Palaces On The Sea

Eugenius Birch, father of the promenade pier, was born 200 years ago. Kathryn Ferry considers the life and remarkable legacy of this outstanding figure

EVERY year, the World Monuments Fund places 25 heritage sites from across the globe on a watch list. The aim is to focus attention on the unique cultural importance of these places, as well as highlighting their vulnerability. In 2018, Britain is represented on the list by the three pleasure piers at Blackpool, ‘the finest assemblage of seaside piers’

The timing could not be better, because this year also marks the bicentenary of Eugenius Birch, designer of Blackpool’s first. pier and the most prolific pier engineer of his generation, who was born on June 20, 1818.

To enthusiasts, Birch is the father of the iron promenade pier, a man whose talent for innovation helped transform the Victorian experience of visiting the seaside and whose legacy can be seen in the iron limbs that still strike out around our coastline. His best known work is probably Brighton’s West Pier, which, despite its sad demise, maintains an almost iconic status. The newly rebuilt Hastings Pier was originally his, too.

During the 1860s and 1870s, an average of two piers were built around the UK coast every year, a large proportion of these by Birch. In 1866, the Brighton Gazette stated: ‘He is looked upon as the first engineer in England for sea works of this description, and… has no less than 18 piers either finished or in progress round the coast.’ His final tally was to include Deal, Blackpool North, Eastbourne, Birnbeck at Weston super-Mare, Aberystwyth, Lytham, Scarborough North, New Brighton, Bournemouth, Hornsea and Plymouth. He also made proposals for piers at Llandudno, Bray in Ireland, Paignton, Hove, Torquay and West Worthing.