St Anne's Pier
Encyclopedia
St Anne's Pier is a Victorian era
pleasure pier
in the English seaside resort of St Anne's-on-the-Sea, Lancashire
. It lies on the estuary of the River Ribble
. The pier, designed by A. Dowson, was completed in 1885 and was one of the earliest public buildings in St Anne's, a 19th-century planned town. The pier was originally intended to be a sedate promenading venue for the resort's visitors, but attractions were later added. Changes made to the estuary channels to improve access to Preston Dock left the pier on dry land and ended its steamer services to Blackpool and Liverpool.
A Tudor-style entrance was built in 1899. Early 20th-century additions included a Moorish
-style pavilion in 1904 and the Floral Hall in 1910. The Moorish Pavilion was destroyed by fire in 1974, shortly after the town's centenary; the Floral Hall burned down in 1982. Originally 914 feet (278.6 m) long, the pier was reduced to 600 feet (182.9 m) by the demolition of the seaward end. English Heritage
has designated the pier a Grade II listed building.
seaside resort on the Fylde
coast, at the mouth of the River Ribble
, in Lancashire. It was developed in the 19th century, largely by the St Anne's Land & Building Company. The company was formed in 1874 and leased land for the new town from the estate of the local Clifton family. Towards the end of the 19th century, pleasure piers became a common feature of English seaside resorts, and by the 1870s there were already two piers in nearby Blackpool
, one in Southport
and one 3.5 miles (5.6 km) away in Lytham. The wording of the land company's original lease indicates that a pier was probably planned for St Anne's from its beginning. A subsidiary, the St Anne's-on-the-Sea Pier and Improvements Company was formed in 1877. The company directors believed that a pier at St Anne's would offer visitors better conditions for fishing and boating than those at neighbouring resorts.
columns and lattice girder
s with wooden decking and intricate decorative iron-work on the deck. The columns were sunk to a depth of 50 feet (15.2 m). The original structure was 914 feet (278.6 m) long and 19 feet (5.8 m) wide. It included a band kiosk built of glass and iron. Construction cost £18,000 and took more than five years. The pier was opened by Frederick Stanley
on 15 June 1885, in a ceremony attended by local dignitaries, school children, the Preston Militia band, and the Order of Mechanics. The opening featured the launch of a lifeboat named the Laura Janet, whose crew was lost the following year in the Southport and St Anne's lifeboats disaster
.
In 1891 a wooden landing jetty
at the end of the pier was extended, in an L shape, by engineering and architecture firm Garlick and Sykes. The new iron extension was three storeys high and measured 120 feet (36.6 m) long by 90 feet (27.4 m) wide. After its addition, the pier was 945 feet (288 m) in length. The jetty was used for steamer
services from Blackpool and Liverpool
. The passing of the Ribble Navigation and Preston Dock Act of 1883 led to dredging of the river channels to improve access to Preston Dock. These changes to the estuary meant that the pier was eventually left on dry land, ruining the resort's steamer trade.
A new entrance building was constructed in 1899 to a design by J. D. Harker. This was built in the Mock Tudor style of red brick with imitation timber framing. In 1901 work began to enlarge the pier and add a Moorish
-style pavilion. It had a seating capacity of 920 and measured 84 feet (25.6 m) by 56 feet (17.1 m). The width of the pier was increased to 34 feet (10.4 m). These additions were also undertaken by Garlick and Sykes and opened on 2 April 1904.
In 1910, further additions included the Floral Hall, adjacent to the Moorish Pavilion at the seaward end. The hall—a winter garden
and concert hall—had a seating capacity of 850; it was built of steel and plate glass to a design by Arnold England.
The pier's Floral Hall hosted concerts and music hall
acts. Its first resident orchestra was Miss Kate Erl and Her Ladies Orchestra. Subsequent conductors of the pier's orchestra were Clarice Dunnington, William Rees, Lionel Johns and Norman George. Artists who have performed on the pier include Gracie Fields
, Leslie Henson
, Russ Conway
and George Formby
.
In 1954, an amusement arcade was added to the pier; this now occupies three quarters of the length of the structure. Alterations later that decade included the addition of a restaurant and replacement of the decking. By the 1970s the pier's amusements included crazy golf, a miniature zoo and live theatre performances.
A centenary concert for the town by violinist Yehudi Menuhin
was held on 7 June 1974 and attended by Anne, Princess Royal
. On the night of 20 July, the Moorish Pavilion (known from 1970 as the Sultan's Palace) was destroyed in a fire.
On 6 December 1976, following the liquidation
of the Amalgamated Investment Company, the pier was bought by the Webb family for £30,000. They initially planned to repair the fire damage. The Floral Hall, which had been adjacent to the Moorish Pavilion, was destroyed by fire on 23 July 1982; the pavilions were deemed irreparable and the seaward end of the pier was demolished. Following protests against the demolition by campaigners, the local council decided that the final 150 feet (45.7 m) should be retained to protect the character of the pier, so the remains of the ruined landing jetty still exist. The pier, most of which is enclosed, now ends with an uncovered stretch of deck that opens out into two hexagonal platforms with small pavilions and shelters. The length of the remaining intact structure is 600 feet (182.9 m). The pier's 21st-century attractions include the amusement arcade, cafés and shops; the seaward end is usually closed to visitors.
English Heritage
designated St Anne's Pier a Grade II listed building on 21 September 1973. It is listed as part of a group of promenade structures that includes a bandstand, a lifeboat monument, a pavilion and two shelters. Lynn F. Pearson (1991) writes that the pier's Moorish Pavilion and Floral Hall were "two of the best [pier pavilions] in design terms". According to Chris Mawson and Richard Riding (2008), the pier is "well regarded" for its wrought iron work.
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
pleasure pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
in the English seaside resort of St Anne's-on-the-Sea, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. It lies on the estuary of the River Ribble
River Ribble
The River Ribble is a river that runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire, in northern England. The river's drainage basin also includes parts of Greater Manchester around Wigan.-Geography:...
. The pier, designed by A. Dowson, was completed in 1885 and was one of the earliest public buildings in St Anne's, a 19th-century planned town. The pier was originally intended to be a sedate promenading venue for the resort's visitors, but attractions were later added. Changes made to the estuary channels to improve access to Preston Dock left the pier on dry land and ended its steamer services to Blackpool and Liverpool.
A Tudor-style entrance was built in 1899. Early 20th-century additions included a Moorish
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is the western term used to describe the articulated Berber-Islamic architecture of North Africa and Al-Andalus.-Characteristic elements:...
-style pavilion in 1904 and the Floral Hall in 1910. The Moorish Pavilion was destroyed by fire in 1974, shortly after the town's centenary; the Floral Hall burned down in 1982. Originally 914 feet (278.6 m) long, the pier was reduced to 600 feet (182.9 m) by the demolition of the seaward end. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has designated the pier a Grade II listed building.
Background
St Anne's-on-the-Sea is a plannedPlanned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
seaside resort on the Fylde
The Fylde
The Fylde ; Scandinavian: "field") is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Bowland hills to the east...
coast, at the mouth of the River Ribble
River Ribble
The River Ribble is a river that runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire, in northern England. The river's drainage basin also includes parts of Greater Manchester around Wigan.-Geography:...
, in Lancashire. It was developed in the 19th century, largely by the St Anne's Land & Building Company. The company was formed in 1874 and leased land for the new town from the estate of the local Clifton family. Towards the end of the 19th century, pleasure piers became a common feature of English seaside resorts, and by the 1870s there were already two piers in nearby Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, one in Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
and one 3.5 miles (5.6 km) away in Lytham. The wording of the land company's original lease indicates that a pier was probably planned for St Anne's from its beginning. A subsidiary, the St Anne's-on-the-Sea Pier and Improvements Company was formed in 1877. The company directors believed that a pier at St Anne's would offer visitors better conditions for fishing and boating than those at neighbouring resorts.
Construction
There was some delay in building the new pier because of an economic downturn. Engineers inspected the site in 1879, and construction began in 1880. The architect was A. Dowson. The pier is constructed of cast ironCast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
columns and lattice girder
Girder
A girder is a support beam used in construction. Girders often have an I-beam cross section for strength, but may also have a box shape, Z shape or other forms. Girder is the term used to denote the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams...
s with wooden decking and intricate decorative iron-work on the deck. The columns were sunk to a depth of 50 feet (15.2 m). The original structure was 914 feet (278.6 m) long and 19 feet (5.8 m) wide. It included a band kiosk built of glass and iron. Construction cost £18,000 and took more than five years. The pier was opened by Frederick Stanley
Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby
Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby KG, GCB, GCVO, PC , known as Frederick Stanley until 1886 and as Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886 and 1893, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who served as Colonial Secretary from 1885 to 1886 and the sixth Governor General...
on 15 June 1885, in a ceremony attended by local dignitaries, school children, the Preston Militia band, and the Order of Mechanics. The opening featured the launch of a lifeboat named the Laura Janet, whose crew was lost the following year in the Southport and St Anne's lifeboats disaster
Southport and St Anne's lifeboats disaster
On the 9 December 1886 the Mexico, a Hamburg-registered barque bound for Guayaquil from Liverpool went aground near Southport, in a full west north westerly gale....
.
In 1891 a wooden landing jetty
Jetty
A jetty is any of a variety of structures used in river, dock, and maritime works that are generally carried out in pairs from river banks, or in continuation of river channels at their outlets into deep water; or out into docks, and outside their entrances; or for forming basins along the...
at the end of the pier was extended, in an L shape, by engineering and architecture firm Garlick and Sykes. The new iron extension was three storeys high and measured 120 feet (36.6 m) long by 90 feet (27.4 m) wide. After its addition, the pier was 945 feet (288 m) in length. The jetty was used for steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
services from Blackpool and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. The passing of the Ribble Navigation and Preston Dock Act of 1883 led to dredging of the river channels to improve access to Preston Dock. These changes to the estuary meant that the pier was eventually left on dry land, ruining the resort's steamer trade.
A new entrance building was constructed in 1899 to a design by J. D. Harker. This was built in the Mock Tudor style of red brick with imitation timber framing. In 1901 work began to enlarge the pier and add a Moorish
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is the western term used to describe the articulated Berber-Islamic architecture of North Africa and Al-Andalus.-Characteristic elements:...
-style pavilion. It had a seating capacity of 920 and measured 84 feet (25.6 m) by 56 feet (17.1 m). The width of the pier was increased to 34 feet (10.4 m). These additions were also undertaken by Garlick and Sykes and opened on 2 April 1904.
In 1910, further additions included the Floral Hall, adjacent to the Moorish Pavilion at the seaward end. The hall—a winter garden
Winter garden
The origin of the winter garden dates back to the 17th to 19th centuries where European nobility would construct large conservatories that would house tropical and subtropical plants and would act as an extension of their living space. Many of these would be attached to their main palaces...
and concert hall—had a seating capacity of 850; it was built of steel and plate glass to a design by Arnold England.
Attractions
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the developers of St Anne's were keen to attract a more refined market than Blackpool's working-class excursionists. The pier was originally intended to provide little more than a sedate promenading facility for the resort's visitors; initially the only other attractions were a band kiosk and a sweet shop.The pier's Floral Hall hosted concerts and music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
acts. Its first resident orchestra was Miss Kate Erl and Her Ladies Orchestra. Subsequent conductors of the pier's orchestra were Clarice Dunnington, William Rees, Lionel Johns and Norman George. Artists who have performed on the pier include Gracie Fields
Gracie Fields
Dame Gracie Fields, DBE , was an English-born, later Italian-based actress, singer and comedienne and star of both cinema and music hall.-Early life:...
, Leslie Henson
Leslie Henson
Leslie Lincoln Henson was an English comedian, actor, producer for films and theatre, and film director. He initially worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and became a popular music hall comedian who enjoyed a long stage career...
, Russ Conway
Russ Conway
Russ Conway was a British popular music pianist. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number one hits.-Career:...
and George Formby
George Formby
George Formby, OBE , born George Hoy Booth, was a British comedy actor, singer-songwriter, and comedian. He sang light, comical songs, accompanying himself on the banjo ukulele or banjolele...
.
In 1954, an amusement arcade was added to the pier; this now occupies three quarters of the length of the structure. Alterations later that decade included the addition of a restaurant and replacement of the decking. By the 1970s the pier's amusements included crazy golf, a miniature zoo and live theatre performances.
Damage and recent history
In 1962 the holdings of the St Anne's Land & Building Company (including the pier) were bought by the Amalgamated Investment Company, based in London. Some alterations to the pier were made by the new owners, including the addition of an aviary and a reptile house. The Floral Hall was refurbished and turned into a Tyrolean-style beer garden.A centenary concert for the town by violinist Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
was held on 7 June 1974 and attended by Anne, Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
. On the night of 20 July, the Moorish Pavilion (known from 1970 as the Sultan's Palace) was destroyed in a fire.
On 6 December 1976, following the liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
of the Amalgamated Investment Company, the pier was bought by the Webb family for £30,000. They initially planned to repair the fire damage. The Floral Hall, which had been adjacent to the Moorish Pavilion, was destroyed by fire on 23 July 1982; the pavilions were deemed irreparable and the seaward end of the pier was demolished. Following protests against the demolition by campaigners, the local council decided that the final 150 feet (45.7 m) should be retained to protect the character of the pier, so the remains of the ruined landing jetty still exist. The pier, most of which is enclosed, now ends with an uncovered stretch of deck that opens out into two hexagonal platforms with small pavilions and shelters. The length of the remaining intact structure is 600 feet (182.9 m). The pier's 21st-century attractions include the amusement arcade, cafés and shops; the seaward end is usually closed to visitors.
English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
designated St Anne's Pier a Grade II listed building on 21 September 1973. It is listed as part of a group of promenade structures that includes a bandstand, a lifeboat monument, a pavilion and two shelters. Lynn F. Pearson (1991) writes that the pier's Moorish Pavilion and Floral Hall were "two of the best [pier pavilions] in design terms". According to Chris Mawson and Richard Riding (2008), the pier is "well regarded" for its wrought iron work.
External links
- St Annes Pier at the National Piers SocietyNational Piers SocietyThe National Piers Society is a registered charity in the United Kingdom dedicated to promoting and sustaining interest in the preservation and continued enjoyment of seaside piers....
website