Portobello Pier was a pleasure pier opened in

Portobello, Edinburgh Portobello is a coastal suburb of Edinburgh in eastern central Scotland. It lies 3 miles (5 km) east of the city centre, facing the Firth of Forth, between the suburbs of Joppa, Edinburgh, Joppa and Craigentinny. Although historically it ...

, Scotland. Designed by

Thomas Bouch Sir Thomas Bouch (; 22 February 1822 – 30 October 1880) was a British railway engineer. He was born in Thursby, near Carlisle, Cumbria, Carlisle, Cumberland, and lived in Edinburgh. As manager of the Edinburgh and Northern Railway he introduc ...

, it was long and 22 feet (6.70 m) wide, and included a

tea room A teahouse or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel, especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment that only serve ...

camera obscura A camera obscura (; ) is the natural phenomenon in which the rays of light passing through a aperture, small hole into a dark space form an image where they strike a surface, resulting in an inverted (upside down) and reversed (left to right) ...

, and a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

. The final construction costs were £10,000.

History

In 1869, Parliament passed a bill for the erection of a pier at Portobello with the view of developing and promoting the town "as a place of pleasure and enjoyment to its inhabitants and to the many visitors from Edinburgh and from afar". It opened on 23 May 1871. In August of that year, on the holiday marking the hundredth birthday of

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

, over 2,500 people visited the pier at a cost of one penny. The success of the pier saw day-trippers come by train from all over southern Scotland to Portobello. Pleasure boat excursions to the

Isle of May An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

Elie Elie may refer to: People * Elie (given name) * Elie (surname) Places *Elie, Fife, a village in Scotland, now part of the town of Elie and Earlsferry *Elie, Manitoba, Canada **Elie, Manitoba tornado See also *Elie Hall, Grenada *Elie House, cou ...

North Berwick North Berwick (; ) is a seaside resort, seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holi ...

, and

Bass Rock The Bass Rock, or simply the Bass (), is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. Approximately offshore, and north-east of North Berwick, it is a steep-sided volcanic plug, at its highest point, and is home ...

were also offered. However, the fact that the pier was open on a Sunday caused controversy. In 1892, the pier changed ownership when the

North British Railway Company The North British Railway was one of the two biggest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846 ...

bought the Galloway Company, maintaining steamer services from the pier until the Forth fleet was requisitioned by the government for

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, leading to the closure of the pier. Along with falling into disuse, the pier was also damaged by storms and the iron supports of the pier corroded, which led to its demolition in 1917.

Attempted revivals

In 1933, plans were drawn up by a group of private entrepreneurs to build a new pier which would have connected the existing promenade with three gangways opposite Bath Street, Melville Street, and Wellington Street respectively. The plans included an enclosed bathing pond, enclosed boating and sand space, restaurants, shops, and a concert hall as well as facilities for pleasure steamer services. Construction was planned at an estimated cost of £60,000, but proposals were rejected by the town council. The plans were eventually abandoned due to

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 ...

. In 2015, a proposal was made to build a new pier on the original site. Big Things on the Beach Trust and Architecture firm, Smith Scott Mullan Associates, presented plans for a multi-function pier with performance and live events space, a cafe, meeting rooms, and facilities for sports clubs.

References

1871 establishments in Scotland Piers in Scotland Portobello, Edinburgh Buildings and structures demolished in 1917 Buildings and structures in Edinburgh Demolished buildings and structures in Scotland History of Edinburgh {{Scotland-struct-stub