Llandudno Pier

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Llandudno Pier
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Llandudno Pier showing the later reverse extension going to the left to pass the Grand Hotel.
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Passengers hurrying in the rain to join the penultimate sailing of the Lady of Mann from Llandudno Pier to the Isle of Man on May 26 2005. This Manx ship has since been sold for use elsewhere.]
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Llandudno pierhead and landing stage viewed from the deck of the MV Balmoral on July 14 2006.]
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MV Balmoral awaiting passengers at Llandudno Pier for an afternoon cruise to the Menai Bridge, Puffin Island and Red Wharf Bay on July 14 2006.] Llandudno Pier is a pier in the seaside resort of Llandudno on the coast of North Wales between Bangor and Colwyn Bay.

At 2,295 ft the pier is the longest in Wales and the fifth longest in England and Wales. A British Tourist Authority report in 1975 said of it: '.... It zooms out of the sea.... in a spectacular Indian Gothic style rather like a Maharajah's palace floating on a lake. Cast iron, brackets of iron lacework, an outstandingly pretty balustrade like an enlarged fish net, ogee roofs curling away to the sky, all add up to a totally pleasurable experience.'

The pier is very unusual in that it has two entrances, one on the promenade at North Parade and the other, the original entrance, on Happy Valley Road. Between the two entrances is the Grand Hotel. At the end of the pier is a deep-water landing stage, completely rebuilt for the third time in 1969, which is used by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company for occasional excursions to Douglas, Isle of Man and for an annual visit of the PS Waverley or the MV Balmoral preserved steamers. The June 2007 sailings of the Balmoral were rescheduled to start at Menai Bridge Pier, after it emerged that Llandudno Pier's Landing Stage was no longer safe to use.

Llandudno Pier is often chosen for Victorian and Edwardian seaside filming locations and notably for the 2002 TV production of "The Forsyte Saga".

In 2005 the pier was voted "Pier of the Year 2005" by the members of the National Piers Society

History

The pier had its origins in a much shorter pier of just 242 ft built on 16 wooden piles and opened in 1858 by the St George's Harbour and Railway Company, which had just completed its branch line from Llandudno to Conwy via a junction with the Chester and Holyhead Railway near the present Llandudno Junction railway station to which the branch was soon diverted. That short pier was built to protect the rights of its owners to a much more ambitious scheme to build a major port in Llandudno Bay. Unfortunately, the pier was severely damaged in the great storm of October 25, 1859, which caused the loss of 223 ships and 800 people in British coastal waters. Although repaired and used for a further 16 years, the pier was too short and could only be used by steam ships at high tide.

The present pier, built for the Llandudno Pier Company by Walter Macfarlane of Glasgow using iron castings from the Glasgow Elmbank foundry, was opened to the public on August 1, 1877. The landwards extension to the same design, still in deep water and also supported on iron columns, was opened in 1884 and a new landing stage was added in 1891. In 1969 the landing stage was totally rebuilt in concrete and steel, which enabled its use by the largest Isle of Man Steamers then in use. The wooden decking has been extensively renewed in recent years, and the superstructure is maintained systematically. The pier is currently owned by Six Piers Ltd, a Blackpool based leisure company.

The Pier Pavilion

In accordance with a tradition that lasted at Llandudno at least until the 1939-45 war, the public were charged for admission to the pier. In return, the promenaders initially received musical entertainment from a band stand at the pier head and a small orchestra was established in 1877. The notable French musician, Jules Rivière was appointed to take charge of that little orchestra in 1887.

Rivière soon persuaded the pier management to move the orchestral performances to their massive Pier Pavilion, built on land adjacent to the main entrance from the promenade, and which had opened in September 1886. Rivière's Orchestra at the Llandudno Pier Pavilion was a great success and was quickly trebled in size to symphony proportions. It contributed to the development of that great British summer entertainment, the promenade concert. The young Henry Wood came to Llandudno to observe the then elderly Rivière at work. The pavilion was destroyed by fire in 1994 and not rebuilt. For the full history see the complete Pier Pavilion article.

Awards

*Llandudno Pier is a Grade II listed building.
*2005 — National Piers Society — Pier of the Year [http://www.piers.co.uk/ne0305pr.htm]

References

*Ivor Wynne Jones. "Llandudno Queen of Welsh Resorts" Landmark, Ashbourne Derbyshire 2002 ISBN 1-84306-048-5 .

External links

* [http://www.llandudnoonline.co.uk/pages/pier.html The history of Llandudno Pier]
* [http://www.olle.co.uk/ 'Old Llandudno' Enthusiasts]
* [http://www.llandudno-forum.co.uk/ Llandudno Forum]
* [http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/piers/llandudno%20pier.htm History of Llandudno Pier]
* [http://www.greatorme.org.uk/balmoral.html Afternoon cruise from Llandudno to view Beaumaris, Bangor and Menai Bridge Piers]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/davellandudno/sets/72157600076366492/ Llandudno Pier Photo Gallery]