Post by Dave on Apr 19, 2009 12:40:46 GMT
Many of you like me may have been sadden to hear the news that the Grand Pier at Weston Super Mare was badly damaged by fire last year. It’s a day that I won’t forget as after doing my early morning calls in Dorset and then around Yeovil, I set of for W.S.m.
I was aware the pier was on fire and even before junction 22 on the M5 I could see the thick black smoke from the motorway and I was miles away from W.S.m. Work is underway to rebuild the pier and I’m not sure if they will try and rebuild it to look like the old pier, or if it is to have a brand new look.
Fires on piers are nothing new sadly and many great piers have been destroyed by fire, always seems strange when you think about all the water around them. There have been fires on Paignton pier before and there was also a big fire on a Torquay pier, sadly it was never rebuilt. The same pier has had a few fires since I’m afraid, mostly to the decking that was set alight by the same mindless idiots who take pleasure in setting all our deckchairs alight.
The pier was designed initially in 1890 as a simple concrete groyne, the lattice steelwork and timber decking were added to the structure in 1894, together with the wooden landing stage on the seaward side of the head in 1906. The pier neck is simplicity itself, having nicely worked wrought iron and timber seats running the full length on both sides, with ornate lamps at regularly spaced intervals. At the head, step's lead down to a concrete walkway, set at an angle of some 60 degrees from the neck, which continues to the harbour entrance.
One of the few buildings to have been constructed on Torquay Princess Pier was the 'Islander' entertainment complex at the pier-head. But it was severely damaged by fire in 1974 and subsequently demolished.
Paigntons pier was also damaged by a fire but it happened much earlier, that fire was on the 18th June 1919
Picture one shows the opening of the pier, the newly constructed Rock Walk(now known as Wreck Walk) offered a good vantage point for viewing the proceedings.
In the early days of the pier all that was on it was a shelter on the end, until the concert hall was built much later.
A latter picture showing the concert hall
The Princess Pier Concert Hall and Island Showbar blaze on the 17th April 1974
How the pier looks now.
The Paignton Pier Fire on June18th 1919
I was aware the pier was on fire and even before junction 22 on the M5 I could see the thick black smoke from the motorway and I was miles away from W.S.m. Work is underway to rebuild the pier and I’m not sure if they will try and rebuild it to look like the old pier, or if it is to have a brand new look.
Fires on piers are nothing new sadly and many great piers have been destroyed by fire, always seems strange when you think about all the water around them. There have been fires on Paignton pier before and there was also a big fire on a Torquay pier, sadly it was never rebuilt. The same pier has had a few fires since I’m afraid, mostly to the decking that was set alight by the same mindless idiots who take pleasure in setting all our deckchairs alight.
The pier was designed initially in 1890 as a simple concrete groyne, the lattice steelwork and timber decking were added to the structure in 1894, together with the wooden landing stage on the seaward side of the head in 1906. The pier neck is simplicity itself, having nicely worked wrought iron and timber seats running the full length on both sides, with ornate lamps at regularly spaced intervals. At the head, step's lead down to a concrete walkway, set at an angle of some 60 degrees from the neck, which continues to the harbour entrance.
One of the few buildings to have been constructed on Torquay Princess Pier was the 'Islander' entertainment complex at the pier-head. But it was severely damaged by fire in 1974 and subsequently demolished.
Paigntons pier was also damaged by a fire but it happened much earlier, that fire was on the 18th June 1919
Picture one shows the opening of the pier, the newly constructed Rock Walk(now known as Wreck Walk) offered a good vantage point for viewing the proceedings.
In the early days of the pier all that was on it was a shelter on the end, until the concert hall was built much later.
A latter picture showing the concert hall
The Princess Pier Concert Hall and Island Showbar blaze on the 17th April 1974
How the pier looks now.
The Paignton Pier Fire on June18th 1919
