Media News February 2025

Clacton Pier - Opening Hour Reductions

Market difficulties have finally resulted in some operational cut-backs being necessary by the owners of Clacton Pier. Opening hours will be reduced and some rides will not be operational over the Winter. This has been necessary due to unstable and uncertain market conditions in the hospitality sector, and due to Billy and Elliot Ball’s “lack of confidence” (their words) in the present government. The gambling reforms which were to be passed by the previous government have not carried forward by the present administration yet, which is evidently stunting growth in the business.

The Pier has also featured in a recent episode of Antiques Road Trip, featuring Nigel Brown and Norman Jacobs as hosts of this place. If you are able to view BBC iPlayer content, follow the link and skip to 34:10.

BBC iPlayer

Brighton Palace Pier - Council Repairs to the Pier Entrance and Promenade

The section of promenade forming the entrance to the Palace Pier is to be repaired by Brighton and Hove Council in the following weeks, to be completed by Easter. This section of promenade is seemingly founded on a series of arches, which likely require strengthening in advance of the ongoing “Valley Gardens” highways work. Visitor access to the pier will be maintained throughout this ongoing repair work. (Image: Brighton and Hove Council)

Southport Pier - Planning Consent Granted for Repair Works - And a Very Large Public Meeting

The previously-reported Planning Application and Listed Building Consent have been granted, following supportive comments issued by Historic England. This does not mean much in practice, for as long as funding the project is unachievable, but at least it presses a time constraint on the process; where the permission expires after three years of granting.

Perhaps more dramatically, a community meeting was organised by the pier’s neighbours Silcock Leisure last week. Approximately 400 people attended and speakers included MP Patrick Hurley and Dr. Anya Chapman (past Honorary Secretary for the NPS). It is clear at this stage that the will to restore the pier to good structural condition is a unanimously-held ambition, enjoying cross-party support and recognition from national heritage bodies. Hopefully this support will eventually lead to the prospects of funding being released by a number of external sources. The attached article refers to discussions on imposing visitor admission charges on the future-reopened pier, with the speakers giving some examples, including Southend Pier charging £7.50 per person! This alarming value might have been misquoted, or is at least very deceptive, since this charge includes a return journey on the pier train. A walk-only admission presently costs £1.50; a more comparable visitor offering to the free admission previously seen at Southport Pier. Clevedon Pier may well have the highest admission cost, at £5 per person, but the context and business operations there are very different!

Brighton i360 - Sold to a Dragon

It has been confirmed that the i360 attraction has been transferred to a new owner, this being Sarah Willingham - founder and CEO of Nightcap Limited. She is an entrepreneur in the hospitality sector and spent some time on the television show Dragon’s Den. The sale is undoubtedly very good news for Brighton and it seems that, in early communications, locals to Brighton will be very much accommodated in the offerings available.

Brighton Palace Pier- Entry Fees to Increase

The recently-introduced £1 entry fees to the Palace Pier will be increased to £2 from March onwards. Brighton residents can still apply for residents’ cards to be exempted from the fees, and the pier has reported that about 20,000 applications have been made so far. Under the revised entry fee, non-residents upon entry will receive a £1 voucher for use on the pier, perhaps softening the “blow” for visitors content on spending money at the pier anyway.

Llandudno Pier - Further Progress Towards Reopening

In a new update, Llandudno Pier management have suggested that the pier will entirely reopen following storm-related repairs this Saturday. The bar, cafe and amusement arcade on the pier head will also be open, but temporarily running a reduced service for the first few days of opening. The previously damaged toilet block will continue to be covered with scaffolding, as roofing repairs continue. The Happy Valley Entrance work is still ongoing and its reopening is expected to take place during the Easter Half Term holidays. The speed of these repairs have been very warmly welcomed by commenters on the pier’s Facebook page.

Worthing Pier - Plans for Ongoing Low-Tide Repair Work

Worthing Borough Council have confirmed that minor repair works to the pier’s substructure will imminently take place during periods of optimal tidal conditions. The elements for repair were compiled during the course of the previous emergency work, when the overall structure was being inspected. Hopefully this will remain a continuous process from now on, preventing the chance of further long-term closures.

Weston Grand Pier - “The Heart of Weston”

Grand Pier management have borrowed an idea from Paignton Pier, it seems, and have installed a heart-shaped structure of steel mesh on the pier deck. This will, in turn, be adorned with “love locks” exclusively sourced from an amusement grabbing machine nearby and affixed on the wire structure by the “winning” visitor. (Image: Grand Pier)

Helensburgh Pier - Ongoing Restoration Discussions

(A paywall-restricted article)

Bournemouth - Ronald Searle’s 1960s Documentary Photography

Bournemouth Echo have reproduced four colour photographs of Bournemouth seafront, taken in c.1965 by photography enthusiast Ronald Searle. The Echo remarks that they are particularly unusual for being in colour. Even though colour film was in abundance at this time, it was rarely used by photojournalists. Two of the four photographs show Bournemouth Pier (and its landing stage in the third), featuring its new Pier Theatre but a few years before the concrete replacements for the pier neck and head.

This is only the start of the matter, since Ronald’s son had previously submitted a number of these photographs to the UK geographical photography site Geograph. Follow the second link to see a set of 13 of his photographs around Bournemouth, taken between c.1955-75. Be sure to open each photograph on its own dedicated page (by either clicking the image title or the image itself) to view its full size.

Further to that are about 70 photographs of Bournemouth seafront, taken in the Summer of 1967. Mostly documentary/portrait photographs, they were elected for submission to Flickr instead of Geograph. (Image: Ronald Searle)

Geograph (for 13 photographs)

Flickr (for 71 photographs)

Southport Pier - A Record of the 1990 Pier Festival

The circumstances surrounding the pier in 1990 have, or course, repeated 35 years later. During this time, much campaigning was taking place to bring the pier into some form of structural and commercial stability; this Festival formed part of that. It is unclear in the article whether any further annual festivals took place after 1990, but three years later a formal charity towards the restoration of the pier was formed. (Image: Stand Up for Southport)

Llandudno Pier - OPEN

As anticipated last week, the full reopening of Llandudno Pier took place last weekend and the public response has been very positive indeed. Some final works to the damaged/relocated kiosks, as well as the Happy Valley entrance, are still underway. The pier has also advertised a schedule of live music performances at the Ocean’s Bar, on the pier head, for April and May; available to view on their Facebook page. (Image: Jennifer Madigan/Facebook)

Mumbles Pier - Expansion of Amusement Facilities

A Ferris Wheel was introduced to the pier complex last year, and after time away over the Winter, is to be reinstated at the edge of Mumbles Bay. A fairground operator is also cooperating with the pier, introducing two further amusement rides to the foreshore. All of these will be opening this Saturday.

Hull Victoria Pier - Action Needed from Council

Hull City Council are presently debating what course of action to take regarding the Victoria Pier. This is a minor pier, not listed as a “pleasure pier” by the National Piers Society, but it had previously formed an important vantage point along the Hull waterfront. It has been closed for five years, since the start of flood defence works along the seafront. The earliest traces of the pier are also 200 years old in 2025, so some form of restoration scheme would be most deserved. (Image: Bernard Sharp)

Ramsey Queen’s Pier - Progress Slows After Bay 9

Poor weather has delayed the installation of scaffolding platforms under Bays 9 and 10, such that no physical progress with steel replacements can take place at the present time. Other minor restorative tasks which need working on, of course, have been found in the meantime. The increasing sea depth beyond Bay 9, it has been discovered, is exceeding the safe working conditions that can be achieved with access platforms erected upon the beach and structural elements delivered by telehandlers. The engineering teams are therefore planning alternative methods of exchanging structural elements to and from the pier, away from the beach - something which would have to be addressed at some point anyway. This certainly represents a transition in the operations of the restoration, with the technical procedures becoming much more complex and probably in need of some specialised contractors. Such traditional marine engineering methods as jack-up barges (utilised for the structural restoration of Hastings Pier in 2013-16), are cited in the article but immediately discounted as financially unobtainable for the charity.

Clacton Pier - The First 150 Years - Norman Jacobs

Norman Jacobs is a renowned historian for the Clacton area and has written various books devoted to the resort (as well as many other subjects) for 40 years. His Clacton Pier book, this month's featured product, was published in 2022 (the Pier's 151st year, allowing the sesquicentenary itself to also be recorded in the book) is very well-illustrated and encompasses much of the wider history of the British seaside in its account of events surrounding the pier.

Further Details

A NEW PUBLICATION IN PROCESS

NPS Archivist Martin Easdown is presently preparing a new book on the history of the piers in Great Yarmouth. This will contain approximately 70 pages and offer a detailed history on the two main piers, and perhaps a section on Nelson’s Jetty. It is anticipated that this publication will be ready for the AGM in June and will be available to purchase there.

Weston-Super-Mare Grand Pier - Increase in Admission Fees

A £1 admission fee has been in force at the Grand Pier since shortly after its post-fire re-opening in 2010, and due to inflation and other financial pressures encountered since, this is to be increased to £2. Registered local residents are eligible, as before, for free admission. Naturally, this being the age of the internet, this change has courted a clamorous chorus of complaint from the regulars of Social Media, protesting that: “if they think this will increase tourists, they're wrong!”. Of course this change was not initiated for this objective, but rather as a reaction to the new reality of financial pressures threatening the viability of private businesses. With the Grand Pier being a good promenading pier as well as an amusement centre, it is likely that many visitors would otherwise use and enjoy the pier without spending a penny. For those intending on visiting the pier for the amusement centre or food outlets, their concerns are perhaps more justified. This admission fee is the most reliable method of boosting the pier’s turnover to such an extent that a good standard of structural maintenance and investment can be upheld. In fact, privately-owned piers offering free admission is a relatively recent phenomenon and if these financial pressures continue to worsen, free admission may well be a thing of the past for privately-owned piers across the country in the long-term.

The Internet’s Response

Helensburgh Pier - Structural Inspection Report Released and Under Review by Campaigners

A structural inspection report has estimated repairs to the timber pier structure at a value of approximately £950,000. This will include improvement works to ensure that a number of boats and ferry services can land at the pier in reasonable safety. The overriding objective is to allow the Waverley to call at Helensburgh again. A link to The Helensburgh Pier Company’s Facebook page is also provided. (Image: Waverley Excursions)

Facebook Page

Clacton Pier - Facilitating Disabled Visitors

Management of Clacton Pier have partnered with the charity Nimbus Disability to offer a standardised access requirements system for disabled visitors to the pier. This will allow visitors with disabilities to, where necessary, communicate any special needs which need taking into account during their visit (e.g. free admission for an essential companion, in the case of visitors with mental disabilities). They are provided with a personal information card which all pier staff will be trained to recognise. The system has also been adopted by many other entertainment establishments, including Alton Towers. The card specifically for Clacton Pier is free to apply for. (Image: Clacton Pier)

Cromer Pier - Theatre Improvements Ongoing

Improvements to the performer’s facilities at the Pier Theatre have been ongoing since the start of the year; this article reports on the work to install additional fresh water and foul sewage pipes under the deck of the pier, serving the improved washing and showering facilities. The work is expected to be completed at the end of March.

On the 4th April, a comedy night will be taking place in the Pier Theatre during the evening: “Stand up on Cromer Pier”.

April Event

Southport Pier - Tresspassing Vandals

Colin Jamieson, of Southport Pier Pavilion and probably the foremost victim of the Southport Pier Limbo of present, recently encountered a further aggravating blow when more “youths” broke onto the secured pier last weekend. The usual damage was done: outdoor café furniture, owned by Jamieson’s business, was thrown off the deck in an action which only a twisted mind could venture to justify. No meaningful action was initiated by the local Police service, despite briefly securing the vandals. The Police later apologised to Jamieson for the manner in which they handled the situation.