Southend Pier

[boatme99]

That's some pier, that Southend Pier!


You can see the train about 2/3s of the way out.
I saw a video on it recently. Pretty cool.

[Pip]

The train didn’t run for about 15 years when I was a kid so if you wanted to go to the end, you walked. Just over a mile of being battered by the wind and then the same on the way back. Nothing too dramatic, but the train is certainly more pleasant.

In fact, when I started my apprenticeship in 1984 we had two of the old pier trains in the back yard of the engineering school in Shoeburyness. I wonder if they ever got round to doing anything with them.


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[Pip]

I should add the reason it’s so long: it’s not a sea facing pier, it’s at the end of the Thames Estuary. So the gradient from land to deep water is very slight. The tide goes out more than half a mile I should think. So to have a pier that back in the day big boats could moor up at, with the lifeboats stationed at the end, it has to be long or the water would be too shallow.


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[Seriously]

Some interesting stuff on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southend_Pier

I didn't realise it was the same designer (James Brunlees) that did the Southport one I referred to earlier

[OrangeSport]

I should add the reason it’s so long: it’s not a sea facing pier, it’s at the end of the Thames Estuary. So the gradient from land to deep water is very slight. The tide goes out more than half a mile I should think. So to have a pier that back in the day big boats could moor up at, with the lifeboats stationed at the end, it has to be long or the water would be too shallow.


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Just to expand on that, I believe that it was, at least partly, to ensure day trippers from London could get here if the tide was out (rather than sail on by to other resorts in Kent)

[tribe125]

Just to expand on that, I believe that it was, at least partly, to ensure day trippers from London could get here if the tide was out (rather than sail on by to other resorts in Kent)

I believe that’s true. We tend to forget about the old steamer routes.

[Seriously]

Yeah, it mentions that in the Wikipedia link:

In the early 19th century, Southend was growing as a seaside holiday resort. At the time, it was thought that spending time by the sea was good for one's health, and since it was close to the capital, many Londoners would come to Southend for this reason. However the coast at Southend consists of large mudflats, so the sea is never very deep even at full tide – between 13 and 20 feet (4 and 6 m) – and recedes over one mile (1.6 km) from the beach at low tide. Large boats were unable to stop at Southend near to the beach and no boats at all were able to stop at low tide. This meant that many potential visitors would go past Southend and on to Margate, or other resorts where docking facilities were better.
To counter this trend local dignitaries pushed for a pier to be built. This would allow boats to reach Southend at all tides. The campaign was led by former Lord Mayor of the City of LondonSir William Heygate, 1st Baronet, a resident of Southend.

[is that my watch]

I believe that’s true. We tend to forget about the old steamer routes.

yes holiday in England never really existed before cheap steam / train journeys then those towns that was with in easy reach from major citys became the norm day holidays /weekend etc etc ...remember watching a doc on the invention of steam trains to holidays... from how holidaying on coast was for the rich and famous who could drive to the coast for the day / weekend till the trains open up travel and it became a major holiday locations and of how different cultures tended to certain beaches towns like the kiss me quick of blackpool to the hmm would not know the posh ones I was always in portsmouth or llandudno or borth or Aberystwyth was my playground as a child ..still think it's comical that you had a artillery range and a holiday resort side by side

[Pip]

Some interesting stuff on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southend_Pier

I didn't realise it was the same designer (James Brunlees) that did the Southport one I referred to earlier

Good read. I was telling my son about the Montgomery at the weekend but I couldn’t remember its name.


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[OrangeSport]

All you need to know about my home town can be found here

https://youtu.be/hg8Q1bx-DO8