Search the whole site
List of entries |  Feedback 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BRITAIN
 
  More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)

 
More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
seaside piers

The popularity of the 18C seaside resorts, such as *Scarborough, *Lyme Regis and *Brighton, led to the development in the early 19C of the seaside pier. Wooden piles driven into the sea bed carried a cast-iron superstructure and a wooden deck, to form in effect an open-ended bridge leading out to sea. A pier was ideal for promenading in the healthy sea breezes but was also a good place to separate the tourists from their money; a wide range of stalls and even full-scale theatres became a standard feature, particularly at the far end, known as the pier head. For most of the 19C the best-known piers were those at Brighton, but in 1889 the pier at *Southend opened; extended in 1929, it is the world's longest. *Blackpool is unique in Britain in having three piers.
 








A  B-BL  BO-BX  C-CH  CI-CX  D  E  F  G  H  IJK  L  M  NO  P  QR  S-SL  SM-SX  T  UV  WXYZ 



Historyworld Home | About us | Attribution & copyright