Britannia Pier
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Britannia Pier is a
pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
located at the seaside town of
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...
in the English county of
Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
.


History


Planning and construction

A new
pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...
in
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...
was first proposed in 1856 with building work commencing in September 1857 with engineer, surveyor and antiquary Alfred William Morant (1828–81) as the designer. A. W. Morant went on to become City Surveyor for
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
.


Original pier

The completed pier opened on 13 July 1858 at cost of £6,000 and was originally 700 feet long but this length was reduced by about 80 feet in 1859 when the sloop ''James and Jessie'' collided with the structure during the ''Royal Charter'' Storm. The length was again reduced as the result of storm damage in 1868. The pier was demolished in 1899.


New pier

The building of a new pier was commenced on 13 December 1900 to a design by engineers Joseph and Arthur Mayoh. This 810 foot pier deck with a temporary pavilion at the pier's far end opened in 1901, with the temporary pavilion eventually being replaced with a Grand Pavilion which opened on 21 June 1902. This Grand Pavilion was destroyed in a fire on 22 December 1909. A second pavilion designed by Douglass & Arnott was completed in 1910 but this too was to burn down on 17 April 1914 as a result of an
arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...
attack by militant
suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
s Hilda Burkitt and
Florence Tunks Florence Olivia Tunks (19 July 1891 – 22 February 1985) was a British suffragette, bookkeeper and nurse. She member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) who with Evaline Hilda Burkitt, Hilda Burkitt engaged in a campaign of arson ...
, both of whom received prison sentences. A third pavilion was hastily constructed and opened on 27 July 1914.


Damage and closure

The pier's Floral Hall Ballroom opened in May 1928 but was destroyed by fire in August 1932. A new Grand Ballroom opened in 1933, but this too was destroyed by fire in April 1954, along with the third pavilion. The pier was closed and sectioned during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and re-opened in 1947 after essential repairs including replacing sections removed during wartime to prevent enemy troops using the pier as a landing station.Britannia Pier - Norfolk Coastal Walks
-
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
website


Post war

The present pavilion opened on 27 June 1958 and was home to the Pavilion Theatre (today called the Britannia Pier Theatre), but the ballroom (called the Ocean Ballroom from 1947) was never replaced.


Facilities

Britannia Pier was previously owned by First Leisure plc. It was purchased by Family Amusements Ltd who also own the
Wellington Pier Wellington Pier is located in Great Yarmouth in the county of Norfolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40, 2005, The Broads, History The pier was opened on 31 October 1853 and the wooden structure cost £6,776 to build. The pier was designed by ...
further south along the seafront. In 2022 it was purchased by Triangle Amusements. Today the pier continues to provide live theatre shows and has a variety of food outlets, bars, amusements and fairground rides.


References


External links


Britannia Pier official websiteBritannia Pier, Great Yarmouth
-
Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...
database {{DEFAULTSORT:Britannia Pier Piers in Norfolk Pier fires Buildings and structures in Great Yarmouth Tourist attractions in Norfolk Buildings and structures completed in 1858 Buildings and structures demolished in 1899 1930s fires in the United Kingdom 1932 disasters in the United Kingdom 1932 fires Burned buildings and structures in the United Kingdom