SD3035 : Between Central and North Piers
taken 11 years ago, near to Blackpool, England
The oldest and longest of Blackpool's piers, North Pier was designed by Eugenius Birch and opened on May 21st 1863. A landing/fishing jetty was added in 1866 and extended in 1869, bringing the pier's length to 1410 feet.
The pier was damaged in 1867 by wreckage from Nelson's former flagship, the "Foudroyant", which had been moored off the pier for an exhibition. In the 1870s, the pier-head was enlarged and the Indian Pavilion and bandstand were built. There were further ship collisions with the pier in 1892 and 1897
The deck was widened in 1896, and shops and an arcade were added to the shoreward end in 1903. The Indian Pavilion was destroyed by fire in 1921, but a new pavilion was built, unfortunately also being destroyed by fire in 1938. However, a new 1500 seat theatre was completed in 1939. Also in the 1930s, the bandstand became the Carousel bar and Venetian sun lounge.
In the 1960s, amusements and the Merrie England bar were opened. In the 1980s, £350,000 was spent rebuilding the entrance in Victorian style, and in 1991, a 35 foot carousel and a pier tramway were installed. The pier suffered further, severe storm damage in December 1997, severing the jetty from the main structure and leaving the pier theatre perilously close to the edge.
In April 2011, the pier was sold by Six Piers Ltd to Blackpool family firm, Sedgwick's. Mr Sedgwick vowed to restore the pier to its former Victorian look, bring back its tram and remove the entrance tolls. The theatre was renovated and relaunched in November 2011.
A storm in December 2013 severely damaged the sun lounge, but it was repaired the following year.
Wikipedia: Link
The second of Blackpool's three piers to be built, Central Pier (then "South Pier") was completed in 1868. It is "central" in that it is situated between the other two piers.
Central Pier soon became known as the 'people's pier' because its emphasis was on fun rather than the genteel relaxation provided at North Pier. In Victorian times the class system was rife, and working class activities like dancing were very much frowned upon by the genteel folk frequenting the North Pier.
In the 20th century, roller skating was introduced along with fairground rides and amusement machines. The dance halls became less popular after the War and, by the 1970s, the facilities had been adapted into a theatre, bars and amusement arcades. The most noticeable feature of recent times is the 108ft high Ferris wheel, added in 1990.
When it was first opened, the pier was 1518ft (460m) in length, which included a 400ft (121m) low-tide jetty at the head. The overall length was reduced to 1118ft (339m) in the 1970s when the obsolete low-tide jetty was demolished.
Link Wikipedia
Link The Heritage Trail