Saltburn Pier (Saltburn-by-the-Sea)

 pier, Grade II* Listed (UK)

Saltburn’s Victorian pier was the first iron pier to be built on the North East Coast, is the most northerly surviving British Pier and the only remaining pleasure pier on the North East coast. Built in an exposed position and facing due north into the cruel and unforgiving North Sea, the history of Saltburn Pier tells a tale of survival against the elements. The pier was commissioned by the Saltburn Pier Company in 1867, designed by Mr J Anderson and completed two years later, opening in May 1869.

Consisting of iron trestles under a wooden deck, the pier was built to a length of 1400ft (424m). There was a steamer landing stage at the head of the pier and two circular kiosks at the entrance. During 1873 it was decided to build a saloon at the pier head and to provide gas lighting along the length of the pier. Within ten years of opening, two horrific gales had taken out the pier head, the landing stage and part of the pier deck. The damage was repaired - subsequent alterations reducing the length of the pier to 1250ft (379m) - and the pier re-opened but the Saltburn Pier Company had lost heart and decided to sell. The Pier and hoist were sold at auction at the Alexandra Hotel for £800 in 1880.

The new owners were the Saltburn Improvement Company. Windshields, a bandstand, and refreshment rooms were added. Gas lighting was replaced by electric lighting in 1887. The pier-head suffered further storm damage in 1900 and in May 1924 the German ship 'Ovenbeg' collided with the west side of the pier causing a great deal of damage. The bandstand was now inaccessible so a theatre was built at the shore entrance in 1925. The damage caused by the collision was finally repaired, five years later, in 1930.

Purchased by the local council in 1938, Saltburn Pier, along with others like it, was sectioned in 1940 for fear of German invasion. After the war restoration and repair work commenced in 1947 and the pier was finally re-opened to the public in April 1952. Severe gales hit again the following year and badly twisted the whole structure resulting in repairs estimated at £23,000. These took a further five years to complete, but no sooner had the pier reopened than two piles were lost at the seaward end costing a further £6,000 to replace. In 1961 another twenty piles were badly twisted in exceptional storms.

The 1970s were no kinder in Saltburn Pier's history. In 1971, 1973 and 1974 piles were lost at the seaward end leaving the pier in a dangerous state. As emergency plans were being drawn up to save the pier, a severe gale on 29th October 1974 washed away the pier-head and left the remainder of the deck in a much weakened state. Finally, in 1975, the local council submitted an application to the Department of the Environment to have the pier demolished.

Saltburn Pier continued it’s fight for survival when a public enquiry concluded that only the last thirteen trestles should be removed and the remainder of the structure should be restored. The pier, now reduced in length to 681ft (206m), was restored, reopening to the public on 29th June 1978 after a closure of five years. Further restoration work was carried in the early 1990s when the entrance-building roof was renewed. With the new millenium and the aid of National Lottery Grant funding Saltburn pier underwent a major restoration programme designed to return it to its former glory. The grant enabled the cast iron trestles that support the pier to be conserved to reinforce the structure. The steel deck beams have been replaced with traditional timber to reflect the pier’s original appearance. Access to the pier has also been improved through the use of an inclined path that provides step-free access. It was officially re-opened to the public on 13th July 2001. The success of the pier restoration has been widely acknowledged, and the pier, along with the town’s cliff lift, won a top placing in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Heritage Awards.

Grade II* Listed: www.historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/...

Photo: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5353954