History of

The pier was built between 1875 and 1878 to the design of G.Rale. It was opened in 1879 by Princess Saxe-Weimar. Initially, its main purpose was as a steamer jetty for Isle of Wight passengers.

In 1904, a serious fire resulted in a complete rebuild. The 'replacement' pier opened to a length of 600 feet in 1908. It had been designed by local architect G.E.Smith and cost £85,000. It had a concrete deck and windscreens protecting visitors on all sides. A spacious pavilion contained two halls: one housed a 1200 seat theatre, the other serving as a cafe during the day and a dance hall at night. At the seaward end, a similar pavilion incorporated a bar and lounge.

The theatre was damaged by fire in 1966 and was removed the following year. A further blaze in 1974 (during the filming of 'Tommy') badly affected the pier, which re-opened the following year after a £500,000 rebuild.

The large pavilion, less grand than previously, now houses showbars (one of which can hold 800) and amusements.

In January 2010, fears were raised over the future of the pier after it emerged the owners were losing thousands of pounds every year. The pier was one of Six Piers Ltd portfolio of piers. The company said they were 'continuing to look at ways to improve the offering.' Then in May 2010, the pier was sold to a holding company called Frenash Ltd, set up by a consortium led by Mr Fred Nash. Frenash was later forced into liquidation following a disputed power bill and the running of the pier was transferred to SPP South Coast Ltd, also headed by Mr Nash and Ms Dawn Randall.

Then in October 2011, Mr Nash announced plans for a £20 million redevelopment of the pier. Management of the pier was taken over by Ms Randall.

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