pier. It destroyed 300 feet (91 m) of the pier. This included the end section where ships docked. It also damaged part of the main deck.

At that time, the iron industry was struggling. So, they decided not to rebuild the lost section. The pier was made shorter, becoming 1,250 feet (380 m) long. It reopened in 1877. The company was in debt, so the pier was sold for £800 in 1880.

New Owners and Improvements

The pier was first sold to the Saltburn Improvement Company. Then, in August 1883, the owners of the Middlesbrough Estate bought that company.

The new owners checked the old Cliff Hoist. Engineers said it was unsafe because of rotten wood. So, it was taken down in late 1883. They hired Sir Richard Tangye's company to build a new one. This company had built similar lifts in Scarborough.

George Croydon Marks designed the new Saltburn Cliff Lift. It's a special type of railway called a funicular. It goes up and down a slope. It is 120 feet (37 m) high and 207 feet (63 m) long. It opened on June 28, 1884. Today, it's the oldest water-balanced cliff railway in the world!

With the new Cliff Lift, the pier could add more features. A large room was built at the end of the pier. Gas lights were added along the whole pier. In 1884, the pier end was made wider. They added wind shields, a bandstand, and refreshment rooms. The entrance kiosks were also updated. In July 1887, electric lights replaced the gas lights.

More Damage and Rebuilding

The pier had minor storm damage in 1900. Then, in May 1924, a ship called the SS Ovenbeg crashed into it. This created a 210 feet (64 m) gap in the pier. The bandstand became unreachable.

The gap was fixed starting in March 1929. A new theatre was also built on the land side. It was finished in 1930. This allowed the full length of the pier to open again.

After World War Two

The local council bought the pier in 1938. During World War II, part of the pier's deck was removed. This was done by the Royal Engineers to stop any Nazi invasion.

After the war, the pier was in bad shape. Repairs were approved in 1949. But because steel was hard to find, they weren't finished until April 1952. The pier officially reopened on May 31, 1952. Over 25,000 people visited in the first month.

Ongoing Repairs

In 1953, storms caused £23,000 worth of damage. These repairs took five more years to finish. But after they were done, two support piles were lost in 1958. This cost another £6,000. In 1961, twenty more piles were twisted by storms. Repairs kept the pier open, and 90,000 people visited in the 1960s.

Severe storms in 1971 and 1973 caused more damage. Support piles were lost at the end of the pier. This made the pier dangerous. More damage happened in 1974. On October 29, the very end of the pier was lost. The deck was also damaged. This left the pier 1,100 feet (340 m) long.

Saving the Pier

In 1975, the council wanted to tear down the pier. But a "Save the Pier" campaign started. A public inquiry was held. It decided that only the last thirteen sections could be removed. This left the pier 681 feet (208 m) long.

The repaired pier reopened on June 29, 1978. In 1979, the council completely updated the pier and the Cliff Lift. They wanted them to look like they did in Victorian times. They ordered new aluminium cars for the Cliff Lift. They put stained-glass windows back. All the buildings were painted white and red. A cafe was added at the end of the pier.

The Pier in the 2000s

In 2000, the council received a £1.2 million grant from the National Lottery. This money helped fix the cast iron supports of the pier. The steel deck beams were replaced with traditional hardwood timber. This made the pier look like it did when it was first built.

The pier reopened on July 13, 2001. It was given a special status as a Grade II* listed building. The restored pier won an award in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Heritage awards. In October 2005, new lights were added under the deck. These lights make the pier glow at night. In 2009, the National Piers Society named Saltburn Pier "Pier of the Year." The pier celebrated its 150th birthday on May 11, 2019, with a new lighting system.

Gallery

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  Saltburn Pier, as seen from the promenade above

Video footage