Our County's Peerless Piers

The centrepiece of the traditional British seaside holiday, the classic pier is a treasured landmark, and especially so here in Essex.

- Stephen Roberts

WHILE THE MORE recent lure of cheap foreign holidays hit our British seaside resorts hard, the traditional trip to the coast remains rooted in our country’s psyche, and a central theme of these most treasured experiences is the pleasure pier. In Essex we are lucky to have four of them still actively entertaining day trippers and holiday makers.

The Victorians loved promenading and the pier gave them the opportunity to continue their gentle stroll over water. Piers also provided ‘entertainments’ and a very practical purpose as a jetty where steamships could berth.

This was particularly relevant for Southend. The early ‘trippers’ headed down river, by-passing the Essex town en route to the likes of Margate. Southend has a very low tide, and when it’s out, there can be a mile or so betwixt shore and sea. In 1830 Southend built its first pier, one that kept extending until it was the longest in Europe in 1846.

The original pier was wooden. The current iron one dates to 1890 and was the work of James Brunlees, beginning life as a 600ft structure and growing to today’s whopping 7,080 feet (or 2,158 metres). By 1898 it was the longest in the world. Things haven’t always run smoothly for this iconic landmark, of course. The pier has suffered from four major fires, as well as other accidents, the worst being in 1980, when MV Kingsabbey smote pier from shore, leaving a 70ft gap. On a lighter note, the pier featured in the end credits of Minder, ‘lighter’ being the operative word, as Arthur Daley leaves one at the end of the pier and has to retrace his steps – a considerable number of them.