Penarth Pier
The pier pavilion
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| Type | Cast iron screw piers, cast iron supports, wooden deck |
|---|---|
| Carries | Pedestrians |
| Spans | Bristol Channel |
| Locale | Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales |
| Design | H. F. Edwards |
| Construction | Mayohs Brothers |
| Owner | Vale of Glamorgan Council |
| Total length | As built:750 feet (230 m) Present: 650 feet (200 m) |
| AADT | None |
| Opening date | 1895 |
| Coordinates | 51°26′6.31″N 3°9′59.43″W / 51.4350861°N 3.1665083°WCoordinates: 51°26′6.31″N 3°9′59.43″W / 51.4350861°N 3.1665083°W |
Penarth Pier is a Victorian era pier in the town of Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. The pier was opened in 1898 and was a popular attraction to seaside-goers at the time, who also enjoyed trips on pleasure steamers that operated from the pier. It has on several occasions been damaged by vessels colliding with the structure and in 1931, a fire broke out in one of the pavilions. This wooden pavilion was never replaced, but a concrete pavilion has been used over the years as a concert hall, ballroom, cinema and for other purposes. It is currently home to the Penarth Pier Pavilion.
The growing popularity of Penarth beach and the need for better communications with Cardiff led to the Cardiff Steam and Navigation Company starting a regular ferry service between Cardiff and Penarth in 1856, which continued until 1903. Boats were loaded and unloaded at Penarth using a landing stage on wheels which was hauled up the beach.
In the 1880s an attempt was made to construct a permanent pier, because of the need to find a safer way to unload larger boats. However, construction ground to a halt at an early stage when the London-based contractors went into liquidation.
As a result, the Penarth Promenade and Landing Company Ltd was formed, to make a second attempt at building a permanent pier. Designed by H. F. Edwards, construction of the cast iron screw piers, cast iron supports and wooden deck was begun by Mayohs Brothers in 1894. The pier successfully opened in 1895, 750 feet (230 m) long.
The pier was opened in 1898, having been constructed by James & Arthur Mayoh, assisted by Herbert Francis Edwards, a local engineer. The pier, at 658 ft (200 m), was rather short; it was not permitted to be longer for fear of obstructing the deep water channel into Cardiff Docks. It was built of cast iron with a timber decking, and acted both as a promenade, and as a landing jetty for steam ships trading in the Bristol Channel. The pier was an immediate success, chiefly because the cruises, provided by the pleasure steamers that used the pier’s landing stage, proved very popular with the public. In 1907, a small wooden "Concert Party" theatre was built at the far end of the pier.
During World War I, the pleasure steamers were used as minesweepers and the pier was requisitioned by the army. After the war, it was found that the landing stage was considerably damaged, and compensation payments were inadequate to fund the necessary repairs. The pier went into a period of decline, and in 1929, it was sold to Penarth Borough Council. As a result, a new concrete landing stage was built at the seaward end, and in 1930, a spectacular Art Deco pavilion, built of ferro-concrete, was constructed at the shoreward end.
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Wikipedia