Due to the Southend Pier is the longest pier in the world, it is famous in the UK. And it is also one of the most popular in the UK's pier.
A visitor who is admin tell some introduction and views about this pier.
A visitor who is admin tell some introduction and views about this pier.
"Southend Pier is almost a national institution. It enjoys its status of being the longest pleasure pier in the entire world and is an amazing 1.34 miles (2,158 m) in length. This is due to extensions, which have been completed over the years, all of which have created a sense of a landmark facility.
Architecturally it is quite an interesting construction and it is now a Grade 2 Listed building, which is quite imposing and grand, in its own uniquely Victorian way. Sir John Betjeman, the famous poet once commented that ‘The pier is Southend and Southend is the pier’ so inextricably linked are the two. Its length simply marks it out from other piers and it really does look beautiful at any time, but particularly at dusk, when you see it stretch out into the Thames Estuary. A real treat for the eyes! Because it is made of iron, it looks robust and firm, very steadfast and this, combined with its length does make the pier look quite unlike any others and for these reasons alone it should be seen.
Originally constructed to enable boats to carry passengers and then dock at Southend, the pier certainly started off with a functional role. It opened in 1830 and was at this point constructed from wood, this was later replaced, around the turn of the 20th Century, with an iron pier. The iron pier was designed by James Brunlees and was quite a feat of engineering, since it took the length of the pier from 182 metres, to the length it is today.
Due to the length of the pier two trains ferry people up and down the pier, although the walk is quite bracing and excellent exercise.
The pier is maintained by the local authority, Southend on Sea, which means that the resources for its upkeep are somewhat limited and there is a constant campaign to acquire both European funding and donations, to ensure that the pier is retained, kept in good order and updated. In 1980, the local authority declared that the pier was actually such a drain on its resources that it would have to close. Visitor numbers were dropping and a massive cash injection was needed to ensure the viability of the pier. A huge public campaign was mounted to ensure that the pier could be kept open and indeed the Council then announced that it would indeed keep it open.
The cash injection was also to come in 1983 with a grant from the Historic Buildings Committee. However, the pier is not affluent and it is also in constant need of work being done to it.
Southend Pier has also experienced quite a lot of adversity in its time. It has sustained a number of fires, starting in 1959 and then again in 1979 and in 1995 and 2005 fires again wreaked havoc on this beloved pier. This ahs resulted in many parts of the pier being rebuilt, but the traditional style and integrity of the design has been maintained, so it does not look like a pastiche: it has its own identity."
Reference:
Admin, (2008) Southend Pier [online]Available from: http://the-pier.co.uk/southend-pier[accessed 23 May 2008]
The following is the timeline about the Pier fied.
Link: Southend Pier
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