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New Brighton Pier, Wallasey

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Coordinates: 53°26′22″N 3°02′11″W / 53.43955°N 3.03652°W / 53.43955; -3.03652
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New Brighton Pier
New Brighton Pier, c1890-1900
TypePleasure, fishing
LocaleWallasey, Cheshire, England
Characteristics
ConstructionJoseph Dowson
Total length600 feet (180 m)[1]
History
DesignerEugenius Birch
Opening date1867; 157 years ago (1867)[1]
Closure date1977; 47 years ago (1977)[1]
Coordinates53°26′22″N 3°02′11″W / 53.43955°N 3.03652°W / 53.43955; -3.03652

New Brighton Pier was a pleasure and fishing pier in New Brighton, Wallasey (then part of Cheshire) in England, built during the late 1860s at a length of 600 feet (180 m).

The pier helped New Brighton become a popular seaside resort, particularly with visitors from Liverpool, who would travel by ferry across the River Mersey. During World War II, the pier helped protect the River Mersey and prevent passage into Liverpool.

Following expansion by Liverpool Docks, the beach became polluted and ferries to the pier ceased in 1971. By 1976, the pier was under threat of demolition and local pressure groups were established to help save it. Despite local support, the pier was operating at a loss by 1977 and was ultimately demolished in 1978.

History[edit]

During the 19th century, New Brighton was the primary seaside resort for working class visitors from Liverpool and was famous for having what was then the tallest building in England, the 621 feet (189 m) high New Brighton Tower. James Atherton, a merchant and property developer, was primarily responsible for creating New Brighton and considered it ripe for development. Along with his son-in-law William Rowson, he developed the area with villas and road networks.[2]

Wooden pier[edit]

First New Brighton Ferry Pier, c1860

In October 1832, Atherton and Rowson invited investors to purchase £100 shares to aid construction of a hotel and ferry link to Liverpool. Along with a hotel, a crude wooden landing pier of 135 feet (41 m) in length opened in March 1834. The landing stage could not be used during low tide, with passengers either having to wade through the water or be transported in small boats. The vessel Sir John Moore ran an hourly service to Liverpool, taking around 25 minutes in good weather. After James Atherton died in 1838, his sons continued to run the ferry service until 1845, when responsibility was passed to Messrs Lodge Pritchard & Company.[3] The entrance to the pier housed a refreshment room, with new additions costing around £3,000 (equivalent to £338,300 in 2019) and were complemented by new steamboats, the Queen of Beauty and James Atherton. In 1848, plans to extend the pier failed to materialise, with a gale damaging the shore end. When the Egremont ferry service was taken over by The Coulborns in May 1848, the New Brighton service was suspended during the winter of 1849–50 as a cost saving measure, though later reopened.[4]

Out of the three ferry services operating around Wallasey, including those at Seacombe and Egremont, the New Brighton service was the most profitable, with receipts in 1859 totalling £9,042 (equivalent to £988,100 in 2019). The landing problems at low tide continued to be an issue, with the old landing stage unreliable.[5]

Planning[edit]

The Wallasey Improvement Act 1864 gave powers to construct a new ferry pier, with the council opting for a design by James Brunlees for an iron pier, although it chose not to have Brunlees as engineer-in-charge. The new pier was designed to incorporate a floating landing stage and be located slightly north-east of the original pier, enabling the old pier to continue operation while the new one was being constructed.[5]

On 25 July 1864, the New Brighton Promenade Pier Company was established with £30,000 (equivalent to £2,944,400 in 2019) in capital to construct a promenade pier next to the existing ferry pier, with a design by Eugenius Birch, who at the time was a well known pier designer, chosen. His design was unusual insofar as only being reachable via the ferry pier and not from the shore directly.[6] The 'New Brighton Pier Act, 1864' permitted three years for the construction work to be completed, as well as stipulating that nuisances should be prevented and for light "to be exhibited on the pier".[7]

Construction[edit]

Joseph Dowson, who had assisted Birch in the construction of Aberystwyth Pier, was contracted to build the promenade pier. The first of 120 columns was fixed in place on 19 December 1866 and construction progressed without many problems.[6] The design was similar to the nearby New Ferry Pier and consisted of an enlarged platform at the pier's river end, measuring 33.5 by 16 feet (10.2 m × 4.9 m) with a 160 feet (49 m) long bridge connecting the pier and landing stage.[8]

Operation[edit]

The new pier opened on 20 May 1866, eventually costing £23,906 (equivalent to £2,346,300 in 2019), significantly more than the initial £9,250 (equivalent to £907,900 in 2019) estimate. The new 200 feet (61 m) long landing stage, which height-adjusted with the tide, was connected to the pier via a 160 feet (49 m) iron bridge.[5] The pier officially opened to the public on 7 September 1867,[6] although full completion only occurred on 9 April 1868, when the pier was officially handed over. The total construction cost was £27,000 (equivalent to £2,778,600 in 2019). Admission was 2d, plus 1d to access the upper deck.[9]

On 3 October 1867, the bridge and landing stage were destroyed by the steamer Galileo during a gale, sending the landing stage into the river, though it was later recovered. Repairs costing £3,850 (equivalent to £385,000 in 2019) were completed by 28 May 1868, with further anchoring work extending into 1869.[6] Famous divers such as Tommy Burns[10] and Ted Heaton were known to dive off the pier.[11] Various schemes to extend the pier never materialised, requiring frequent dredging to maintain ferry access.[12] Eventually in August 1881, £22,000 (equivalent to £2,429,200 in 2019) was borrowed to enlarge the pier and landing stage.[13]

New Brighton Ferry Pier, c1914

In 1892, a 130 feet (40 m) long pavilion was added for concerts and balls, among other events.[12] Passenger numbers for the year ending 31 March 1898 were over 2.7 million, an increase of over 300,000 from the preceding year.[14] The promenade pier was extended to 660 feet (200 m) in 1900 to reach the newly built promenade and pier entrance. In 1909–1910, the pavilion was refurbished, including new decor and a heating system. On 16 March 1907, part of the landing stage collapsed, sending the pontoon down the river for some distance. The southern bridge also sustained significant damage and was replaced on 29 August 1907.[15]

After World War I[edit]

Ordnance Survey map showing location of former New Brighton Pier, c1937

By the 1920s, the pier required maintenance which was unaffordable to the pier company. The pavilion closed in 1923 and the Board of Trade declared the pier as unsafe.[16] In 1928, the pier was purchased for £13,000 (equivalent to £753,000 in 2019) by Wallasey Corporation, who initially expected renovation works to cost an additional £15,000. Renovation was favoured over a full rebuild, estimated around £80,000 (equivalent to £4,633,900 in 2019),[17] although later reports suggested the true cost to renovate was underestimated, due to requiring replacement of all structures[18] and the entire deck.[19]

The pier was reopened in April 1930 by the Major of Wallasey, with a reported reconstruction cost of around £50,000 (equivalent to £2,944,400 in 2019). The pavilion was replaced with a bandstand and clubhouse, while the Wallasey Yacht Club also moved its headquarters to the pier.[20] Further improvements were made during the winter of 1935–1936, including a wider deck and a new booking hall.[16]

The pier was used during World War II to protect the River Mersey and passage into Liverpool, with some accounts suggesting the pier was fitted with torpedo tubes.[21] Following the war, a German submarine periscope was installed for visitors who could look through it for a small charge.[16] In June 1958, 22-year-old Bernard Lloyd died after falling 60 feet (18 m) while dancing and his partner was also seriously injured.[22]

Decline and closure[edit]

The pier was closed by the council in 1965 due to decline partly attributed by the loss of the golden sands, caused by a polluted foreshore from Liverpool Docks' expansion.[16] In December 1966, a town meeting to decide its future voted 168 to 87 to remove the pier, with the council claiming that could save £47,000 (equivalent to £795,800 in 2019). John Brindle, a club owner, suggested amalgamating the adjacent ferry and promenade pier, which would reduce the cost of saving the pier to £12,500 (equivalent to £211,700 in 2019).[23]

The pier in 1977, shortly before demolition

The pier was later leased to a subsidiary of Fortes, who reopened it in June 1968. Despite around £200,000 (equivalent to £3,154,800 in 2019) of improvements being made, the pier finally closed in November 1972.[1] Mersey Ferrys to New Brighton had already ceased in 1971,[1] with the last departing on 26 September 1971.[24] Further proposals to try and save the ferry by removing the sandbank and building two large retaining walls,[25] did not come to fruition and the ferry pier with its landing stage were subsequently dismantled.[24] The pier closed in 1975 on advice from engineers who declared it as dangerous, with some metal being described as "wafer thin" from corrosion.[26]

The 'Save New Brighton Pier' action committee were formed on 19 July 1976, seeking support from The Beatles and The Spinners, who they suggested owe their early careers to the pier.[27] In October 1976, Wallasey MP Lynda Chalker invited residents to support saving the pier for £40,000 (equivalent to £251,800 in 2019) and initiated arrangements for a local inquiry.[28] Chalker spoke at a meeting on 14 January 1977 to rally support for the 'Save the Pier' campaign.[29] The January 1977 inquiry saw strong representation from various local groups, including the New Brighton Pier Action Committee, local hoteliers and the Wallasey Historical Society.[30]

Demolition[edit]

By 1977, the promenade pier was operating at a loss and had become unsafe due to lack of appropriate maintenance,[31] with Wirral Borough Council estimating that basic repairs alone would cost £170,000, not including annual maintenance or insurance.[26] Wirral planning authority acknowledged that the pier was "a structure of architectural and historic interest", but did not believe that restoration investment was likely as there would be considerable expense and a need for a "substantial future annual maintenance" commitment.[31] In June, the Secretary of State for the Environment Peter Shore granted permission for the pier's demolition which was by then described as "a pier of undistinguised appearance".[32] In November 1977, maritime approval for the pier's demolition had been received from the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company[33] and it was ultimately demolished starting in February 1978[34] and completed in July 1978.[35]

Renewal proposals[edit]

A regeneration plan was announced in 2002 by Neptune Developments Ltd, which was proposed to include a new 500 feet (150 m) pier on the site of the original pier at a cost of £3.5 million, although this did not come to fruition.[24]

References[edit]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e "New Brighton Pier". National Piers Society. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  2. ^ Easdown 2009, p. 16.
  3. ^ Easdown 2009, p. 17.
  4. ^ Easdown 2009, p. 18.
  5. ^ a b c Easdown 2009, p. 19.
  6. ^ a b c d Easdown 2009, p. 20.
  7. ^ The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [1807-1868/69], Volume 104. His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1864. pp. 890–891.
  8. ^ Institution of Civil Engineers 1869, p. 223-224.
  9. ^ Easdown 2009, p. 21.
  10. ^ "Tommy Burns the Diver". The Glasgow Herald. 9 April 1964. p. 8.
  11. ^ "Great 10-Mile Swim". Liverpool Echo. 17 June 1905. p. 7.
  12. ^ a b Easdown 2009, p. 22.
  13. ^ Sulley, Philip (1889). The Hundred of Wirral. B. Haram and Company. p. 282.
  14. ^ "Passenger numbers for year ending March 1898". The Standard. 7 June 1898. p. 10.
  15. ^ Easdown 2009, p. 23.
  16. ^ a b c d Easdown 2009, p. 25.
  17. ^ "New Brighton Pier expected to be in use this summer". Liverpool Daily Post. 29 February 1928. p. 5.
  18. ^ "New Brighton Pier to cost more". Liverpool Daily Post. 8 June 1928. p. 5.
  19. ^ "Pier to reopen for Whitsuntide". Liverpool Echo. 20 December 1928. p. 4.
  20. ^ "Bid for new popularity: New Brighton Pier only a start". Liverpool Daily Post. 17 April 1930. p. 7.
  21. ^ "Incredible photos of lost New Brighton Pier found in dusty boxes". Liverpool Echo. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  22. ^ "Dances to Death". The Vancouver Sun. 9 June 1958. p. 12.
  23. ^ "Town votes for removal of New Brighton Pier". The Guardian. 20 December 1966. p. 3.
  24. ^ a b c Easdown 2009, p. 26.
  25. ^ "'Delta' plans to save New Brighton ferry". Liverpool Echo. 14 December 1971. p. 5 – via newspapers.com.
  26. ^ a b "On the rocks". The Guardian. 11 April 1977. p. 3.
  27. ^ "Save Pier Plan". Liverpool Echo. 20 July 1976. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Last chance to save pier at Wallasey". Liverpool Echo. 15 October 1976. p. 19 – via newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Battle tactics in bid to save the pier". Liverpool Echo. 12 January 1977. p. 9 – via newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Move fails to halt pier demolition". Liverpool Echo. 25 January 1977. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
  31. ^ a b "New Brighton's pier 'could only be run at loss'". Liverpool Echo. 4 January 1977. p. 10 – via newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "New Brighton Pier Faces Demolition". Liverpool Echo. 11 June 1977. p. 4 – via newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "Time running out for New Brighton Pier". Liverpool Echo. 11 November 1977. p. 13 – via newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Come and see the pier that isn't here". Liverpool Echo. 4 February 1978. p. 14 – via newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "Final crunch for pier". Liverpool Echo. 29 July 1978. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.

Sources

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