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St Anne's Pier is a
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
pleasure
pier image:Brighton Pier, Brighton, East Sussex, England-2Oct2011 (1).jpg, Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century. A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of ...
in the English seaside resort of St Anne's-on-the-Sea,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
. It lies on the estuary of the
River Ribble The River Ribble runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England. It starts close to the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, and is one of the few that start in the Yorkshire Dales and flow westwards towards the Irish Sea (t ...
. The pier, designed by Alfred Dowson, was completed in 1885 and was one of the earliest public buildings in St Anne's, a 19th-century planned town. The pier was originally intended to be a sedate promenading venue for the resort's visitors, but attractions were later added. Changes made to the estuary channels to improve access to Preston Dock left the pier on dry land and ended its steamer services to Blackpool and Liverpool. A Tudor-style entrance was built in 1899. Early 20th-century additions included a
Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...
-style pavilion in 1904 and the Floral Hall in 1910. The Moorish Pavilion was destroyed by fire in 1974, shortly after the town's centenary; the Floral Hall burned down in 1982. Originally long, the pier was reduced to by the demolition of the seaward end.
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 ...
has designated the pier 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 ...
.


Background

St Anne's-on-the-Sea is a planned seaside resort on
the Fylde The Fylde () is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the foot of the Bowland hills ...
coast, at the mouth of the
River Ribble The River Ribble runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England. It starts close to the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, and is one of the few that start in the Yorkshire Dales and flow westwards towards the Irish Sea (t ...
, in Lancashire. It was developed in the 19th century, largely by the St Anne's Land & Building Company. The company was formed in 1874 and leased land for the new town from the estate of the local Clifton family. Towards the end of the 19th century, pleasure piers became a common feature of English seaside resorts, and by the 1870s there were already two piers in nearby
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
(now called
North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
and Central Piers), one in
Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...
and one away in
Lytham Lytham St Annes () is a seaside town in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is on the The Fylde, Fylde coast, directly south of Blackpool on the Ribble Estuary. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 42,954 ...
. The wording of the land company's original lease indicates that a pier was probably planned for St Anne's from its beginning. A subsidiary, the St Anne's-on-the-Sea Pier and Improvements Company was formed in 1877. The company directors believed that a pier at St Anne's would offer visitors better conditions for fishing and boating than those at neighbouring resorts.


Construction

There was some delay in building the new pier because of an economic downturn. Engineers inspected the site in 1879, and construction began in 1880. The architect was Alfred Dowson. The pier is constructed of
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
columns and lattice
girder A girder () is a support beam used in construction. It is the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams. Girders often have an I-beam cross section composed of two load-bearing ''flanges'' separated by a stabilizing ' ...
s with wooden decking and intricate decorative iron-work on the deck. The columns were sunk to a depth of . The original structure was long and wide. It included a band kiosk built of glass and iron. Construction cost £18,000 and took more than five years. The pier was opened by Frederick Stanley on 15 June 1885, in a ceremony attended by local dignitaries, school children, the Preston Militia band, and the Order of Mechanics. The opening featured the launch of a lifeboat named the ''Laura Janet'', whose crew was lost the following year in the
Southport and St Anne's lifeboats disaster The Southport and St Anne's lifeboats disaster, commonly known as the Mexico disaster, occurred on the evening of the 9th December 1886. In all, 27 lifeboat men lost their lives trying to save the crew of the German barque called the Mexico. 1 ...
. In 1891 a wooden landing
jetty A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying somet ...
at the end of the pier was extended, in an L shape, by engineering and architecture firm Garlick and Sykes. The new iron extension was three storeys high and measured long by wide. After its addition, the pier was in length. The jetty was used for steamer services from Blackpool and
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. The passing of the Ribble Navigation and Preston Dock Act of 1883 led to dredging of the river channels to improve access to Preston Dock. These changes to the estuary meant that the pier was eventually left on dry land, ruining the resort's steamer trade. A new entrance building was constructed in 1899 to a design by J. D. Harker. This was built in the
Mock Tudor Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
style of red brick with imitation
timber framing Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
. In 1901 work began to enlarge the pier and add a
Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...
-style pavilion. It had a seating capacity of 920 and measured by . The width of the pier was increased to . These additions were also undertaken by Garlick and Sykes and opened on 2 April 1904. In 1910, further additions included the Floral Hall, adjacent to the Moorish Pavilion at the seaward end. The hall—a
winter garden A winter garden is a kind of garden maintained in wintertime. History The origin of the winter garden dates back to the 17th to 19th centuries where European nobility would construct large conservatories that would house tropical and subtro ...
and concert hall—had a seating capacity of 850; it was built of steel and plate glass to a design by Arnold England.


Attractions

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the developers of St Anne's were keen to attract a more refined market than Blackpool's working-class excursionists. The pier was originally intended to provide little more than a sedate promenading facility for the resort's visitors; initially the only other attractions were a band kiosk and a sweet shop. The pier's Floral Hall hosted concerts and
music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
acts. Its first resident orchestra was Miss Kate Erl and Her Ladies Orchestra. Subsequent conductors of the pier's orchestra were Clarice Dunnington, William Rees, Lionel Johns and Norman George. Artists who have performed on the pier include
Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was an English actress, singer, comedian and star of cinema and music hall who was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...
,
Leslie Henson Leslie Lincoln Henson (3 August 1891 – 2 December 1957) was an English comedian, actor, producer for films and theatre, and film director. He initially worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and became a popular music hall comed ...
,
Russ Conway Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford; 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist and composer. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number one ...
and
George Formby George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he s ...
. In 1954, an amusement arcade was added to the pier; this now occupies three quarters of the length of the structure. Alterations later that decade included the addition of a restaurant and replacement of the decking. By the 1970s the pier's amusements included
crazy golf Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played ...
, a miniature zoo and live theatre performances.


Damage and recent history

In 1962 the holdings of the St Anne's Land & Building Company (including the pier) were bought by the Amalgamated Investment Company, based in London. Some alterations to the pier were made by the new owners, including the addition of an aviary and a reptile house. The Floral Hall was refurbished and turned into a Tyrolean-style beer garden. A centenary concert for the town by violinist
Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to the v ...
was held on 7 June 1974 and attended 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 ...
. On the night of 20 July, the Moorish Pavilion (known from 1970 as the Sultan's Palace) was destroyed in a fire. On 6 December 1976, following the
liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistrib ...
of the Amalgamated Investment Company, the pier was bought by the Webb family for £30,000. They initially planned to repair the fire damage. The Floral Hall, which had been adjacent to the Moorish Pavilion, was destroyed by fire on 23 July 1982; the pavilions were deemed irreparable and the seaward end of the pier was demolished. Following protests against the demolition by campaigners, the local council decided that the final should be retained to protect the character of the pier, so the remains of the ruined landing jetty still exist. The pier, most of which is enclosed, now ends with an uncovered stretch of deck that opens out into two hexagonal platforms with small pavilions and shelters. The length of the remaining intact structure is . The pier's 21st-century attractions include the amusement arcade, cafés and shops; the seaward end is usually closed to visitors.
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 ...
designated St Anne's Pier 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 ...
on 21 September 1973. It is listed as part of a group of promenade structures that includes a bandstand, a lifeboat monument, a pavilion and two shelters. Lynn F. Pearson (1991) writes that the pier's Moorish Pavilion and Floral Hall were "two of the best ier pavilionsin design terms". According to Chris Mawson and Richard Riding (2008), the pier is "well regarded" for its wrought iron work.


Visual reporting point

The pier is one of nine visual reporting points (VRPs) for
general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
aircraft in the local Blackpool airspace.Visiting by air
Blackpool Airport Blackpool Airport is an airport on the Fylde coast of Lancashire, England, in the Borough of Fylde, just outside the Borough of Blackpool. It was formerly known as Squires Gate Airport and Blackpool International Airport. Ownership of the air ...


See also

*
Listed buildings in Saint Anne's on the Sea Saint Anne's on the Sea is a town in the Borough of Fylde, Lancashire, England. It contains 23 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official ...


References

Explanatory notes Citations Bibliography * * * * * * * *


External links


St Annes Pier
at 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 fi ...
website {{Borough of Fylde buildings Transport infrastructure completed in 1885 Buildings and structures in the Borough of Fylde Grade II listed buildings in Lancashire Piers in Lancashire Lytham St Annes