Research Project.
Thomas Iles
Interior Architecture & Design Year 4.
N0362462
The Past History of Piers:
Intro:
In this section of my research project I will be looking into the history of British piers. In my research I will focus on major factors in the development of the pier primarily in terms of; the popularity of piers, design style, materials and structure. I will look at social cultural and economic factors which may have affected the development in either way.
The reason I plan on doing this research is to develop a better understanding of the traditional side of the British pier, I am interested in the reasons why they have had times of boom where they were very popular, compared too times where popularity has decreased and neglect has occurred. I think understanding the principle reasons for the popularity and use of piers in the past needs to be a large factor in the design of Eastbourne pier, whilst also realising the change in market and development it needs to be successful in the 21st century and its trends.
A History of British Piers:
Although piers are generally recognised as a Victorian feature in the UK, the first piers were built before this period. The purpose was different to the traditional piers, these first piers were made from timber and were functional. They were used for marine purposes (rather than pleasure), mainly as landing stages for boats and breakwaters which act as protection for harbours. These early piers led to the popularity that was to come of promenading. A good example of this is Ryde Pier, built in 1813 it is the first pier in the UK, its purpose to act as a landing stage so ferries can cross to Portsmouth.
By the time of 1850 more piers had started to appear, the function was changing from the early utilitarian structures into more exclusive promenading spaces. The function of the early pleasure pier was to allow the gentry or wealthy to take a walk on what was a fashionable space on the water. The pier was narrow and toll booths meant that a pier was an exclusive place and only those willing to pay could visit.
“the Times emphasised the value of the pier as a space to promenade over the sea in communication with like-minded people”
(Dobraszczyk, 2014)
Around this time the majority of piers built either had developed into or were being built as cast/wrought iron or concrete structures. During the 1850’s there was a boom in the development of piers. They were still exclusive to those who could afford the tolls (which weren’t taken away till the early 20th century), the tolls were caused because pier were all privately funded and development projects became more eccentric. The development of building and engineering techniques had introduced a rail network which made it affordable for the middle and working classes to visit the seaside. This made piers even more exclusive as the air was clean away from the now busy promenade, so it was only for those willing to pay the toll regularly. A good example of this is in Southport where the seaside town built a pier after a rail link to Manchester made an influx of visitors, the plans for a pier were put in place so those willing to pay could have exclusive space.
“iron gates and turnstiles and a hefty toll of sixpence would have kept out the new working-class visitors to the town”
(Dobraszczyk, 2014)
In the 1860’s 22 piers were planned and started, this time was the real origin of the ‘pleasure pier’. Brighton West Pier is a great example of why this is. Dr. Paul Dobraszczyk tells it well in his book; Iron, Ornament & Architecture in Victorian Britain.
“one of the first to articulate this new approach to pier design and function. As noted by seaside historians, the west pier was also influential in popularising an ornamental approach to ironwork in the superstructure of piers, generally described by them as oriental in its stylistic characteristics.. . the six octagonal wood-and-iron pavilions on the pier – used for shelter refreshment rooms and shops – were described by the Illustrated London News simply as ornamental houses”
(Dobraszczyk, 2014)
From the 1870’s the adoption of this seaside orientalism was evident in almost all piers and most other seaside architecture. By the turn of the 20th century the majority of the 100 piers in Britain were decorated with Victorian structures. Large pavilions, Bandstands, covered seats and shelters for those walking the pier. The pavilions often housed large theaters or concert halls. Bandstands became popular during Victorian times not only for piers but they were linked with the development of public parks in urban spaces. They were used all across all of the UK with the primary purpose to keep the working class away from ‘low’ forms of entertainment (pubs).
Around the end of the twentieth century pavilions and bandstands were being replaced by larger capacity buildings. The council by now owned many of the piers around the country. They wanted larger bandstands and looked to use cheaper and less elaborate alternatives. A good example of this is at Brighton’s Palace Pier in 1911, its pavilion was replaced by a larger less elaborate Macfarlane building. Although cheaper and less ornate these buildings were popular at the time and were also used on Bognor Regis, Lytham-St-Annes, Swanage and Ventnor. Macfarlane was a large supplier of Victorian ironwork replicas, the cheaper option to a bespoke design.
At the beggining of the century nearly all piers would have had a pavilion or bandstand, but the obsession with ornate structures was changing with the focus becoming fun or pleasure activities. The pavilions housed new pleasure facilities, predominantly theatres, concert halls, ballrooms, arcades and they often were used for large celebrations. The ability to enjoy a walk up the pier still was an important resemblance of promenading and the real original function of a pier. Piers were slowly becoming less exclusive and more the hub of the British seaside town with the new focus.
The impressive structures had their most popular time up until the Second World War. This was an obvious turning point in the piers development, but damage from storms and fires had always caused damage to piers, Deal Pier and Eastbourne are both good examples of this:
“And the present pier at Deal, Kent is actually the third built on the same spot.
The first was destroyed in a 1857 storm and the second was demolished on the orders of Winston Churchill in the Second World War to give a clear line of sight for the Army’s guns.
At Eastbourne, Eugenius Birch, the designer of 14 piers, made the same mistake as at Blackpool North.
He underestimated tide levels and the end nearest the shore was washed away in a storm.
In May 1940 theatregoers were still enjoying a performance there when soldiers arrived to blast a hole in the pier as a war defence against German forces.
It was in fact strafed by the Luftwaffe and a mine exploded underneath it, shifting one of the arcades by two inches.”
(Parry, 2014)
During the Second World War, British piers began to suffer. With a German invasion very possible many piers were decommissioned, Eastbourne’s is a good example, having guns installed on the deck, and the some of the timber decking was removed leaving the seaward end inaccessible. Another reason for damage like a lot of England bombs had there effect on piers, coastal towns were often heavily bombed. I spoke to a man named Philip Beauchamp, who as a child was growing up living near the town during WW2;
“I remember very clearly, going outside to sit on the downs and seeing the German bombers come over the cliffs to fly over Eastbourne and drop there bombs”
(Philip Beauchamp, 09.12.14, Eastbourne)
After the war it was beginning to become evident of the demise of the pier. In the 1950’s the introduction of package holidays had a large effect on the popularity of British coastal towns. It became affordable to go abroad for your holidays, the story of Redcar Pier (or Brighton West Pier) is an example of what happened to many of the British piers, from post-World War 2 through to the 80’s:
“Redcar pier survived numerous batterings in the early 1900s, when its 1300ft (396m) position out to sea caught many a ship by surprise, but it could not recover from the literal decline it suffered after World War II, when it shrank to a mere 80ft (24m)… Parts of it were blown up during the war and in the years that followed there wasn't the inclination or the money to put it back together…
It was eventually demolished in 1980, haven also fallen foul of the package holiday and was pretty derelict. It would have cost £180,000 to repair or £30,000 to demolish. Like others before it, the pier had to go."
(Place,2011)
Today 61 of the 100 piers which existed on the British coastlines in 1900 still exist, and many of these are becoming run-down, damaged and neglected. But times for the British pier may be beginning to look up, there are more examples of refurbishments, and redevelopment. Deal Pier, in 2008 had a new Café added to the pier head to try and bring more people to the pier. Bristol Western-Super-Mare suffered a fire and received a £39 million rebuild which opened in 2012. Cleveden Pier, Hastings Pier and Eastbourne are other examples are in the process of having being damaged by storm, fire or neglect and are now having money put into their redevelopment. On the other hand examples such as Brighton West Pier and then Birnbeck Pier which is now and has been for 20 years closed and ‘dangerous’. These examples show the importance of the redevelopment of British piers, but also show that they can still be a popular and potentially profitable attraction today.