Southend Pier facts for kids
Southend Pier in 2007
|
|
| Type | Pleasure, RNLI lifeboat station |
|---|---|
| Carries | Pedestrians, shuttle train, lifeboat crews/supplies |
| Spans | Thames Estuary |
| Locale | Essex, UK |
| Maintained by | Southend-on-Sea City Council |
| Construction | Hardwood decking on iron piles |
| Owner | Southend-on-Sea City Council |
| Total length | 2,158 metres (7,080 ft) |
| Opening date | 1830 (Iron pier, 1889) |
| Coordinates | TQ884849 (shoreside) TQ897830 (pierhead) |
Southend-on-Sea district map
|
|
Southend Pier is a famous landmark in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK. It stretches 2.16 kilometres (1.34 mi) into the Thames Estuary, making it the longest pleasure pier in the world!
The idea for a new pier, replacing an older wooden one, was approved in May 1829. Building started in July 1829. Later, an iron pier was built, opening in August 1889. The Southend Pier Railway, which began running in the early 1890s, was the first pier railway in the whole country.
The pier played a part in both World Wars. During World War I, German prisoners of war were kept on ships near the pier. In World War II, the Royal Navy took over the pier and called it HMS Leigh. It closed to the public in September 1939.
After the war, the pier became very popular again. About six million people visited in 1949, which was more than before the war. New attractions opened in the 1950s. However, the pier started to decline in the 1970s. It was getting old and damaged. In 1980, the council even thought about closing it.
People protested, and the pier stayed open. In 1983, money was given to fix it up. A new pier railway opened in May 1986, with Princess Anne doing the honours.
The pier has had several fires. Big ones happened in 1959, 1976, 1995, and 2005. The 1976 fire was followed by another a year later. These fires happened when the pier was already struggling. The 1995 fire caused a lot of damage, needing the deck to be rebuilt. Just ten years later, in 2005, another fire destroyed much of the wooden parts and damaged the old pierhead.
Sir John Betjeman, a famous English poet, once said, "the Pier is Southend, Southend is the Pier." The pier is a Grade II listed building, meaning it's an important historic place.
History of Southend Pier
Why the Pier Was Built
Seaside towns became popular holiday spots in the late 1700s. By the early 1800s, Southend was growing as a holiday resort. People believed that being by the sea was good for their health. Many Londoners came to Southend because it was close.
Travelers often arrived by sailing boat or later by steamer. But there was a problem: boats could only dock at high tide. The Southend coast has mudflats that stretch far out. Even at high tide, the water wasn't very deep. Large boats couldn't get close to the beach, and no boats could come at low tide. Many visitors went to other places like Margate that had better places for boats to stop.
To fix this, local leaders wanted a pier built. This would let boats reach Southend at any tide. Sir William Heygate, a former Lord Mayor of London, led the effort. People cheered him when he returned from London with the news that the plan to build the pier was approved!
Early Days of the Pier
The First Wooden Pier
In the late 1820s, a plan to build a new pier was approved by the government. On May 14, 1829, the pier officially received the Royal Assent. Just over two months later, on July 25, the Lord Mayor of London, Sir William Thompson, laid the first stone.
By June 1830, a 180-metre (590 ft) wooden pier was open. It was built using about 90 oak trees. The pier was made longer around 1834 and again in 1846. It eventually stretched over a mile. By 1848, it was the longest pier in Europe, at 2,100 metres (7,000 ft). The original owners sold it for £17,000 in 1846 because they had money problems.
The Iron Pier Era
By the 1850s, the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway reached Southend. This brought many visitors from east London. So many people used the wooden pier that it started to wear out. In 1875, it was sold to the Southend Local Board.
In 1887, the board decided to build a new iron pier next to the old wooden one. Wood from the old pier was even used to make a new chair for the mayor in 1892.
The new pier was designed by James Brunlees. He had also built Southport Pier, the first iron pier in Lancashire. Work on Southend's iron pier began in early 1887. It opened to the public in August 1889 and cost £68,920.
An electric railway started running on the pier the next year. It was the first pier railway in the country! Its first extension was added in 1897.
In 1903, about 1 million people paid to use the pier. Also, 250,000 passengers arrived by pleasure boats. An upper deck with a bandstand and shops opened in 1908. Later that year, on November 23, a ship broke free and crashed into the pier. It left a big hole and caused a lot of damage.
War and Between Wars
During the early part of World War I, three prison ships were docked near the pier. The first held German soldiers, and the others mostly held civilians. Prisoners walked along the high street and the pier to get to the ships. The British Admiralty, which ran the Royal Navy, paid for a signal station at the pierhead. But the pier still stayed open for fun. By spring 1915, the prisoners were moved to other camps for safety.
The years after the war were the best for Southend Pier. More facilities were needed for all the boats. The pier was made longer in 1927. This 99 metres (326 ft) extension cost £58,000. It was officially opened on July 8, 1929, by the Duke of Kent. This extension, called the Prince George Extension, allowed even more steamers to visit the pier.
Southend Pier celebrated its 100th birthday on July 23, 1935. Lord Richie of Dundee, who was in charge of the Port of London Authority, put up a bronze plaque on the pierhead. The celebration was in 1935 because that's when the British Admiralty started showing Southend Pier on their navigation maps.
Wartime Operations
During World War II, the Royal Navy took over Southend Pier. It was renamed HMS Leigh and closed to the public on September 9, 1939. It became the main control center for the Thames Estuary. A German air raid on November 22, 1939, was stopped by the pier's defenders.
The pier helped organize 3,367 convoys (groups of ships) during the war. It used large, inflated barrage balloons to protect ships from dive bombers. Over 84,000 ships passed Southend. The only ship lost was the SS Richard Montgomery, which sank in August 1944. It had over 1,500 tons of explosives. The ship's remains can still be seen at low tide, but there's a 500-meter danger zone around it.
After the Wars
After World War II, the pier reopened to visitors. Nearly six million people visited in 1949, which was more than before the war! The pier railway trains were replaced in 1949 with new ones, similar to those on the London Underground. About 5 million passengers rode the railway in its first year after reopening.
In the 1950s, more fun things opened on the pier. These included the Dolphin Café, Sun Deck Theatre, Solarium Café, and a Hall of Mirrors. In 1959, a fire destroyed the pavilion near the shore end. Over 500 people were trapped on the other side of the fire and had to be rescued by boat. A ten-pin bowling alley replaced the pavilion in 1962. This was when Southend was at its most popular.
Decline and Comeback
The pier slowly became less popular, and its structure started to get old. In 1971, a child's injury led to surveys and repairs for the pier railway. The council spent £370,000 over two years, starting in 1972, to keep the pier in good shape.
In 1976, a fire destroyed much of the 1908 pierhead. Firefighters had trouble because there wasn't enough water. They even used crop-spraying light aircraft to help! The cause of the fire was never fully known, but a dropped cigarette was thought to be likely. Many people watched the fire but didn't call the fire department right away. Strong winds and low tide also made it hard to fight the fire.
Another fire in November 1977 badly damaged the bowling alley. In October 1978, the pier railway closed because of safety worries. By then, British holidaymakers were choosing package holidays abroad instead of staying in the UK.
In 1980, the council planned to close the pier. But after many protests, they decided to keep it open. In 1983, a big change happened when money was given for major repairs. The repair work started in 1984 and finished in May 1986. Princess Anne officially opened the new pier railway. The two new trains were named after Sir John Betjeman and Sir William Heygate. The total cost of repairs, including new buildings and trains, was about £1.5 million.
On June 30, 1986, a 54.9-metre (180 ft) tanker called Kings Abbey crashed into the pier. It broke a 21.3-metre (70 ft) gap in the new pierhead and destroyed the boathouse used by the lifeboat service. This caused major damage. A temporary bridge was built to let people cross, but full repairs weren't finished until 1989.
Fire and Fixes
On June 7, 1995, an electrical problem caused a fire in the bowling alley. It quickly spread through the wooden roof and to the railway station within two hours. Firefighters got it under control by the afternoon. The railway track was damaged, but the trains were fine. Repairs cost about £680,000. The fire also damaged the wooden deck and its supports, so it had to be rebuilt over six months in 1998. Insurance paid for most of the repairs.
In the summer of 1999, the old pirate radio station Radio Caroline docked its radio ship Ross Revenge at the pier-head for about a month. They were broadcasting legally to the local area. When a power cut left the pier without electricity for two days, Radio Caroline used a spare generator on their ship to provide power. This kept the shops and attractions running until the main power was back.
The 21st Century Pier
Southend Council invested money in the pier in the 21st century to make it a popular place to visit again. This was part of a project called "S-SHAPE" (Southend Seafront, High Street and Pier Enhancements).
The pierhead was greatly improved between 2000 and 2001. A new lifeboat station was built there with the RNLI. A large part of the £500,000 cost came from a gift left by Peter Royal, a yachtsman who died in 1988. The new station is made of glass, giving it a modern look. It also has the Southend Pier Museum and a gift shop about the RNLI and lifeboats. The museum shows the pier's history, including an old working signal box, tram and train carriages, photos, old costumes, and a collection of old penny slot machines.
In 2003, the shore end of the pier was also updated. A new steel and glass entrance was built, which looked very different from the old Victorian pier. A new pier bridge was built higher up so that taller vehicles, like double-decker buses, wouldn't get stuck underneath anymore. A visitor and tourist information center also opened in 2004, with a new lift to help people get to it and the pier railway.
2005 Fire
On October 9, 2005, a fire badly damaged much of the pierhead. This included the railway station, a pub, and several shops. The fire was thought to have started in McGinty's Bar around 9:10 PM. Because of where it was and how much damage there was, the cause was never officially found, but it was thought to be an accident. No one was hurt. Firefighters had trouble putting out the fire because the pumps on the pier didn't work well. The Southend lifeboat helped by taking the first firefighters to the scene.
Most of the wooden planks were destroyed, but the main iron structure was mostly okay. The Pier Railway tracks bent from the intense heat. The fire service said that if there had been sprinklers, the fire could have been put out quickly. Also, there weren't many fire alarms on the pier, so firefighters were called up to 90 minutes later than they could have been. Soon after the fire, burnt pieces of wood from the pier were sold online, with the money supposedly going to the RNLI.
The pier reopened to the public on December 1, 2005. In 2007, it was voted 'Pier of the Year'.
Cultural Centre
On September 15, 2009, Southend Borough Council announced the winner of a design competition for a new pierhead building. It was a Swedish architecture firm called White. The winning design was called Sculpted by Wind and Wave.
On May 17, 2012, the structure for a new Pier Pavilion was put onto the pier. It opened to the public on July 21. It is used as a theater and for art exhibitions, holding up to 185 people. Old pier timber was even used to build beach huts on Shoebury's East Beach in 2013.
Southend Pier Railway
The pier railway runs along the entire length of Southend Pier. It carries passengers from the shore to the pierhead. It runs every day the pier is open, usually every 15 or 30 minutes.
The first wooden pier, built in 1830, used a horse tramway to move goods and visitors. In 1890, when the iron pier was built, an electric tramway was installed. It ran the full length by 1891. In 1949, the old trains were replaced with new ones that looked similar to those on the London Underground.
In October 1978, the electric railway closed because it was old and repairs were too expensive. It reopened on May 2, 1986, with two new diesel trains. It now had a simpler single track with a place for trains to pass each other. The pierhead station was moved temporarily after the 2005 fire. A new, modern station opened in its original spot in September 2009.
Lifeboat Station at the Pier
One of the Southend-on-Sea lifeboat station's two boathouses is located at the very end of Southend Pier. It holds an Atlantic 75 class lifeboat and a smaller D class lifeboat. Both are lowered into the deep water next to the pier using special cranes called davits.
The boathouse is a modern building. It has rooms for the crew, offices, an RNLI shop, and a viewing area where visitors can see the lifeboats. There's also a sun deck on top that the public can use. Lifeboat crews use an electric buggy with sirens and flashing lights to travel along the pier to this boathouse from the shore.
A lifeboat has been based at the pier since 1879. At first, lifeboats were launched using davits, just like today. However, in 1935, a new lifeboat house was built at the pierhead. It had a slipway for launching the lifeboat and cost £15,750. This building lasted until 1986, when the MV Kingsabbey ship crashed into the pier and destroyed the boathouse. A temporary boathouse was used until 2002, when the current modern boathouse opened.
