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Clacton Pier is a pier located in the seaside resort town of Clacton-on-Sea in England. It was named Pier of the Year in 2020 by the National Piers Society. The pier hosts rides, ten-pin bowling, arcades, a seqaurium, golf and a soft-play centre – as well as numerous food, drink and retail outlets.
Clacton Pier, which opened on 27 July 1871 was officially the first building erected in the then-new resort of Clacton-on-Sea. A wooden structure in length and wide, the pier served as a landing point for goods and passengers, a docking point for steamships operated by the
August 1981 saw local businessmen Francis McGinty, John Treadwell, Denis McGinty and David Howe take ownership of the pier from Michael Goss with plans for a major redevelopment of the Pier including the possibility of a bar and disco, reintroduction of the dolphins to the dolphinarium and an upgrade of the pier ride offering. The proceeding years saw major additions to the pier at varying stages including the Whirlwind roller coaster, a Circus, Ice rink and a Roller Rink and even a water slide, unfortunately not all of the additions were a success and the pier company struggled financially on a couple of occasions until eventually in around 1993 the then operating company went into receivership which is where it remained for around about one year.
In 1994, a local businessman and his family, the Harrisons, bought the pier. They embarked on an ambitious and successful modernisation project to attract 20th century day trippers. The pier emerged as a modern amusement park, virtually unique in the sense that there are rides as you first enter, with the rest dotted throughout the length of the pier.
In March 2009 the pier was purchased by the Clacton Pier Company, who installed a new focal point, a 50 ft helter-skelter. Originally built in 1949 and used in a travelling show, it was featured in a 2008/2009 Marks & Spencer television advert.New arrival at Clacton Pier is not just any helter skelter...
/ref> The helter-skelter collapsed during the
The Whales & Dolphins of Clacton Pier (1971-1985)Clacton Pier Official WebsiteDetails on Clacton Pier
{{Piers in the United Kingdom Pier Grade II listed buildings in Essex Piers in Essex Coastal Essex
Development
Clacton Pier, which opened on 27 July 1871 was officially the first building erected in the then-new resort of Clacton-on-Sea. A wooden structure in length and wide, the pier served as a landing point for goods and passengers, a docking point for steamships operated by the Woolwich Steam Packet Company
The Woolwich Steam Packet Company (later London Steamboat Company), operated between 1834 and 1888 and offered steamer services from central London to Woolwich and later to Kent, Essex and Suffolk. One of its ships, the sank after a collision nea ...
, and a common spot for promenading. By 1893, Clacton had become such a popular destination for day trippers that the pier was lengthened to 1180 ft (360m) and entertainment facilities, including a pavilion and a waiting room, were added to accommodate them.
Post-World War I to 1970s
At the end of the First World War, the pier was bought by Ernest Kingsman, and it remained in the ownership of his family until 1971. Kingsman added some major improvements to the pier including: aRNLI
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
lifeboat house; a theatre called the Ocean Theatre; the classically named Blue Lagoon Dance Hall; the Crystal Casino; an open-air stage; an open-air swimming pool; and a roller coaster which was called Steel Stella.
During World War II, the Pier was breached to prevent it being used as a landing stage. A floating German mine also caused considerable damage.
Following the war, after significant refurbishment, the 1946 season began with Gene Durham headlining the traditional seaside show ''The Ocean Review,'' supported by Betty Martin and Gordon Norville. Gene Durham continued to headline until 1950, when Tony Hancock took over. In later years, season-long headline acts included Ted Rogers and Roy Hudd
Roy Hudd, OBE (16 May 1936 – 15 March 2020) was an English comedian, actor, presenter, radio host, author and authority on the history of music hall entertainment.
Early life
Hudd was born in Croydon on 16 May 1936 to Evalina "Evie" (née ...
.
By 1971, the pier was under the control of Barney Kingsman (Earnest Kingsman's Son) and with visitor numbers declining a decision was made to sell the Pier. It was sold privately during the year to Michael Goss. The Goss family already had the majority share in neighbouring Walton Pier. Goss ran the pier as a successful amusement centre until he eventually grew frustrated with the lack of support from the local authority and decided it was time to sell up and retire.
From 1971 to 1985, dolphins and killer whales were kept and displayed on the pier at the site of the former open-air swimming pool.
In 1973, a fire caused significant structural damage to the pier, particularly the roller coaster. In 1978, a severe storm caused additional significant structural weakness.
Restoration
August 1981 saw local businessmen Francis McGinty, John Treadwell, Denis McGinty and David Howe take ownership of the pier from Michael Goss with plans for a major redevelopment of the Pier including the possibility of a bar and disco, reintroduction of the dolphins to the dolphinarium and an upgrade of the pier ride offering. The proceeding years saw major additions to the pier at varying stages including the Whirlwind roller coaster, a Circus, Ice rink and a Roller Rink and even a water slide, unfortunately not all of the additions were a success and the pier company struggled financially on a couple of occasions until eventually in around 1993 the then operating company went into receivership which is where it remained for around about one year.
In 1994, a local businessman and his family, the Harrisons, bought the pier. They embarked on an ambitious and successful modernisation project to attract 20th century day trippers. The pier emerged as a modern amusement park, virtually unique in the sense that there are rides as you first enter, with the rest dotted throughout the length of the pier.
In March 2009 the pier was purchased by the Clacton Pier Company, who installed a new focal point, a 50 ft helter-skelter. Originally built in 1949 and used in a travelling show, it was featured in a 2008/2009 Marks & Spencer television advert./ref> The helter-skelter collapsed during the
St Jude storm
The St. Jude storm, also known as Cyclone Christian, and other names, was a severe hurricane-force European windstorm that hit Northwestern Europe on 27 and 28 October 2013 causing at least 17 deaths. The highest windspeed was in Denmark, where a ...
on 28 October 2013.
Current Rides & Attractions
See also
*List of piers in the United Kingdom
This is a list of extant and former coastal piers in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man and piers on the river Thames.
Coastal piers
Sources include:
England
Scotland
Wales
Isle of Man
Piers in London on the river Thames
...
References
External links
The Whales & Dolphins of Clacton Pier (1971-1985)
{{Piers in the United Kingdom Pier Grade II listed buildings in Essex Piers in Essex Coastal Essex