Eastbourne Pier

Infobox_Pier
Pier_name= Eastbourne Pier


caption= Eastbourne Pier entrance
official_name= Eastbourne Pier
carries=
crosses=
locale= Eastbourne, East Sussex
type= Pleasure Pier
maint=
id=
design= Eugenius Birch
construction=
owner=
mainspan=
length= 1000ft (303m)
width=
clearance=
below=
traffic=
open=August 51872
closed=
toll=
map_cue=
map_

map_text=
map_width=
coordinates=
lat=50.7662
long=0.2946

Eastbourne Pier is a seaside pleasure pier in Eastbourne, East Sussex, on the south coast of England.

Work on the pier began on 16 April 1866 and it was opened by Lord Edward Cavendish on June 13, 1870, although it was not actually completed until two years later. On New Years Day 1877 the landward half was swept away in a storm. It was rebuilt at a higher level, creating a drop towards the end of the pier. The pier is effectively built on stilts that rest in cups on the sea-bed allowing the whole structure to move during rough weather. It is 303 metres (1000 ft) long. During World War Two the decking was removed and machine guns were installed in the theatre providing a useful point from where to repel any attempted enemy landings.

The pier features a camera obscura which existed in Victorian times but was restored in 2003. A number of traditional pier theatres were built over the years but after the last one was destroyed by fire in 1970 it was replaced by a nightclub and bar which remain to this day. On the landward half of the pier stands a fish and chip kiosk, an amusement arcade and a fast food outlet. Further out as well as the club there is a cafe, a restaurant, a glassblower, a clothes shop and a tattoo parlour.

Awards

*1997 - National Piers Society - Pier of the Year

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/piers/eastbourne%20pier.htm History of the pier]