Victoria Pier
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Victoria Pier is a pier in the seaside resort of Colwyn Bay on the coast of North Wales between Rhyl and Llandudno. It is 750ft (227m) long.
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[edit] History
Designed by Maynall & Littlewoods of Manchester, Colwyn Bay's Victoria Pier was one of the later British piers to be built, with construction starting in June 1899 and it opening on 1st June 1900. As first constructed, the pier was just 316ft (96m) long and 40ft (12m) wide, comprising a timber promenade deck with seating and railings along its length, and a 2,500 seat 'Moorish' style pavilion. The pavilion was set to the right of the deck, with a walkway allowing access to the pier-head to the left. In 1903, the Victoria Pier Company decided to extend the neck to a length of 750ft (227m) in order to facilitate outdoor theatrical performances.
A 600 seat 'Bijou' theatre was built at the pier head in 1917 for the purposes of light entertainment. The main Pavilion building was completely destroyed by fire in 1922. The Victoria Pier company suffered serious financial difficulties after the fire. As a result, Colwyn Bay Urban District Council purchased the pier and work began immediately to rebuild the pavilion. In July 1923 the second pavilion was opened, at a cost of £45,000. Unfortunately, disaster struck again on the 16th May 1933, when the second pavilion was destroyed by fire, followed on the 28th July 1933 by a fire that destroyed the Bijou theatre.
Once again, Colwyn Bay Urban District Council set about rebuilding, and the present pavilion was opened on Tuesday, 8th May 1934 at a cost of £16,000, but the Bijou theatre was never rebuilt. Increasing usage of the pier led the council to introduce a twopenny toll (free after 6pm) in 1936, which included the price of a deckchair and listening to the band. The purpose of the toll, said the council, was to prevent 'indiscriminate lounging on the pier'. In the pavilion, Ernest Binns presented 'The Colwyn Follies', with seats at two shillings, one shilling and sixpence.
During the 1950s and 60s, the pier began a period of gentle decline. In 1953, the pavilion's tearoom, which had been a year-round meeting place for 40 years, started closing for the Winter. In 1956, the line up of entertainment in the pavilion was as follows: Monday: Bingo, Tuesday: Wrestling, Wednesday: Amateur Talent Show, Thursday: Old Time Dancing, Friday: Popular Dance, Saturday: Young People's dance. 1958 saw the end of the Summer variety shows in the pavilion. In 1959, the variety shows were replaced by a small orchestra of six musicians; over 20,000 people paid 9 pence each that year to attend the afternoon concerts, with another 10,000 attending in the evenings. By 1961, falling audiences forced the council to reduce the orchestra to three musicians. 1962 saw the council admit defeat for live performances and install pre-recorded orchestral music.
In 1968, ownership of the pier passed from the local council to Entam Leisure, a division of Trust House Forte. Entam Leisure decided that the pier needed modernisation in order to prosper; this involved the building of the Golden Goose Amusements in a large new modern building on the pier neck, the opening of the Golden Fry Restaurant in the old tearooms, and the conversion of the pavilion into the Dixieland Showbar. As part of this work, the ornate Moorish toll booths at the entrance to the pier were removed in order to create an open aspect to the pier entrance.
During the 1970s, the Dixieland Showbar hosted many live concerts, featuring groups/acts such as Motorhead, The Damned, Siouxie & The Banshees, Elvis Costello, Slade, Budgie, The Specials, Jackie Wilson, Madness, Cockney Rejects.
In 1979, the pier was sold again, this time to Rhyl based leisure operators, Parkers Leisure (Holdings) Ltd. They converted the Dixieland Showbar into CJ's Nightclub and built an extension onto the front of the Golden Goose Amusements, to create a larger entrance/amusements area. 1987 saw the entire seaward end of the pier being closed to the general public, on grounds of safety. In 1991, Parkers Leisure closed down their amusement and disco businesses on the pier. Vandals attacked the pier in the period after closure, smashing most of the windows in the former Golden Goose Amusements and breaking into the pavilion in order to set fire to it. In 1993, Colwyn Borough Council gave permission to demolish the pavilion and seaward end of the pier, but the work was never carried out.
[edit] Recent History
August 1994 saw new hope for the beleaguered pier, as marine engineer Mike Paxman bought it and stated he intended to restore it to its former glory. Mr. Paxman carried out work to repair the pier's decking and subdivided the former Golden Goose Amusements building into several smaller business, including a bar, cafe, shops and amusements, which opened on April 1st 1996. He also intended to reopen the pavilion as a nightclub but did not have sufficient funding to do so. He eventually put the pier up for sale in 2003 by advertising it on auction site Ebay but it failed to sell.
On December 11th 2003, the pier was bought by Cambridgeshire businessman Steve Hunt, who sold his house in order to fund the six figure purchase price. He reopened the pier on Saturday 17th January 2004 and announced his intention to gradually restore the decaying structure. He has a particular interest in restoring the pier's Art Deco Pavilion, built in 1933.
At present (2008), the entrance building houses a fishing tackle shop, cafe, bar (which was extended, refurbished and renamed 'Oddities' for the 2008 season) and a selection of amusement machines. The pavilion is home to various special events such as the successful annual art exhibition. A small section of the pier neck is open to the public, mainly housing an outdoor seating area for the bar. The main area of the pier neck is closed to the general public but is open for fishing, subject to the purchase of a permit.
[edit] References
- Geoffrey Edwards Colwyn Bay 1934-1974 Colwyn Borough Council 1984.
