Seaview Chain Pier was built in 1881 at

Seaview Seaview or Sea View may refer to: Places * Clifton Beach, Karachi, also known as Sea View, a beach in Pakistan * Sea View, Dorset, a suburb in England * Seaview, Isle of Wight, a small village in England * Seaview, Lower Hutt, an industrial suburb ...

, near

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

. The

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 ...

was designed by

Frank Caws Francis Edward Caws (21 August 1846, Seaview, Isle of Wight 8 April 1905, Sunderland) was an English architect. Caws was born the son of Silas Harvey Caws and his wife, Emma Matilda (née Cave). Frank married Catherine Francis Riddett of Ryde ...

. Construction was from September 1879. The pier was opened in 1881 with finishing work completed in 1882. It was long and had a width of . In 1889 the pier was extended to a length of as the result of work to better the landing stage. Traffic was disappointing and in 1901 the pier head was extended at a cost of £505 and amusements were added. Nevertheless 1900 was the last year in which the pier company managed to pay a dividend. In an attempt to improve matters the

Seaview steam packet company Seaview or Sea View may refer to: Places * Clifton Beach, Karachi, also known as Sea View, a beach in Pakistan * Sea View, Dorset, a suburb in England * Seaview, Isle of Wight, a small village in England * Seaview, Lower Hutt, an industrial suburb ...

was formed and began running a service between Seaview Chain Pier and

South Parade Pier The South Parade Pier is a pier in Portsmouth, England. It is one of two piers in the city, the other being Clarence Pier. The pier once had a long hall down its centre which housed a seating area and a small restaurant. The outside of the hall ...

. The pier was closed from 1915 during World War 1, and in World War 2 it was commandeered by the

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 ...

. It was

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

in 1948 but storms damaged it and it was demolished in 1952. It was one of only three chain piers in the British Isles.

References

Chain piers Piers on the Isle of Wight Demolished buildings and structures in England Buildings and structures demolished in 1952 {{UK-struct-stub