Clevedon Pier

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**Clevedon Pier**
The pier at mid-tide from Clevedon seafront
Type	Victorian Pleasure Pier
Carries	pedestrians
Spans	estuary of the River Severn
Locale	Somerset, England
Design	John William Grover & Richard Ward
Owner	Clevedon Pier and Heritage Trust Charity
Longest span	eight 100 ft arched spans
Total length	312 metres
Opening date	1869
Toll	Adults £1.50, Concessions £1.00, Children £0.75
Coordinates	51°26′36″N 2°51′48″W / 51.4432, -2.8632Coordinates: 51°26′36″N 2°51′48″W / 51.4432, -2.8632

Clevedon Pier is a seaside pier in the town of Clevedon, on the English side of the mouth of the River Severn and the Bristol Channel.

The landing stage at the end of the pier is occasionally used by ships, notably the Waverley and her sister ship, the Balmoral, and is a popular spot for angling. There is a cafe at the pierhead, and a shop selling souvenirs at the toll house. The upper floor of the toll house is occasionally used for art exhibitions. The pier is open every day of the year (except Christmas Day).

1 History
- 1.1 Restoration
2 Pier Opening Times
3 Awards
4 External links

[edit] History

Opened in 1869, it is partially constructed from Isambard Kingdom Brunel's second-hand railway lines, and is 225 metres (738 ft) long and 14.5 metres (48 ft) tall. The tidal range at this part of the estuary can be up to 14 metres (46 ft) and the landing stage at the end of the pier has several levels to allow boats to dock at all stages of the tide. The Toll House on the pier and adjacent Royal Pier Hotel were both designed by local architect Hans Price.

On October 17, 1970, the final span of the pier collapsed during stress testing, where long polythene tanks resting on the pier were filled with water, to create a pressure of 50 p.s.i. (2.4 kPa).

[edit] Restoration

The pavilions from the end of the pier were taken ashore for storage, in anticipation of eventual restoration. Sufficient funds were not forthcoming, however, and the first stage was simply to open the Toll House as an exhibition centre in 1980.

Pier from toll house, showing replaced boards and side seating

After a long campaign by local people to raise funds for restoration (supported by Sir John Betjeman), the pier eventually reopened. One fundraising method was "sponsored planks" — small brass plaques with names or messages are inlaid on the wooden planks and benches, recording donations. The major breakthrough came in 1984, when English Heritage and the National Heritage Memorial Fund granted a million pounds towards the restoration, with smaller sums from Woodspring district council and other funding bodies.

The pier was dismantled and restored in Portishead dock. On May 27, 1989, the reconstruction of the pier spans and decking was completed and the pier was reopened to great fanfare. The pierhead was still shut, however, and it was not until May 23, 1998 that it was finally restored and opened to the public, thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. In 2001 the pier was upgraded to a grade 1 listed building, the only other pier with this status being Brighton's West Pier (largely destroyed by fire and storms between 2002 and 2004).