Bognor Regis Pier is a pier located in the seaside resort of

Bognor Regis Bognor Regis (), sometimes simply known as Bognor (), is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

. The pier opened on 5 May 1865 to the design of Sir Charles Fox and

J. W. Wilson J. W. Wilson (Joseph William Wilson; 11 October 1829 – 5 November 1898) was an English engineer. He was a consulting engineer in the construction of piers, and founded the School of Practical Engineering at Crystal Palace School. Life Early life ...

. Initially constructed with a length of 1000 ft (305m), it now stands at 350 ft (107m). The pier is

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The pier continued to be developed after opening. A small bandstand was added in 1880, followed by a seaward end pavilion which opened on July 9, 1900. A small landing stage was added in 1903, to allow paddle steamers to dock. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the pier became a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

observation station, named HMS St Barbara. Storm damage in 1964 and 1965 caused the pavilion to sink into the sea. The following decade, after two fires in three months, the pier was closed in December 1974. In 1989, Bognor Regis Pier was awarded a Grade II listing status by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

. Despite this, the condition of the pier continued to decline, and in 1994 an application was made to demolish the structure's remaining seaward end. Bognor Regis The Peir 1

The

International Bognor Birdman The International Birdman was a series of English competitions held in the West Sussex towns of Bognor Regis, Selsey and Worthing. The competition involved human 'birdmen' attempting to fly off the end of a pier into the sea for prize money. The ...

is an annual competition for human-powered 'flying' machines held each summer in Bognor Regis. Contestants launch themselves from the end of the pier, a prize being awarded to the one who glides the furthest distance. Rarely taken completely seriously, the event provides competitors with an opportunity to construct improbable machines complete with outlandish dress. The spectacle draws a sizeable crowd in addition to the local media. Inaugurated in nearby

Selsey Selsey is a seaside town and civil parish, about eight miles (12 km) south of Chichester in West Sussex, England. Selsey lies at the southernmost point of the Manhood Peninsula, almost cut off from mainland Sussex by the sea. It is bounde ...

in 1971, the ''Birdman'' transferred to Bognor in 1978 when it had outgrown its original location. Competitors have included

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields. Branson expressed ...

. The Birdman Event of 2008 was transferred to

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...

after of pier had been removed by the owners due to storm damage in March 2008. This meant that there were question marks over the possible safety of the contestants landing in shallower water. The shortened pier was judged safe for the event in 2010, and the event subsequently returned to Bognor. There are now annual events at both Bognor and Worthing.

References

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