A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piles or pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, boat docking and access for both passengers and cargo, and oceanside recreation. Bridges, buildings, and walkways may all be supported by architectural piers. Their open structure allows tides and currents to flow relatively unhindered, whereas the more solid foundations of a quay or the closely spaced piles of a wharf can act as a breakwater, and are consequently more liable to silting. Piers can range in size and complexity from a simple lightweight wooden structure to major structures extended over 1,600 m (5,200 ft). In American English, a pier may be synonymous with a dock.
Southend Pier is a major landmark in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom. Extending 1.33 miles (2.14 km) into the Thames Estuary, it is the longest pleasure pier in the world. The bill to build the new pier, to replace a previous timber jetty, received royal assent as the Southend Pier Act 1829 in May 1829 with construction starting in July 1829. The timber pier was replaced by an iron pier that opened to the public in August 1889. The Southend Pier Railway, opened in the early 1890s, was the first pier railway in the country.
Canning Bridge is a traffic bridge which is the most downstream crossing of the Canning River in the city of Perth, Western Australia. The bridge is a part of Canning Highway, and it connects the suburbs of Como and Applecross. The Canning River is approximately 100 metres wide at the crossing, the narrowest point of the river along its downstream stretch. It is located near the Canning Bridge railway station.
The Kingsferry Bridge is a combined road and railway vertical-lift bridge which connects the Isle of Sheppey to mainland Kent in South East England. The seven-span bridge has a central lifting span which allows ships to pass.
The Redondo Beach pier is located in Redondo Beach, California and stretches out into the Pacific Ocean. The pier has been rebuilt and altered by storms and redevelopments. Its official name is "Municipal Pier," and it has also been called the "Endless Pier".
North Bridge is a road bridge and street in Edinburgh linking the High Street with Princes Street, and the Old Town with the New Town. The current bridge was built between 1894 and 1897. A previous North Bridge, built between 1763 and 1772, stood until 1896.
Herne Bay Pier was the third pier to be built at Herne Bay, Kent for passenger steamers. It was notable for its length of 3,787 feet (1,154 m) and for appearing in the opening sequence of Ken Russell's first feature film French Dressing. It was destroyed in a storm in 1978 and dismantled in 1980, leaving a stub with sports centre at the landward end, and part of the landing stage isolated at sea. It was preceded by two piers: a wooden deep-sea pier designed by Thomas Rhodes, assistant of Thomas Telford, and a second shorter iron version by Wilkinson & Smith.
The Saltburn Cliff Lift is a funicular railway in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It provides access to Saltburn Pier and the seafront from the town. The cliff lift is the oldest operating water-balance cliff funicular in the United Kingdom.
Saltburn Pier is a pier located in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It is the last pier remaining in Yorkshire.
Skegness Pier is a pleasure pier in Skegness, Lincolnshire, England. Opened in June 1881, it was at the time the fourth longest in England, originally stretching a length of 1,844 ft (562 m). When originally built, it was a T-shaped pier with a saloon/concert hall at the pier head. Steamboat trips ran from the pier to Norfolk until 1910.
The 1950s and 1960s saw the construction of numerous brutalist apartment blocks in Sheffield, England. The Sheffield City Council had been clearing inner-city residential slums since the early 1900s. Prior to the 1950s these slums were replaced with low-rise council housing, mostly constructed in new estates on the edge of the city. By the mid-1950s the establishment of a green belt had led to a shortage of available land on the edges of the city, whilst the government increased subsidies for the construction of high-rise apartment towers on former slum land, so the council began to construct high-rise inner city estates, adopting modernist designs and industrialised construction techniques, culminating in the construction of the award-winning Gleadless Valley and Park Hill estates.
St Annes Pier is a Victorian era pleasure pier in the English seaside resort of St Annes-on-the-Sea, Lancashire. It lies on the estuary of the River Ribble. The pier, designed by Alfred Dowson, was completed in 1885 and was one of the earliest public buildings in St Annes, a 19th-century planned town. The pier was originally intended to be a sedate promenading venue for the resort's visitors, but attractions were later added. Changes made to the estuary channels to improve access to Preston Dock left the pier on dry land and ended its steamer services to Blackpool and Liverpool.
Garth Pier is a Grade II listed structure in Bangor, Wales. At 1,500 feet (460 m) in length, it is the second-longest pier in Wales, and the ninth longest in the British Isles.
Beaumaris Pier is a pier in Beaumaris, Anglesey, North Wales.
There have been two New Brighton Piers in New Brighton, New Zealand. The first pier, of wooden construction, opened on 18 January 1894 and was demolished on 12 October 1965. The current concrete pier was opened on 1 November 1997. It is one of the icons of Christchurch.
The Kelso Bridge or Rennie's Bridge is a bridge across the River Tweed at Kelso, in the Scottish Borders.
Rhyl Pier, officially known as the Victoria Pier, was a pleasure pier in the seaside town of Rhyl, Flintshire, and the first to be built in North Wales. Designed by James Brunlees and opened in August 1867 at a length of 2,355 feet (718 m), it was the town's central attraction for the ensuing years. Following dispute and public consultation regarding the location it would be built, the pier was constructed near the centre of the esplanade. The pier's Grand Pavilion, built in 1891, featured the world's largest organ, known as the Grand Jubilee Organ and weighed 25 tonnes.
Shanklin Pier was a pleasure pier in the town of Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, England. Opened in August 1890 at a length of 1,200 feet (370 m), the pier saw several attractions added during its first few years, such as a bandstand and bathing stage. A pavilion was added in 1901.
St Leonards Pier, also known as the Palace Pier, was a public pleasure pier in St Leonards-on-Sea, part of the town and borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. Opened in 1891 the pier was a direct rival to nearby Hastings Pier, and during its heyday the pier was a leading tourist attraction, and was described in the 1894 Baedeker travel guide as handsome. The pier was damaged during WW2 and left derelict after the war until purchased by Hastings Corporation in 1951 who demolished the structure over the next two years.
South Pier is a leisure pier in Lowestoft, Suffolk, engineered by William Cubitt and opened in 1846 at a length of 1,320 feet (400 m). The pavilion was used by the Royal Naval Patrol Service as a headquarters during World War I, although it suffered significant damage during World War II and was subsequently demolished.
