Figure 1.--Here we see an unidentified family group probably in the 1950s at the entrance to the Eastbourne Pier. Eastbourne is south of London on the English Channel. The beach ad pier can be reached on a day trip from London. This was a winter scene. Notice the boy is wearing hs school cap. The pgotograph was taken by a street photogrpher. A message on the back reads, "On the pier. The knob is not part of your mother's hat."

Another Victorian innovation which formed the centrepiece of many resorts was the pier. They were sort of like an American boardwalk that projected out into the ocean. A kind of forerunner of the amusement park. Many British seaside towns built piers. They were hugely very popular in Victorian times as a seaside vacation became a national institution. These magnificent structures contained all manner of amusements, and the idea caught on. At Southend-on-Sea in Essex a pier was built over a mile long. It is still the longest in the world. It even had a railway to carry holiday makers from one end to the other. Many piers are still packed with amusements, and a variety of first class entertainment is usually on offer especially between May and September. Blackpool was the most famous for its pier, which was the longest in the country. Many towns still have their Victorian-era piers. Many now are, however, only shortened structures or demolished all together due to the huge funding needed to maintain structures exposed to the sea, especially the turbulent North Sea.

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Created: 2:24 AM 4/2/2018
Last updated: 2:24 AM 4/2/2018