Bournemouth Pier And The British Seaside

The pier is something of a seaside staple in Britain it is something that is closely associated with beach holidays and seaside resorts

. Originally, however, piers were not built simply for entertainment and recreational purposes. The initial fundamental use for piers was to allow passengers and cargo to be taken on and off ships and boats easily, especially ships that required deeper water. A secondary use for piers was and is still - to allow fishermen access to the sea to fish without needing a boat. One of the earliest recorded piers is the pier at Cromer in Norfolk with records of it reaching as far back as 1391 arguably though the 14th century pier could be classed more as a jetty than a pier. It wasnt until the idea of a seaside holiday really took off that the function of piers began to change.

Many people cite the writings of Dr Richard Russell in the mid-18th century as a major factor in the rise in popularity of visiting the seaside. Dr Russell advocated bathing in and drinking sea water as a cure for a number of health problems. He also claimed that sea water was more beneficial than the water at inland spas such as Bath. His writings did spark the interest in the seaside as a destination but it was not until much later that Englands beaches had mass holiday appeal.

The Industrial Revolution and the increase in Britains wealth along with the growth in the leisure industry in general led to a desire among many wealthy families to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. As a response seaside resorts began to flourish with more and more families flocking to Britains coastlines. The success of industry in Britain and improvements in the railways meant that by the mid-19th century even the middle and lower classes were embarking on seaside holidays.

The Victorians love for entertainment meant that seaside resorts were full of things to do and see. Fairgrounds, Punch and Judy shows and arcades proliferated. An offshoot of this was the change of working piers into pleasure piers. The piers housed theatres and bandstands and were used to allow Victorian holidaymakers to go for a stroll over the waves. One of the first pleasure piers was built in Ryde on the Isle of Wight in 1813. The oldest pleasure pier that is still standing today is the pier in Southport that was built in 1860.

Among a number of seaside resorts, Bournemouth is one of the best known today. It began its transformation from a coastal town into a seaside resort through the work of Sir George William Tapps-Gervis in 1835. It was put on the map as a destination in 1841 when it was visited by Dr Augustus Bozzi Granville who dedicated a chapter to it in the second edition of his book The Spas of England. The pier at Bournemouth has been overhauled a number of times since the 19th century. Originally the pier was a short wooden jetty that was constructed in 1856. This jetty was replaced by a longer pier designed by George Rennie in 1861. The pier cost 3418 and was so expensive that an annual fee for visitors was considered to cover the costs.

Bournemouth Pier has been fairly unlucky in terms of repairs. Only five years after it was built the wooden piles of the Rennie Pier had to be replaced after Teredo Worms or termites of the sea ate them away. They were replaced by cast iron piles. Unfortunately within a year of the repairs a storm swept away the T shaped pier head. The head was replaced and the pier was used constantly for another ten years. A second storm hit in 1876 that caused part of the pier to collapse. The whole structure was demolished and a temporary pier was put up in its place. A new pier, designed by Eugenius Birch, that cost 21,600 was built and was opened in 1880 by the Lord Mayor of London. The pier was extended in 1894 and 1909 and became more than 1000 feet long.

The new Bournemouth Pier stood for the better part of sixty years until it, like many other piers on Englands coastline, was partially dismantled amid fears of a German invasion in 1940. Once the war ended the pier was reopened in 1946. Several additions and restorations have taken place since then. A new theatre was erected on the pier in 1950 that required a new support structure and a 1.7 million restoration was begun in the late 1970s which saw the construction of a new octagonal leisure complex. Today the pier is home to ice cream and gift shops and a selection of music and theatre.

by: Izzy Evans

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