- Cromer Pier
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Cromer Pier 
Pavilion Theatre on the end of Cromer Pier.Official name Cromer Pier Type Pleasure Pier Design Douglass and Arnott Construction Alfred Thorne Owner North Norfolk District Council Total length 151 metres (495 ft) Opening date 8 June 1901 
Ticket for the Pavilion Theatre on Cromer Pier, Show: The Manfreds.
Cromer Pier is a seaside pier in the civil parish of Cromer on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk, 40 km due north of the city of Norwich in the United Kingdom. The pier is the home of the Cromer Lifeboat Station and the Pavilion Theatre
Contents
History
There are records of a Pier in Cromer back as far as 1391 although then it was more of a jetty. In the year 1582, Queen Elizabeth I, in a letter to the inhabitants of Cromer granted rights to export wheat, barley and malt with the proceeds to be used for the maintenance and well-being of the pier and the town of Cromer.
In 1822 a 210-foot (64 m) long jetty was built (of cast iron, made by Hase of Saxthorpe) but this structure lasted just 24 years before it was totally destroyed in a storm. This jetty was replaced by another wooden structure but this time it was a little longer being 240 feet (73 m). This jetty soon became very popular for promenading. A keeper was employed to keep order and there were strict rules applied including no smoking and by 9 pm ladies were required to retire from the jetty. The last wooden jetty survived until 1897 when it was damaged beyond repair after a coal boat had smashed into the jetty and so was dismantled and the timber sold for £40.
For a period of time from this date Cromer was without a pier but to end this situation the ‘Pier Commissioners’ planned to replace the old wood structure with a more fashionable structure. In the year of 1902 the new pier was completed and opened to the public. This new pier was designed by Douglass and Arnott and the construction was carried out by Alfred Thorne. The new pier was 450 feet (140 m) long and had cost £17,000 to build. In the early years the pier consisted of glass-screened shelters and a bandstand on the end of the pier. The shelters were roofed over in 1905 to form a pavilion; the bandstand was later replaced with a stage and proscenium arch. From 1907 this was used to accommodate the latest craze of roller-skating.
Pier repairs
The pier needs nearly £800,000 of repairs in the next few years- including some urgent works to repair the damage caused by the storm surge of Autumn 2007.[1]
North Norfolk District Council has backed plans to spend £121.000 to put right the damage to the pier. The council said it would cost another £666.000 to totally refurbish the structure.
Urgent repairs will be carried out as soon as possible to allow the pier to be fully open for the 2008 main holiday season.[2]
In the media
Used as a film location for the 1979 ITV television series, Danger UXB, starring Anthony Andrews.[3]
The pier was used as location for the 1993 ITV series September Song with Russ Abbott.[3]
The Flesh and Blood Show used the pier's theatre, in this horror thriller film of 1972. With Jenny Hanley and Ray Brooks [4]
The LivingTV show Most Haunted visited the pier for their investigation in April 2009. The episode, which investigated the piers paranormal activity, was shown later that year.[5]
Awards
- 2000 National Piers Society - Pier of the Year
Gallery
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Edwardian era image of pier
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Cromer Pier as seen from the Henry Blogg Museum.
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Cromer Lifeboat Station
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Old Cromer Lifeboat shed now at Southwold
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RNLB Lester
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View of the pier
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Pier viewed from the west
References
- ^ Eastern Daily Press news item Retrieved March 4, 2008
- ^ Pier repairs 2008 Retrieved April 21, 2008
- ^ a b Cromer history Retrieved April 12, 2008
- ^ The Flesh and Blood Show Retrieved April 14, 2008
- ^ Most Haunted TV series Retrieved 19 February 2010
External links
- Cromer Pier web site
- Cromer Pier History at "the heritage trail" web site
- Pictures of Cromer Pier
- For further information see The Story of Cromer Pier by Christopher Pipe (Poppyland Publishing, 1998).ISBN 094614852X
Coordinates: 52°56′03″N 1°18′06″E / 52.934278°N 1.301622°E
Categories:- Piers in England
- Buildings and structures in Norfolk
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