History of
Cleethorpes Pier
Plans appeared in the 'London Gazette' on 16th November 1866 and
the pier was ordered in 1867. Built for £8,000 by Head Wrightson,
it opened on August Bank Holiday, 1873. Financed by Manchester,
Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (later LNER), they took on the
lease in 1884 for £450 per annum and bought the pier twenty years
later for £11,250. A pier-head concert hall was built in 1888 but
was destroyed by fire in 1903. A new pavilion was built near the
shore in 1905 and a cafe and shops on the site of the original
building. An elevated link to the adjoining 'pier gardens' was
added at this time but was removed in the 1930s.
In 1936, LNER sold the pier to Cleethorpes Council. It was
breached in 1940 for defence purposes and the isolated seaward
section was demolished after the war. Some of the salvaged
material was used on Leicester City Football Club's new stand. The
pier now measured 335 feet compared to its original 1200 feet.
The pier pavilion was modernised in 1968 for £50,000. Facilities
included a 600-seat concert hall, a cafe and a bar. Entertainment
included bingo and wrestling.
Funworld Ltd became owners in 1983 for £55,000 but, after an
unsuccessful summer show, closed the pier at the end of the 1983
season. Cleethorpes Borough Council decided to buy the pier back,
and the threat of demolition loomed. However, businessman and
club-owner, Mark Mayer, bought the structure on 24th July 1985 and
spent £300,000 transforming the pavilion into a modern night-club
named 'Pier 39' (from an old steamer pier in San Francisco). The
re-opening took place on 4th September 1985.
Whitegate Leisure plc took over in 1989 and spent £500,000
developing the pavilion which re-opened in April 1992 after a nine
week closure. A £20,000 shelter was added in 1993.
Ownership over the following years passed through a number of
organisations including Luminar Leisure and a management buyout in
2005 which later became Candu Entertainment.
In 2006 Candu rebuilt the former Paradise Club, with the new
Waterfront bar officially opened by Tim Mickleburgh, Hon Vice
President of the National Piers Society.
Later that year the pier was bought by local businessman Kash
Pungi. In 2007, the new owner put in hand the renewal of
supporting legs, a 5 month project using over 40 tonnes of steel
at an estimated cost of over £500,000.
Also in 2007, the pier was granted a 24-hour drinking licence with
the backing of the police and other authorities.
However, in January 2010, the pier went into receivership and was
closed. Then in May 2010 it was announced that Mr Bryn Ilsley, a
Grimsby-based businessman, had bought the pier for an undisclosed
six-figure sum, and pledged to restore it to its former glory.
After a £200,000 upgrade it re-opened in November 2010 having been
leased to a new management team. But in September 2011, the pier was closed
after having its licence suspended for 28 days because of what was described as incidents of serious crime and disorder.
Despite an appeal, the pier's management eventually surrendered their licence to run the landmark venue.
A new leaseholder, Mr Alistair Clugson, took over the pier in November 2011, vowing to make it "much more than just a nightclub".
After significant renovations, the former front bar area was re-opened as the Tides Bar and Restaurant in December 2011.
The nightclub operates on Saturdays and on Wednesdays, and further plans are in hand to distance the pier from its troubled past.
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