Our Lost Seaside Piers

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by brendaward

So many piers is something going on? Why have all these piers burned down when they are surrounded by water? Why so many? It is a shame but mighty strange that so many have gone the same way. I know that the majority are made of wood but you would think that they would retain quite a lot of dampness to repel the odd bit of ignition. Maybe I'm just being too imaginative. I would hazard a guess that the insurance companies have done a lot of investigating. Intriguing!

It's rather like standing in a bucket and trying to pick yourself up by the handle. To put the fire on the pier out, you have to be on the pier, but that's on fire.

[Brocakat]

If they were damp, Brenda,the wood would probablly go rotten, & then fail, etc.etc. - long before any errant spark.

[brendaward]

South end pier was made of wood prior to burning down, some kind of oak. It only takes in moisture so far so has to be very thick. The buildings on top by nature are damp on the exterior. It takes one hell of an ignition to burn something like that completely down. Ps don't know how they rebuilt it haven't been there for forty years.

[Hobjob]

Originally Posted by brendaward

Well before they all go, get yourself off to Southwold in Suffolk and visit their little pier. Have an Adnams beer or cream tea, visit the arcade of fun but clever machines made from recycled furniture and scrap metal.

agree +++ about Southwold, but that renovation was possible because then pier was small and already had concrete posts.

The original money came from paddle steamer trips to London for all the east coast piers. There is no easy source of revenue now.

[foxy mars]

I remember walking the Isle of Wight coastal path, in 1988 and seeing the remains of Shanklin Pier, after the great storm of October 1987.

I will pop some images on, if I can find them in my collection of slides.

[Cordaline]

Such a shame that Brighton's West Pier remains looking like this!
(The Starlings don't seem to mind though.)
Only just noticed, I've captured someone stood up, surfing!

[Hobjob]

Originally Posted by Cordaline

Such a shame that Brighton's West Pier remains looking like this!
(The Starlings don't seem to mind though.)
Only just noticed, I've captured someone stood up, surfing!

There is a video doing the web rounds of a guy kite surfing and jumping the pier between the main building. Working on phone tonight.