Development

Officially the first building of the new resort of Clacton-on-Sea, the pier was officially opened on 27 July 1871, as a wooden structure 160 yards (146.3 m) in length and 4 yards (3.7 m) wide. The pier was originally built as a landing point for goods and passengers, and from when it opened Steamships operated by the Woolwich Steam Packet Company

Woolwich Steam Packet Company

The Woolwich Steam Packet Company , operated between 1834 and 1888 and offered steamer services from central London to Woolwich and later to the Kent, Essex and Suffolk...

 which docked at the pier; it soon also became popular for promenading. By the 1890s Clacton was becoming an increasingly popular destination for day trippers and in 1893 the pier was lengthened to 1180 ft (360m), and entertainment facilities including a pavilion and a waiting room were added.

Post World War I to 1970s

At the end of the First World War, the pier was bought by Ernest Kingsman and remained in the ownership of the Kingsman family until 1971.

Kingsman added some major developments to the pier including: a RNLI lifeboat

Lifeboat (rescue)

A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...

 house; one theatre, the Ocean Theatre; the classically named Blue Lagoon Dance Hall; the Crystal Casino

Casino

In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

; an open air stage; and an open air swimming pool and a roller coaster.

Unfortunately, during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Clacton became a target for departing Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

 bombers, with the metallic pier on a reflective sea an easy target or aiming point. The casino and one theatre were casualties of war, and they were subsequently demolished; further, parts of the pier had been sectioned off to prevent enemy invasion.

Following the war, after a significant refurbishment campaign, the 1946 season kicked off with Gene Durham headlining the traditional seaside show The Ocean Review, supported by Betty Martin and Gordon Norville. Gene Durham continued to headline until 1950 when Tony Hancock

Tony Hancock

Anthony John "Tony" Hancock was an English actor and comedian.-Early life and career:Hancock was born in Southam Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, England, but from the age of three was brought up in Bournemouth, where his father, John Hancock, who ran the Railway Hotel in...

 took over. In later years, season-long headline acts included Ted Rogers and Roy Hudd

Roy Hudd

Roy Hudd, OBE is an English comedian, actor, radio host and author, and an authority on the history of music hall entertainment.- Early life :...

.

From 1971 to 1985 dolphin

Dolphin

Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...

s and killer whales were kept and displayed on the pier, on the site of the former open air swimming pool.

In 1973, a fire caused significant damage to the structure and roller coaster particularly, and in 1978 a storm caused more significant structural weakness.

Restoration

In 1994, a local businessman and his family, the Harrisons, bought the pier. They embarked on an ambitious and successful modernisation project to attract 21st century day trippers. The pier emerged as a modern amusement park, virtually unique in the sense that there are rides as you first enter, with the rest dotted throughout the length of the pier.

In March 2009 the pier was purchased by the Clacton Pier Company, who installed a new focal point, a 50 ft helter skelter. Originally built in 1949 and used in a travelling show, it was featured in a 2008/2009 Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer

Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...

television advert.