North Pier, Blackpool
Encyclopedia
North Pier is the oldest and largest of the three coastal piers in Blackpool
, England
. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
which acts as a rough representative of Blackpool's midpoint. The sea front is particularly straight and flat and so the pier's 500-metre length simply extends at a right angle to the coastline, more or less level with the promenade. There previously was an admission charge of 50 pence to access the board-walk section of the pier before 5:30pm, but it is now free admission.
(the first being Margate Pier), and is now the oldest of the few remaining examples of his work still in use. It was also the first of Birch's piers to be built by engineering firm Richard Laidlaw and Son of Glasgow
.
Although the pier was primarily for leisure rather than seafaring, a landing jetty was built at the end in incremental stages between 1864 and 1867. These works increased the pier's length to its current 500 metres. The pier company themselves made use of the jetty by operating steamboat trips to nearby destinations.
In 1874, Richard Knill Freeman
, an architect who specialised in winner design competition, was asked to design a North Pavilion. Subsequent fires mean that nothing now remains but it is known that the building was called the "Indian Pavilion" due to its decoration.
North Pier was heavily adapted during the last quarter of the nineteenth century; both the "head" of the pier (the extreme seaward end) and the connection with the shore were widened to include music performance facilities and shops. The facilities, although repaired or reconstructed as necessary, remained much the same until the 1960s when the "Merrie England Bar" and an amusement arcade were constructed at the shore end of the pier. By this point, the pier had long since ceased to have any nautical use, but the jetty section was adapted for use as a helicopter pad in the late 1980s. A small tramway was also added to ease access to the views and facilities of the pierhead.
As mentioned above, North Pier is one of the few remaining examples of Birch's classic architecture and as such it now enjoys the status of a Grade II Listed building. It was also recognised as "Pier of the Year" in 2004 by the National Piers Society
.
with a wooden deck laid on top. The cast iron piles on which the structure rests were inserted using Birch's screw pile process; the screw-tipped piles were twisted into the sand until they hit bedrock. This made construction much quicker and easier and guaranteed that the pier had a solid foundation.
However, the structure has been damaged several times since it was built. It suffered a collision in 1892, and a moored vessel (Nelson's former flagship, HMS Foudroyant
) further damaged the pier in 1897 when it was driven onto Blackpool Sands and wrecked by a severe storm. The pierhead theatres have been particularly susceptible to fires; the 1874 Indian Pavilion was destroyed by fire, as was its replacement. The 1939 theatre, still in use, narrowly avoided a similar end in 1985 when the early stages of a fire were noticed in time by performer Vince Hill
. Storms
on 24 December 1997 destroyed most of the landing jetty, resulting in the shortening of the pier. The pier's sign was damaged in a fire in February 2008,
and again in March 2010.
. New owner Peter Sedgwick said he wanted to restore the Victorian heritage of the pier and re-instate the pier's tram. Sedgwick said he wanted to "keep the heritage of the pier" and said the previously paid-for attraction would now have free admission. "The vision for it is to redecorate it and keep it Victorian," he added.
The Theatre is currently being updated and the changing rooms behind the stage are having a makeover (Autumn 2011)and it is hoped top stars will be attracted to the venue.
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II listed building.
Location
The pier's name derives from the fact that it is the northernmost of Blackpool's three piers. It is actually located only about 400 metres to the north of Blackpool TowerBlackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower Eye is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. . Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it rises to 518 feet & 9 inches . The tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers...
which acts as a rough representative of Blackpool's midpoint. The sea front is particularly straight and flat and so the pier's 500-metre length simply extends at a right angle to the coastline, more or less level with the promenade. There previously was an admission charge of 50 pence to access the board-walk section of the pier before 5:30pm, but it is now free admission.
History
North Pier was officially opened on 21 May 1863 with a grand ceremony attended by over 20,000 visitors. It was the second of the fourteen piers designed by Eugenius BirchEugenius Birch
Eugenius Birch was a 19th Century English naval architect, engineer and noted pier builder.-Biography:Both Eugenius and his brother were born in Gloucester Terrace, Shoreditch, to grain dealer John and wife Susanne...
(the first being Margate Pier), and is now the oldest of the few remaining examples of his work still in use. It was also the first of Birch's piers to be built by engineering firm Richard Laidlaw and Son of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Although the pier was primarily for leisure rather than seafaring, a landing jetty was built at the end in incremental stages between 1864 and 1867. These works increased the pier's length to its current 500 metres. The pier company themselves made use of the jetty by operating steamboat trips to nearby destinations.
In 1874, Richard Knill Freeman
Richard Knill Freeman
Richard Knill Freeman was a British architect who began his career at Derby and moved to Bolton, Lancashire in the late 1860s. His work, in Victorian Gothic style and typically recalling the Decorated Period of later medieval architecture, can be seen in several cities and towns across the north...
, an architect who specialised in winner design competition, was asked to design a North Pavilion. Subsequent fires mean that nothing now remains but it is known that the building was called the "Indian Pavilion" due to its decoration.
North Pier was heavily adapted during the last quarter of the nineteenth century; both the "head" of the pier (the extreme seaward end) and the connection with the shore were widened to include music performance facilities and shops. The facilities, although repaired or reconstructed as necessary, remained much the same until the 1960s when the "Merrie England Bar" and an amusement arcade were constructed at the shore end of the pier. By this point, the pier had long since ceased to have any nautical use, but the jetty section was adapted for use as a helicopter pad in the late 1980s. A small tramway was also added to ease access to the views and facilities of the pierhead.
National Piers Society
The National Piers Society is a registered charity in the United Kingdom dedicated to promoting and sustaining interest in the preservation and continued enjoyment of seaside piers....
.
Construction and repair
The bulk of the pier is constructed from cast ironCast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
with a wooden deck laid on top. The cast iron piles on which the structure rests were inserted using Birch's screw pile process; the screw-tipped piles were twisted into the sand until they hit bedrock. This made construction much quicker and easier and guaranteed that the pier had a solid foundation.
However, the structure has been damaged several times since it was built. It suffered a collision in 1892, and a moored vessel (Nelson's former flagship, HMS Foudroyant
HMS Foudroyant (1798)
HMS Foudroyant was an 80-gun third rate of the Royal Navy. She was built at Plymouth Dockyard and launched on 31 March 1798.Goodwin gives the launch date for Foudroyant as 31 March, 25 May, and 31 August. The text highlights this discrepancy and attributes the August date to Lyon's Sailing Navy...
) further damaged the pier in 1897 when it was driven onto Blackpool Sands and wrecked by a severe storm. The pierhead theatres have been particularly susceptible to fires; the 1874 Indian Pavilion was destroyed by fire, as was its replacement. The 1939 theatre, still in use, narrowly avoided a similar end in 1985 when the early stages of a fire were noticed in time by performer Vince Hill
Vince Hill
Vince Hill is an English traditional pop music singer, songwriter and record producer.-Biography:...
. Storms
European windstorm
A European windstorm is a severe cyclonic windstorm associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure that track across the North Atlantic towards northwestern Europe. They are most common in the winter months...
on 24 December 1997 destroyed most of the landing jetty, resulting in the shortening of the pier. The pier's sign was damaged in a fire in February 2008,
and again in March 2010.
Pier Sold
In April 2011, the pier was sold to Blackpool family firm Sedgwick's, which owns amusement arcades and the big wheel on Blackpool's Central PierCentral Pier, Blackpool
-Location:The pier is central in the sense that it is located between the other two, but it is also close to the site of the now-defunct Blackpool Central railway station about 500 metres south of Blackpool Tower...
. New owner Peter Sedgwick said he wanted to restore the Victorian heritage of the pier and re-instate the pier's tram. Sedgwick said he wanted to "keep the heritage of the pier" and said the previously paid-for attraction would now have free admission. "The vision for it is to redecorate it and keep it Victorian," he added.
The Theatre is currently being updated and the changing rooms behind the stage are having a makeover (Autumn 2011)and it is hoped top stars will be attracted to the venue.
See also
- Blackpool's Central PierCentral Pier, Blackpool-Location:The pier is central in the sense that it is located between the other two, but it is also close to the site of the now-defunct Blackpool Central railway station about 500 metres south of Blackpool Tower...
- Blackpool's South PierSouth Pier, BlackpoolSouth Pier is one of three piers in Blackpool, England. Located on South Promenade in the South Shore area of the town, the pier contains a number of amusement and adrenalin rides. It opens each year from March to November and is owned by Six Piers Limited.-Construction and opening:The Blackpool...
External links
- Blackpool's North Pier History
- Engineering timelines - Details of the pier's construction
- http://citytransport.info/B-Piera.htm - Some photographs of the diesel tramway on the pier.