Withernsea Pier

Last updated

Withernsea Pier
Pier Head Towers & War Memorial, Withernsea 1920 (archive ref PO-1-159-22) (34823312442).jpg
Pier Head Towers on the promenade
TypeVictorian pleasure pier
SpansNorth Sea
Locale Withernsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
Characteristics
Total length1,196 feet (365 m)
Width14 feet (4.3 m)
Vertical clearance16 feet (4.9 m) (above high tide)
History
DesignerThomas Cargill
Opening date1877 (partial)
1877 (full)
Closure date1893
Demolition date1903
Coordinates 53°43′52″N0°02′11″E / 53.731°N 0.0364°E / 53.731; 0.0364 Coordinates: 53°43′52″N0°02′11″E / 53.731°N 0.0364°E / 53.731; 0.0364

Withernsea Pier was a pier in the town of Withernsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The pier was constructed between 1875 and 1877 to attract daytrippers, but was beset by accidents from the outset. Storms and ship-caused damage led to the pier being closed by 1893, and it was completely dismantled by 1903, leaving only the distinctive castellated pier towers on the seafront, which are still there to this day.

Contents

In the 21st century, a proposal was floated with the idea of rebuilding the pier to a length of 500 feet (150 m), less than half the distance of the old pier.

History

In 1871, a local entrepreneur, Anthony Bannister, formed the Withernsea Pier, Promenade, Gas & General Improvement Company (WPPG&GIC) after the railway had opened to Withernsea from Hull. Bannister realised that improvements to the town would encourage daytrippers. [1] [2] The intention was to create a pier that would extend into the sea to a distance of 1,200 feet (370 m) on iron piles which would be rooted to a depth of 380 feet (120 m) below the low water mark. [3] Mapping from the 1870s indicates that the pier was originally intended to be built further north, but the eventual build was opposite the railway station. [4] Besides being used as a tourist attraction, it was hoped that the pier could be used as an embarkation/disembarkation point for shipping, and also somewhere to land fish. [5]

Construction of the pier started in February 1875, under the engineer Thomas Cargill and the building firm of J Gardiner, with an estimated cost of £10,000. [6] The length was determined to be 1,230 feet (370 m) and the width was 21 feet 6 inches (6.55 m). [7] The pier and pier towers were in a direct line from the railway station across Pier Road. [8] The pier was opened as an interim measure in August 1875, but full completion opening came without public ceremony on Friday 18 August 1877, [9] with the final cost being £14,000. In the end, the length was 1,196 feet (365 m), [10] the width was 14 feet (4.3 m), and the pier stood 16 feet (4.9 m) above the high-tide mark. [11] The two castellated towers at the landward end of the pier were noted for being modelled on Conwy Castle. [12] [11] The construction period was beset with problems, on at least two occasions, weather-related incidents wrecked the staging being used to build the pier, and high tides destroyed three piles at the very seaward end of the pier. [13]

When the pier was open in the 1870s, visitors to the pier were charged a penny to "stroll outover the sea". [14] However, by 1888 when it was under a new proprietor, the shortened pier was free to "..schoolchildren, orphans and blind people". [15]

A gash in the middle of the pier caused by a coal barge (see incidents section), was left unrepaired for almost a year before a report in June 1881 in the local paper prompted the WPPG&GIC to repair the gap with plain wood. By now the company was having financial problems and they filed for bankruptcy in December 1881. [16] Further damage was caused by other gales and shipping over the years, and at an inquest into the death of the captain of a fishing vessel (Genesta), the coroner recommended that a lighthouse be built in Withernsea to help shipping. [17] The lighthouse opened in March 1894, but unfortunately a year too late for Withernsea Pier which, in March 1893, was destroyed by the Henry Parr. The action of the ship colliding with the iron supports covered spectators in a "shower of sparks". This left just 50 feet (15 m) of pier, and when the seafront was remodelled in 1903, what remained was removed. [18] The yellow-brick castellated towers on the landward side were left in place, and are noted landmarks on the seafront in the town. [19]

Incidents

The pier suffered from several incidents during its existence, with ship strikes finally closing the pier after only 26 years.

New pier

Withernsea New Pier
Characteristics
Total length500 feet (150 m) (projected)
History

In January 2021, the first stage of the new pier was given the go-ahead, with funding from the East Coast Communities Fund, local fundraising and funding from the National Lottery. The new pier is intended to be 500-foot (150 m) long, only half of the original pier, but wider. [27] The project is being promoted by the Withernsea Pier and Promenade Association, who plan to build the pier in stages. [28] In January 2020, the cost of the project was estimated at £8 million. [29]

The first stage of the new build is a viewing platform extending from the pier towers. This was costed at £70,000 in 2016, [30] which had risen to £235,000 by the time of the approval had been granted in January 2021. [27] In April 2021, building work was halted after "East Riding Council... raised a number of additional questions on the plans submitted some months ago." [31]

Related Research Articles

Humber Large tidal estuary in England

The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank and North Lincolnshire on the south bank. Although the Humber is an estuary from the point at which it is formed, many maps show it, erroneously, as the River Humber.

East Riding of Yorkshire County of England

The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a county in Northern England. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, its population was 334,179.

Hornsea Town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Hornsea is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The settlement dates to at least the early medieval period. The town was expanded in the Victorian era with the coming of the Hull and Hornsea Railway in 1864. In the First World War the Mere was briefly the site of RNAS Hornsea, a seaplane base. During the Second World War the town and beach was heavily fortified against invasion.

Withernsea Town and parish in Yorkshire, England

Withernsea is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, and forms the focal point for a wider community of small villages in Holderness. Its most famous landmark is the white inland lighthouse, rising around 127 feet (39 m) above Hull Road. The lighthouse – no longer active – now houses a museum to 1950s actress Kay Kendall, who was born in the town.

Paull Village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Paull is a village and civil parish in Holderness, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, lying on the north bank of the Humber Estuary, east of the watercourse known as Hedon Haven.

Southport Pier

Southport Pier is a pleasure pier in Southport, Merseyside, England. Opened in August 1860, it is the oldest iron pier in the country. Its length of 1,108 m (3,635 ft) makes it the second-longest in Great Britain, after Southend Pier. Although at one time spanning 1,340 m (4,380 ft), a succession of storms and fires during the late 19th and early 20th centuries reduced its length to that of the present day.

Llandudno Pier

Llandudno Pier is a Grade II* listed pier in the seaside resort of Llandudno, North Wales, United Kingdom. At 2,295 feet (700 m), the pier is the longest in Wales and the fifth longest in England and Wales. In 2005, was voted "Pier of the Year 2005" by the members of the National Piers Society.

Withernsea Lighthouse

Withernsea Lighthouse is an inland lighthouse that stands in the middle of the town of Withernsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The lighthouse stands 127 feet (38 m) high and took 18 months to build between 1892 and 1894. Formerly owned and run by Trinity House of London, it ceased operation on 1 July 1976 and is now used as a museum.

The Hull and Holderness Railway was a branch line railway in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England that connected the city of Kingston upon Hull with the North Sea coast at Withernsea.

A1033 road A road in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

The A1033 road is a main arterial route across Kingston upon Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire connecting Hull with Withernsea. The road carries traffic to and from the Port of Hull and Salt End at its western end, and local and holiday traffic at its eastern end. It is a primary route from the junction of the A63 road to the Salt End roundabout and is maintained on that section by Highways England. The section by the docks is also part of a designated abnormal load route.

St Annes Pier Victorian pier in Lancashire, England

St Anne's Pier is a Victorian era pleasure pier in the English seaside resort of St Anne's-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 Anne's, 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.

Yorkshire Coast

The Yorkshire Coast is a world-famous stretch of coastline that runs from the Tees estuary to the Humber estuary on the east coast of England. The cliffs at Boulby are the highest on the east coast of England rising to 660 feet (200 m) above the sea level.

Withernsea Lifeboat Station

Withernsea Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station located in the town of Withernsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is one of four RNLI stations in the East Riding of Yorkshire, with another five in North Yorkshire.

Humber Lifeboat Station Lifeboat station in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

The Humber Lifeboat Station is located on Spurn Point in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The station is one of nine Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat stations situated along the Yorkshire Coast and the most southerly of them all. It is the only lifeboat station in the United Kingdom that is staffed full-time by a professional RNLI crew; this is due to the waters around this part of the coast being so dangerous and the station's remoteness from the mainland.

Redcar Pier

Redcar Pier was a Victorian pleasure and landing pier constructed on The Esplanade in the seaside town of Redcar on the north east coast of Yorkshire, England.

Coatham Pier Former pier at Coatham, Redcar and Cleveland, England

Coatham Pier or Victoria Pier, Coatham, was a pleasure pier built on Newcomen Terrace in the Coatham area of Redcar on the north-east Yorkshire coast.

West End Pier, Morecambe

West End Pier was one of two piers in Morecambe, Lancashire, England, built during the late 19th century to an eventual length of 1,800 feet (550 m) long and officially opened on 3 April 1896 by Colonel William Henry Foster MP. The pier was one of the first structures in the town to be installed with electric lighting in 1899.

Rhyl Pier

Rhyl Pier, officially known as the Victoria Pier, was a pleasure pier in the seaside town of Rhyl, Wales and the first to be built in North Wales. Opened in August 1867 at a length of over one-half mile (0.80 km), it was the town's central attraction for the years that followed. Following dispute and public consultation regarding the location it would be built, the pier was constructed near the centre of the esplanade.

Shanklin Pier

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.

Scarborough North Pier (1868-1905) was a steamer and promenade pier in North Bay, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England.

References

  1. ↑ "Nostalgia on Tuesday: The Seaside boom". The Yorkshire Post. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  2. ↑ Easdown 2008, p. 4.
  3. ↑ Easdown 2008, p. 99.
  4. ↑ "Withernsea Historical Maps". withernsea1.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  5. ↑ Easdown 2008, p. 100.
  6. ↑ Bainbridge, Cyril (1986). Pavilions on the sea : a history of the seaside pleasure pier. London: R. Hale. p. 103. ISBN   0709027907.
  7. ↑ "Local and District". The York Herald (5,631). Column A. 25 February 1875. p. 6.
  8. ↑ "My bank holiday". The Hull Packet (4,780). Column C. 6 April 1977. p. 6.
  9. ↑ "Local and District; Withernsea". The York Herald (6,406). Column D. 21 August 1877. p. 7.
  10. ↑ "Withernsea – National Piers Society". piers.org.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  11. 1 2 Easdown 2008, p. 104.
  12. ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus (2002). Yorkshire : York and the East Riding (2 ed.). London: Yale University Press. p. 763. ISBN   0300095937.
  13. 1 2 Easdown 2008, p. 103.
  14. ↑ Lee, Dave (2 August 2020). "Why unique Withernsea stands apart from its Yorkshire coast counterparts". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  15. 1 2 Easdown 2008, p. 112.
  16. ↑ Easdown 2008, p. 107.
  17. ↑ "Nostalgia on Tuesday: A name in lights". The Yorkshire Post. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  18. ↑ Easdown 2008, p. 113.
  19. ↑ Brigham, T; Buglas, J (2008). "Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey - Yorkshire and Lincolnshire: Whitby to Reighton". English Heritage Maritime Reports (235): 109. doi:10.5284/1009482.
  20. ↑ "Accident to the new pier at Withernsea". The Hull Packet (4,776). Column D. 9 March 1877. p. 5.
  21. ↑ Wright, Geoffrey Norman (1976). The East Riding. London: Batsford. p. 63. ISBN   0713431024.
  22. ↑ Easdown 2008, p. 106.
  23. ↑ Bainbridge, Cyril (1986). Pavilions on the sea : a history of the seaside pleasure pier. London: R. Hale. p. 148. ISBN   0709027907.
  24. ↑ "The storm and shipping disasters". Birmingham Daily Post (7700). Column E. 8 March 1883. p. 5.
  25. ↑ "The storm; Withernsea Pier cut in two". The York Herald (12294). Column C. 28 October 1890. p. 5.
  26. ↑ "BBC - Humber Culture - BBC Bus in Grimsby". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  27. 1 2 Wood, Alexandra (29 January 2021). "First part of new pier could open this summer after grant increase". The Yorkshire Post. p. 8. ISSN   0963-1496.
  28. ↑ "Withernsea Pier Plans". withernsea1.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  29. ↑ "Campaigners are a step closer to building a new pier in Withernsea". The Yorkshire Post. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  30. ↑ Davidson, Trudi (13 May 2016). "Pier for the 21st century 'will set our town apart'". Hull Daily Mail. p. 24. ISSN   1741-3419.
  31. ↑ "Withernsea's new pier plans being put on hold could prove costly". Hull Daily Mail. 15 April 2021. p. 20. ISSN   1741-3419.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.