Redcar Pier
Redcar Pier was a promenade and landing pier constructed on The Esplanade in Redcar on the north east coast of Yorkshire. The construction of Redcar Pier in Redcar was proposed in 1866 and the Redcar Pier Company was formed.[1][2][3] However, there was little interest in proceeding until plans were drawn up for a pier at neighbouring Coatham. The Redcar Pier scheme was financed by the sale of shares and a donation from the Earl of Zetland.[2]
| Type | Pleasure and landing pier |
|---|---|
| Carries | Promenaders and steamer passengers |
| Spans | North Sea |
| Locale | The Esplanade, Redcar, Redcar and Cleveland |
| Design | J.E. & A. Dowson |
| Construction | Head and Wright Son |
| Owner | Redcar Pier Company / Redcar Council |
| Total length | 1,300 feet (396 m) originally |
| Width | 114 feet (35 m) at the pierhead |
| Opening date | 2 June 1873 |
| Destruction date | 1980–81 |
| Coordinates | 54°37′09″N 1°03′27″W |
Design, construction and opening
The pier design was by J.E. & A. Dowson.[1] Head and Wright Son built the pier beginning construction in August 1871.[2][4] The pier was completed by 1873 at a cost of £11,000 and opened on 2 June that year.[1][2][3] by Rear Admiral Chaloner.[5]
The pier design expanded to 114 feet (35 m) wide at the pier head with a landing stage and a bandstand so that bands could play to an audience of 700 undercover.[1][3][6] The pier was originally 1,300 feet (396 m) long[1] with three kiosks at the pier entrance.
Operation and decline
In 1880 the brig Luna was driven ashore in a storm and when refloated later the remains of the Luna were driven through the pier in a storm on 30 October 1880.[2][7] Redcar pier landing stage was damaged and carried away by the SS Cochrane paddle steamer in 1885 but this was never rebuilt.[2][3][8] The pier was damaged by the schooner Amarant in January 1897 causing a 60 feet (18 m) breach[1][9] but the pier was repaired. The pier head, saloon and bandstand was destroyed by fire in August 1898 causing £1,000–£1,500 of damage,[9][10][11] but the bandstand was not replaced.
A pavilion ballroom was added on the pier in 1907[1][3] and extended on the landward side in 1928 to include a cafe.[3] In 1940 during the second world war, a long central section of the pier was removed in case of an invasion.[9] During the war the pier was further damaged by storms and an exploding mine.[1]
Post war
Redcar council bought the pier in 1946 for £4,500[1][9] however, the pier was never repaired and simply allowed to disintegrate. The East coast storms of 1953 caused further damage.[1][9] After loss of further pier length in a storm in 1978 the coastguard hut at the end of the pier was removed[3] and the coastguard re-established on the roof of the Zetland Lifeboat Museum. In August 1978 a Wurlitzer organ was installed in the pier ballroom and was in use for 18 months before being removed after further damage to the pier by the sea.[3] In 1980 Langbaurgh Borough Council declared the pier unsafe[9] and that year sold the pier for £250 as scrap. With demolition over the year end 1980–1981 the site was cleared by March 1981.[1][2][9][12] The final length of the pier was 87 feet (27 m).[12] A blue plaque on a seafront brick wall on the Esplanade indicates the site of the former Redcar Pier.[13]
References
- "Redcar Pier". National Piers Society. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- "People & Places". redcar.org. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- Delplanque, Paul (31 October 2008). "The End of the Pier Show". Gazette Live – Remember When. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- "Redcar Pier – Annual General Meeting Redcar Pier Company, Ltd". Redcar.org – Past & Present. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- "Redcar Pier (1873–1981)". Co-Curate. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Pattinson, Carole (7 June 2008). "Redcar piers". Wiki North East. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- "Redcar History". Royal National Lifeboat Institute. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- "Youngsters delve deep to help uncover secrets of the sea". The Northern Echo. 13 August 2003. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- Simon, Roberts. "Redcar Pier, Middlesbrough (Lost Pier)". Pierdom. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- "Print Redcar Pier Before After Fire 1898". The Sketch. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "Redcar – National Piers Society". Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Fiona (9 April 2009). "History of Redcar". Gazette Live. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- "Redcar Pier Stock Photos & Redcar Pier Stock Images". Alamy. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
Further reading
- Beside the Seaside: A History of Yorkshire's Seaside Resorts, John Heywood, Pen and Sword, (2018) 192 pp.
- Yorkshire Seaside Piers by Martin Easdown, Wharncliffe Books, Pen and Sword (2008) 152 pp.
