The Grand Pier is a
pleasure pier
Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...
in
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
,
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authorities of England, unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non ...
, situated on the
Bristol Channel approximately southwest of
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
. It opened in 1904 and has been
Listed Grade II since 1983. It is long.
The pier's
pavilion
In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings:
* It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...
has been destroyed by fire on two occasions, in 1930 and 2008.
It is one of two major piers in the town, along with
Birnbeck Pier
Birnbeck Pier, also known as the 'Old Pier', is a pier situated on the Bristol Channel in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, approximately south-west of Bristol. It is the only pier in the country which links the mainland to an islan ...
, which closed in 1994 and stands derelict.
History
1903–2008
![Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier with tram](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Weston-super-Mare_Grand_Pier_with_tram.jpg)
Work began on building the pier on 7 November 1903, with P. Munroe acting as engineer, and it opened on 11 June 1904.
At the pier's end was a 2,000-seat theatre which was used as a music hall and for
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
, stage plays and
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
. On 16 May 1907 an extension of the pier measuring was opened, with the intention that the pier would be used as a docking point for boats to
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
. The dangerous currents in the bay made this too difficult, however, and the extension was demolished.
![GrandPier](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/GrandPier.jpg)
The theatre at the pier's end was destroyed by fire on 13 January 1930.
As the building was underinsured the pier was put up for sale and bought by Leonard Guy , who opened a new pavilion three years later.
This second pavilion housed a large undercover funfair rather than a theatre.
The pier was sold in 1946 to Mr. A. Brenner, who went on to improve the pier's facilities, adding new shops and an
amusement arcade to the pavilion in the early 1970s. As a result of the extra investment, the pier became a Grade II
listed building
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 ...
in 1974.
[
Brenner continued his ownership of the pier until 6 February 2008, when it was sold to brother and sister partnership Kerry and Michelle Michael. The pier immediately underwent a multi-million-pound revamp, which included a new branding scheme. was spent installing a new ]go-kart
A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance racing ...
track, a fully licensed bar, and a climbing wall
A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material most often used i ...
into the pavilion.
2008 fire
At 01:35 BST on 28 July 2008, a fire at the foot of the north tower on the shoreward (eastern) end of the pavilion triggered the privately monitored fire alarm
A fire alarm system warns people when smoke, fire, carbon monoxide or other fire-related or general notification emergency, emergencies are detected. These alarms may be activated automatically from smoke detectors and heat detectors or may also ...
, but the Essex-based alarm monitoring company were unable to contact the key-holder by mobile phone and no further action was taken. It was not until 06:46 BST that the Avon Fire and Rescue Service
Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) is the fire and rescue service covering the unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire in South West England.
The headquarters of the service is co ...
was notified. It deployed 13 fire engines, special appliances, and more than 85 firefighters to tackle the blaze, but the pavilion was soon destroyed.
Robert Tinker, a Grand Pier employee, was later praised by the fire brigade as he braved the extreme intensity of the heat from the flames to rush around the side of the building to remove several gas canisters which had been stored within the premises; had these not been removed the fire brigade claimed that the blaze could have been much worse, with the possibility of local residents and traders needing to be evacuated. Preliminary investigations suggested that the fire started due to a number of deep fat fryer
A deep fryer (also referred to as a deep fat fryer), is a kitchen appliance used for deep frying. Deep frying is a method of cooking by submerging food into oil at high heat, typically between temperatures of .
While commonly used in commercia ...
s which had been located within the pavilion; however after further investigation this was later ruled out, as was arson. On 22 October 2008 at a news conference held by the fire brigade it was announced that the cause of the fire would be recorded as unknown, but that the most likely cause was electrical.
2008–present
Work began dismantling the wreckage on 12 September 2008, and the Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
architects Angus Meek won the contract to design the new pavilion on 15 October. North Somerset Council approved the plans on 12 March 2009. Contractors John Sisk and Son were selected to construct the new pavilion, which was expected to be completed by June 2010. Following delays, it instead opened in time for half-term break on 23 October 2010, having cost .[ The opening day attracted more than 52,000 visitors, and an estimated 100,000 for the whole weekend.] The pier was officially reopened on 25 July 2011, by Anne, Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...
.
In January 2013, security company System 2 Security Limited was proven in court to be responsible for the fire damage to the pier in 2008 due to negligence. Kerry and Michelle Michael , the pier owners, were awarded by a judge at Bristol Mercantile Court.
On 10 March 2019, the pier suffered a small fire and was evacuated, however the fire was contained and the pier reopened the following day.
In popular culture
One scene from the film ''The Remains of the Day
''The Remains of the Day'' is a 1989 novel by the Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize-winning British author Kazuo Ishiguro. The protagonist, Stevens, is a butler with a long record of service at Darlington Hall, a stately home near Oxford, ...
'' was filmed on the pier in 1992. The comedy television series ''Bliss
BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. It was perhaps the best known system language until C debuted a few years later. Since then, C b ...
'' filmed scenes on the pier in 2017. The reality television series '' Come Dine with Me'', '' Don’t Tell the Bride'' and ''Flog It!
''Flog It!'' is a BBC television series that has been broadcast since 27 May 2002, presented by Paul Martin (although the first five episodes were presented by Mark Harnden).
Description
The show follows a similar formula to ''Antiques Roadsho ...
'', the news programme '' BBC Breakfast'', and the cookery television series ''Saturday Kitchen
''Saturday Kitchen Live'' is a British cookery programme, that is broadcast live on BBC One every Saturday between 10.00am and 11.30am produced by Cactus TV.
History
2002–2003
After a pilot hosted by Ainsley Harriott on 14 April 2001, the ...
'' have also filmed at the pier.
Accolades
The pier won the National Piers Society
The National Piers Society (NPS) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom dedicated to promoting and sustaining interest in the preservation and continued enjoyment of seaside piers.
It was founded in 1979, with Sir John Betjeman as the f ...
''Pier of the Year'' award in 2001, and again in 2011, becoming the first pier to win the award twice.
See also
*Birnbeck Pier
Birnbeck Pier, also known as the 'Old Pier', is a pier situated on the Bristol Channel in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, approximately south-west of Bristol. It is the only pier in the country which links the mainland to an islan ...
*List of piers
Piers throughout the world include:
Australia
*Busselton Jetty, Busselton, Western Australia. The longest wooden pier in the southern hemisphere.
* Gem Pier, Williamstown, Victoria
* Station Pier, Port Melbourne, Victoria
*Coffs Harbour Jetty, Ne ...
*National Piers Society
The National Piers Society (NPS) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom dedicated to promoting and sustaining interest in the preservation and continued enjoyment of seaside piers.
It was founded in 1979, with Sir John Betjeman as the f ...
* Grand Pier gallery at WikiMedia Commons
References
External links
Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier Official Website
Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier Official YouTube Channel
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080806121810/http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/content/twm/flatfiles/pierfire/index.aspx Grand Pier microsite by the Weston & Somerset Mercurybr>Grand Pier microsite by the BBC
Fire destroys iconic pier – ITV West
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Pier, Weston-Super-Mare
Piers in Somerset
Buildings and structures in Weston-super-Mare
Tourist attractions in North Somerset
1930 fires in the United Kingdom
2008 fires in the United Kingdom
Pier fires
Burned buildings and structures in the United Kingdom
Rebuilt buildings and structures in the United Kingdom