Top 10 UK piers

 

 

Perhaps one of the country's best known piers; Blackpool Central Pier was built in 1867, opening to the public in 1868. Since then it has provided entertainment to tourists and locals alike. Famous before the second World War for the open-air dancing held there. Now the pier is home to a 108-foot big wheel and various fairground activities, and is a great destination for a family day out.

 

 

The top 10 piers wouldn't be complete without mentioning the Grade-II listed Brighton pier, which opened in 1899. It stands to define Brighton as a holiday destination. Brighton pier is thriving as a tourist attraction and shows how modern developments have impacted piers. The flock of starlings that roost under the pier most evenings are a different sort of attraction – the flutter of their wings adds a certain natural magic.

 

 

Opening on the 11^th of June 1904, Weston-Super-Mare Grand Pier has quite a history. Destroyed by fire in 1930 it was extensively re-built in the resulting years. Disaster arose again in 2008, when the pier faced another fire. It opened once again in 2010 and looks to maintain it’s role in entertaining the British public.

 

 

 

Gravesend Pier is the oldest cast-iron pier, built in July 1834. The ferry service that operated there was used by 3.5 million passengers. Plans are now in motion to re-open the pier as an access point to the river, a pontoon is being built, hopefully to be completed at the end of this year.

 

Llandudno Pier  was built in 1876, but it needed major alterations after it faced a run-in with a ship. Despite the various maintenance that piers beg for, Llandudno remains open every day of the year, and as Wales’ longest pier holds the reputation for that area.

 

 

Swanage Pier stands with the help of a huge community effort and various grants. The first wooden pier, was built in 1859, now it lies derelict as a reminder of the past. A new pier was opened in 1897 and today is central to the diving and marine enthusiasts of the area; lobsters, crabs and bright wrasse fish call the pier home. It is home too for those who like to stroll along the promenade, plaques for loved and lost ones weave among the wooden boards.

 

 

Bournemouth Pier on the sunny south soast facilitates stunning views of Bournemouth beach. A victim of treacherous gales since it’s opening in 1856, the original shape and design has changed dramatically. Today’s structure was completed in 1981. Still possessing a classic appearance, Bournemouth Pier is nostalgic of past times.

 

Southend-On-Sea is home to the longest pier in Britain, in 1846 at one and a quarter miles it was the longest in Europe. After further extensions bringing It to a grand 7080 feet It dominates Britains over piers. With it’s very own single track train line, it is an individual feature of the coastline.

 

 

The Isle of Wight’s Ryde pier is renowned as the oldest in Britain, opening in July 1814. The pier still maintains regular ferries to Portsmouth harbour, though it recently had to close to vehicles for fear of damaging the structure. Hopefully funding will fully restore this relic.

 

 

 

Weymouth Pier bandstand, one of the newest in this countdown, was an outdoor entertainment venue in 1939. Not so great in the rain, but apparently magnificent in the sunshine. Expenses meant the bandstand was demolished in 1986. Hope that the 2012 Olympics will restore the bandstand pier to its former glory is still undetermined.