Wikipedia

Clevedon Pier

For the album by Andy Davis, seeClevedon Pier (album).

Clevedon Pieris a seasidepierin the town ofClevedon,Somerset, England on the east shore of theSevern Estuary.It was described bySir John Betjeman,as "the most beautiful pier in England" and was designated a Grade Ilisted buildingin 2001.[1]

Clevedon Pier
The pier from Clevedon seafront
TypeVictorian Pleasure Pier
CarriesPedestrians
SpansEstuary of theRiver Severn
LocaleSomerset,England
OwnerNorth SomersetCouncil
TollAdults £3.70, Children (4-15yrs) £2.50, Family (2 adults + up to 3 children) £10.00. Children under 4 free.
Characteristics
Longest spanEight 30-metre (100 ft) arched spans
Total length310 metres (1,020 ft)
Width5.0 metres (16.5 ft)
Clearance below4.3 metres (14 ft) (high water)
History
DesignerHans Price
Opening date1869
ListedGrade I listed
Coordinates51°26′36″N2°51′48″W/ 51.4432°N 2.8632°W/51.4432; -2.8632

The pier was built during the 1860s to attract tourists and provide a ferry port for rail passengers toSouth Wales.The pier is 312 m (1,024 ft) long and consists of eight spans supported by steel rails covered by wooden decking, with a pavilion on the pier head.

The pier opened in 1869 and served as an embarkation point forpaddle steamerexcursions for almost 100 years. Two of the spans collapsed during stress testing in 1970 and demolition was proposed, but local fund raising and heritage grants allowed the pier to be dismantled for restoration and reassembled. It reopened in 1989, and ten years later was awarded the Pier of the Year from theNational Piers Society,and a Civic Trust Award. The pier now offers a landing stage for steamers and is a popular attraction for tourists and anglers.

Location

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Clevedon Pier

The pier projects from the seafront at Clevedon into the Severn Estuary, which separatesSouth West EnglandfromSouth Wales.The pier and toll house, where entry fees are collected, are adjacent to theRoyal Pier Hotel,originally known as The Rock House and built in 1823 by Thomas Hollyman.[2]

The shore at Clevedon is a mixture of pebbled beaches and low rocky cliffs, with the old harbour being at the western edge of the town at the mouth of theLand Yeoriver. The rocky beach has been designated as theClevedon Shoregeological Site of Special Scientific Interest.It is the side of a mineralisedfault,which runs east–west adjacent to the pier, and forms a small cliff feature inDolomiticConglomerateon the north side of Clevedon Beach, containing cream to pinkbarytetogether withsulfides.The minerals identified at the site include:haematite,chalcopyrite,tennantite,galena,tetrahedrite,bornite,pyrite,marcasite,enargiteandsphalerite.Secondary alteration of this assemblage has producedidaite,covelliteand othercopper sulfides.[3]The nearest parking to the pier entrance is on an esplanade above the rocky beach.

History

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The pier circa 1880

Construction

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During theVictorian era,Clevedon became a popularseaside town,having previously been an agricultural village.[4]Due to improving transport links, via theClevedon Branch Line,Clevedon was able to cater for the late 19th century craze for bathing in the sea withsaltwater bathsadjacent to the pier (since demolished, though the foundations can still be seen), andbathing machineson the main beach.[5]Many English seaside resorts built piers in the 1850s to attract tourists. At Clevedon tourism grew following the opening of a branch line fromYatton railway stationwhich connected it to theBristol to Exeter line,enabling travel from the rest of the country. It was also proposed that a pier could form part of a route from London to South Wales with the use of steamers to cross the Severn Estuary.[6]Anenabling actwas submitted to parliament in 1864.[7]

In November 1866, the Clevedon Pier Company was formed at a public meeting in the town. The directors includedSir Arthur EltonofClevedon Court.Construction of the pier started at a cost of £10,000, withJohn William Groverand Richard Ward as the engineers andHans Priceas the architect.[8]The erection of the iron pillars was undertaken by Hamilton Windsor Ironworks Co. ofGarston,Liverpool. The legs were constructed fromBarlow railwhich had previously been used onIsambard Kingdom Brunel'sSouth Wales Railway,with wood planks for the decking.[9]By August 1868 600 ft (183 m) of the pier had been built and the final section was completed by February 1869.

Opening and operation

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The pavilion on the pier head

The pier was officially opened on 29 March 1869, with a parade, bands and a cannon volley by the First Somerset Artillery.[10]

The number of rail passengers crossing to South Wales, which had been envisaged, was reduced after the opening of theSevern Tunnelin 1886. The tunnel linkedSouth Gloucestershirein the west of England toMonmouthshirein south Wales, under theestuaryof theRiver Severn.[11][12]The paddle steamerWaverleyfirst visited the pier to take on passengers in 1886, and along with sister ships of the White Funnel Fleet belonging toP and A Campbellprovided excursions around theBristol Channel.Other ships of the fleet includingRavenswood,Westward Ho,CambriaandBritanniaregularly called at Clevedon. Other companies, including the Cardiff-based Edwards, Robertson & Co., eventually taken over by Campbells, visited Clevedon Pier.[8]

In 1893 the pier head was replaced in cast iron with a new timber landing stage, and the pier head pavilion was completed in 1894.[13]The Toll House on the pier and the adjacentRoyal Pier Hotelwere both designed by local architect Hans Price.[14]In 1899, 20 ft (6 m) of the decking was washed away by a storm, and in 1910, part of the landing stage was damaged in another storm and replaced by a concrete landing stage in 1913.[8]

The pier continued to flourish between the First and Second World Wars and into the 1960s, and was visited frequently by P&A Campbell's steamers.[15]ThePSBristol Queen(1946)andPSCardiff Queen(1947)were regular visitors.[16]

Collapse

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On 16 October 1970, spans 7 and 8 of the pier collapsed during stress testing,[17]which had been introduced in the 1950s as a requirement for obtaining insurance cover. The tests involved the placement of polythene tanks 50 ft (15.2 m) long, 5 ft (1.5 m) wide and 2 ft (0.6 m) deep filled to a depth of 10 in (25.4 cm), which created a pressure of 50 psf (2 kPa).[18]This simulated the required load agreed with theMinistry of Transport.[19]

Six tanks were used for each span and left in place for three hours; the 18 tanks used in total allowed three spans to be tested simultaneously. At the end of the three hours the tanks were emptied and dragged along the deck to test further spans. The first six spans passed without problems, but under load the seventh span collapsed, bringing down the eighth and final span, leaving the pier head and pavilion standing.[18]

Restoration

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Pier from toll house, showing replaced boards and side seating

The Clevedon Pier Preservation Society was formed in 1972 and started campaigning for the restoration of the pier. The district council applied for permission to demolish the pier in 1979, but a public enquiry the following year ruled that it should be retained. The pavilions from the end of the pier were taken ashore in 1982 for storage in anticipation of eventual restoration; insufficient funds were available to complete restoration and the first stage was to open the Toll House as an exhibition centre in 1984.

A major breakthrough came in 1984, whenEnglish Heritageand theNational Heritage Memorial Fundgranted a million pounds towards the restoration, with smaller sums fromWoodspringDistrict Council and other funding bodies. The trust, which had been formed by the preservation society, also obtained a 99-year lease. The pier was dismantled in 1985, taken toPortisheaddock for restoration, and reconstructed in 1986.[8]

After a long campaign by local people to raise funds for restoration (supported bySir John Betjeman,who described Clevedon as "the most beautiful pier in England",[8]the pier eventually reopened. Some funds were raised by "sponsored planks" – small brass plaques with names or messages are inlaid on the wooden planks and benches, recording donations. Reconstruction of the pier spans and decking was completed on 27 May 1989, and the pier was reopened to great enthusiasm.[12]The pierhead was still shut, however, and it was not until 23 May 1998 that it was finally restored and opened to the public, as a result of funding from theHeritage Lottery Fund.[19]In 1999 the National Piers Society awarded Clevedon Pier the title of Pier of the Year, and it also won a Civic Trust Award.[13]The pier was re-designated a Grade 1listed buildingin 2001,[14][20][21]the only other pier with this status beingBrighton'sWest Pier(largely destroyed by fire and storms between 2002 and 2004).[22]

The landing stage at the end of the pier is used throughout the summer season (June to September) by theWaverleyand her sister ship, theBalmoral,and is a popular spot forangling.[23]There is a cafe at the pierhead, and a souvenir shop at the toll house. The upper floor of the toll house is an art gallery with a different exhibition every month. The pier is open every day of the year except Christmas Day. Scenes from the 2010 film,Never Let Me Go,starringKeira Knightleywere filmed near Clevedon pier during 2009,[24]and the pier also featured on the promotional posters.One Direction's music video for their single "You & I"was filmed on Clevedon Pier.[25]An appeal was launched in 2012 to raise £1.6 million for a new visitor centre and educational facility,[26]an additional £800,000 of grants have been applied for to cover the cost of repainting the legs of the structure.[27]In December 2012 it was announced that the pier had received £720,000 of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to improve the visitor centre.[28]

In October 2024, following the death of One Direction singerLiam Payne,the pier became a vigil site, with fans arriving to lay flowers at the One Direction plaque, which was installed to commemorate the filming of the music video, in Payne's memory.[29]The pier's management also issued a statement of condolence.[30]

Engineering

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The pier is next to theRoyal Pier Hotel;thebeach in frontis asite of special scientific interest

The pier is 312 m (1,024 ft) long[31]and 48 ft (15 m) above high water. Each of the eight spans is 100 ft (30 m) long. The legs are made up of Barlow rails which are riveted together; one of the rails separates from the main support close to the deck at the top, forming a transverse truss joining a rail from the opposite leg of the pier and longitudinal bracing is provided by further rails. The supporting piles, which are made of cast iron, are 2 ft (0.6 m) in diameter at the seabed.[32]In total approximately 370 tons of wrought iron was used.[33]

The Severn Estuary has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world, up to 48 ft (15 m),[34][35][36]second only to theBay of Fundyin Eastern Canada.[37][38]The estuary's funnel shape, its tidal range, and the underlying geology of rock, gravel and sand, produce strong tidal streams and highturbidity,giving the water a notably brown colouration. The tidal range means that the legs of the pier are largely exposed at low tide and hidden at high tide and the landing stage at the end of the pier has several levels to allow boats to dock at all stages of the tide.

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  • Name Plates, Clevedon Pier, Clevedon, England.
  • Name Plates, Clevedon Pier floor name plates.
  • View of support structure from end of Pier.
  • High tide view of Clevedon Pier.
  • View of the pier from Coast Road.
  • Sculpture that stood at the pier tollhouse.
  • Gangway showing the nameplates along the length and breadth of the pier.
  • Original cast iron lamp.
  • The pay to use telescope showing the name plates on the floorboards.
  • View of the tollhouse and Royal Hotel from end of the pier.
  • One of the support legs at low tide
  • South side view of the pier at low tide.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Historic England."The pier including the toll house (1129687)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved2 September2012.
  2. ^Pope, Samantha (29 November 2010)."Major plans for Clevedon Pier and the derelict Royal Pier Hotel".North Somerset Times.Archived fromthe originalon 20 October 2020.Retrieved15 August2017.
  3. ^"Clevedon Shore SSSI"(PDF).English Nature.Archived(PDF)from the original on 24 May 2011.Retrieved30 April2010.
  4. ^"About Clevedon".Clevedon Town Council. Archived fromthe originalon 7 August 2010.Retrieved30 August2010.
  5. ^Campbell page 216
  6. ^"Clevedon Pier".BBC.Archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2012.Retrieved31 August2012.
  7. ^Coombes page 10
  8. ^abcde"History".Clevedon Pier and Heritage Trust.Archivedfrom the original on 29 July 2012.Retrieved1 September2012.
  9. ^"Clevedon Pier".Pastscape.English Heritage.Retrieved2 September2012.
  10. ^Coombes pages 13-17
  11. ^Coombes pages 19-24
  12. ^abStephens, Peter."Pier Review".Somerset Life.Archivedfrom the original on 20 April 2013.Retrieved2 September2012.
  13. ^ab"Clevedon Pier".National Piers Society. Archived fromthe originalon 19 April 2012.Retrieved1 September2012.
  14. ^ab"The Pier, including the Tollhouse".historicengland.org.uk.English Heritage.Retrieved25 October2008.
  15. ^Coombes pages 25-39
  16. ^"P & A Campbell's steamers".paddlesteamers.info.Archivedfrom the original on 14 July 2013.Retrieved22 December2013.
  17. ^Newman page 11
  18. ^abCoombes page 39
  19. ^ab"Clevedon Pier, Somerset".Heritage Trail. Archived fromthe originalon 23 September 2012.Retrieved2 September2012.
  20. ^"Royal Pier Hotel, Marine Parade, Clevedon".North Somerset Council. 8 December 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2007.Retrieved25 October2008.
  21. ^"Pier wins top listing".BBC News. 15 January 2002.Retrieved25 October2008.
  22. ^Kennedy, Maev (25 January 2003)."Pier's death throes prolong agony".The Guardian.London.Archivedfrom the original on 10 September 2014.Retrieved1 September2012.
  23. ^"Clevedon Pier Sea Angling Club".Clevedon Pier Sea Angling Club.Archivedfrom the original on 3 December 2012.Retrieved2 September2012.
  24. ^"Keira Knightley filming Never Let Me Go | Clevedon News".This is Somerset. Archived fromthe originalon 20 October 2009.Retrieved30 April2010.
  25. ^"One Direction fans flock to Clevedon Pier".Bristol Post.22 April 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 18 October 2014.
  26. ^"Clevedon Pier appeal to raise £1.6 m 'well under way'".23 May 2012.BBC.Archivedfrom the original on 26 May 2012.Retrieved1 September2012.
  27. ^"Clevedon Pier seeks £800,000 for urgent repair work".BBC.Archivedfrom the original on 24 June 2012.Retrieved1 September2012.
  28. ^"£1.3m lottery windfall to enhance two of our finest Victorian landmarks".This is Bristol. Archived fromthe originalon 23 December 2012.Retrieved3 February2013.
  29. ^Harcombe, Chloe (21 October 2024)."Pier 'inundated' with tributes to Liam Payne".BBC News.Retrieved20 October2024.
  30. ^Scancariello, Antonio (18 October 2024)."Clevedon Pier pays tribute to One Direction star Liam Payne".North Somerset Times.Retrieved21 October2024.
  31. ^"Clevedon Pier – Some Facts and Figures".Clevedon Pier & Heritage Trust Ltd.Archivedfrom the original on 19 January 2013.Retrieved1 December2012.
  32. ^"Clevedon Pier".Engineering timelines.Archivedfrom the original on 4 March 2016.Retrieved2 September2012.
  33. ^Coombes page 16
  34. ^"Severn Estuary Barrage".UK Environment Agency.31 May 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 30 September 2007.Retrieved3 August2007.
  35. ^"Coast: Bristol Channel".BBC.Archivedfrom the original on 25 May 2006.Retrieved27 August2007.
  36. ^"Severn River Basin District"(PDF).Environment Agency. p. 3. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 3 February 2011.Retrieved28 September2010.
  37. ^Chan page 151
  38. ^"Coast: Bristol Channel".BBC.Archivedfrom the original on 25 May 2006.Retrieved27 August2007.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toClevedon Pier.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by National Piers Society
Pier of the Year
2021 		Succeeded by
incumbent
Preceded by National Piers Society
Pier of the Year
2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by National Piers Society
Pier of the Year
1999 		Succeeded by

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