History of
Hastings Pier
Work on the 910 foot pier, designed by Eugenius Birch, began in
December 1869 and it was opened on the first ever August Bank
Holiday (1872). It had cost £23,250 and incorporated a very
handsome 2000-seat pavilion at the seaward end. One of the
tollhouses was damaged by a storm in 1877 but was repaired.
In 1885, a £2,000 landing stage was built. In 1910/11, a small
building housing a shooting gallery, 'animated pictures' and slot
machines was added, followed in 1912, by a rifle range/bowling
alley. This shoreward end of the pier, known as the 'parade
extension', was sold to the council in 1913 to finance a new
arcade, shops and a tea-room.
The pavilion was destroyed by fire on 15th July 1917 but was
replaced in 1922, albeit in a less elaborate style. A shoreward
end pavilion was built in 1926. An Art Deco facade was added in
the 1930s. The pier's seaward end was damaged by storms in 1938,
closing the pavilion and costing £22,000 to repair. The pier was
sectioned during World War Two and was taken over by the armed
forces. It suffered some bomb damage during the conflict. It
reopened in 1946. The West View and East View solaria were added
in 1951 and 1956 respectively.
In 1966, Hastings Council built the 'Triodome' on the parade
extension to house a special embroidery marking the 900th
anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. The extension and Triodome
were sold to the pier company in 1968. In 1969, the Triodome was
converted into an amusement arcade and the bandstand shelters
became kiosks and shops.
In 1993, Humberglow Ltd paid £196,000 to acquire the Hastings Pier
Company. In the same year, storms caused £100,000 of damage. An
application for millenium funding was unsuccessful and the pier
was put up for sale in 1996.
In June 2006, following the serving of a closure notice by
Hastings Council, the pier was closed. However, in 2007, Stylus
Sports paid for repair work to be carried out beneath the former
theatre. The central section of the pier was then re-opened in
July 2007, only to be temporarily closed again a few weeks later
followiing a storm in which the pier was struck by lightning,
causing the emergency evacuation of visitors.
A detailed Structural & Heritage Value Appraisal was carried out
for Hastings Borough Council by Gifford Structural Engineers in
2007. A copy of this is accessible via the Pier Weblinks on this
page.
Little was done to protect and preserve the pier structure and in
March 2008, further damage was caused to the seaward end of the
pier during strong winds and very rough seas. In September 2008,
the Hasting Pier and White Rock Trust , a local campaign group,
submitted a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the rescue and
redevelopment of the pier, but complications arose following the
unearthing of the legislation from 1985 which prevented the sale
of the pier.
Efforts continued, however, led primarily by the Hastings Pier and
White Rock Trust to try and return the pier to its former glory
and in July 2010, Hastings Borough Council finally agreed to
pursue a compulsory purchase order for the town’s Victorian pier.
If successful the council would then hand over the keys to
Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust, which would begin looking for
funding for structural repairs and refurbishment.
But then, in the early hours of October 5th 2010, a devastating
fire swept through the pier, destroying most of the
super-structure. Two men were subsequently arrested on suspicion
of arson and bailed pending further action. The local Council,
meanwhile, employed experts to assess the full extent of the
damage to the pier. This was clearly an immense tragedy for the people of Hastings
and particularly the members of the Hastings Pier and White Rock
Trust who had fought so hard to have the pier restored and brought
back into public use. But the Trust are still pushing on with
their plans to restore the pier.
A very detailed history of the pier is available via the link
below.
The Hastings Chronicle History of Hastings Piers
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