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Eastbourne Pier. 1865-72, with later additions. The pier itself was designed by Eugenius Birch (1818-1882), and opened in 1870 before all its proposed amenities were completed. A long period of additional work ensued, much of it after Birch's time. Most notably, the Pavilion theatre at the end of the pier, with "camera obscura," and two games pavilions, were added 1901, to the designs of Noel Ridley (1860-1937), followed soon afterwards by windscreens on the central part (1902-03). Further development included a music pavilion (1925), kiosks (1971), and an entrance building (1991). The theatre had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1970, and another blaze in 2014 destroyed the music pavilion, but again, this has been restored. The pier, which is Grade II* listed, was constructed from cast and wrought iron, and wood, with zinc used in the roofing. It is 1000' long and 52' wide (listing text).
Approaching the pier from the promenade.
The pier was built at a time when, as Kathryn Ferry says, "piers had become an essential adjunct to aspiring resorts" (7), but its costly restorations and maintenance indicate its continuing popularity. It was one of a dozen that were mentioned by name in the Institution of Civil Engineers' obituary of Birch (416); he designed fourteen in all, as well as some that were never built (Ferry 5). This one was well-known to Lewis Carroll, who regularly holidayed in Eastbourne and mentions going on the pier in several of his letters.
The New Pier at Eastbourne
A view of the pier in June 1870, when it first opened (but was not yet complete), accompanying the following account of the opening ceremony in the Illustrated London News.
The pleasant seaside town of Eastbourne, situated at the foot of the grand range of the Sussex Downs, close to the end of their cliffs at Beachy Head, and presenting in some of its streets a picturesque combination of neat buildings with the foliage of trees, will be improved with an additional feature of attraction by the completion of the new pier. This structure is but half finished, yet the first portion of it was opened, on Monday week, by Lord Edward Cavendish, son of the Duke of Devonshire, who is one of the chief proprietors of the town. There was a procession, at one o'clock in the day, from the Sussex Hotel, passing through Cornfield-road, Seaside-road, and the Grand Parade. It was headed by the county police and the town band; Lord E. Cavendish was accompanied by the directors of the Eastbourne Pier Company, the engineers and contractors, in several carriages; the Fire Brigade, Odd Fellows, and Foresters, came behind; and the rear was brought up by the life-boat and its crew, drawn on a transport carriage by six fine horses. The opening ceremony was performed on a raised platform covered with blue felt, in the presence of 500 or 600 spectators assembled on the pier. After a prayer by the Rev. H.R. Whelpton, Mr. W. Kirkland, in the absence of Mr. Campion Coles, the secretary, addressed his Lordship, and invited him to declare the pier opened. Lord E. Cavendish did so, with a brief speech, in which he dwelt on the advantages and prospects of Eastbourne. The Rey. Dr. Irwin, Dr. Hayman, the Rey. T. Podmore, and Mr. J. Gosden, chairman of the Pier Company, also took part in the proceedings They were followed by a dinner at the Assembly Rooms, ani athletic sports in the cricket field. The design for this pier was supplied by Mr. E. Birch, civil engineer, of London; and Mr. H. Matravers is the resident engineer. The contractors are Messrs. Head, Wrighton, and Co., of Stockton-on-Tees.
Bibliography
Eastbourne. National Piers Society. Web. 28 March 2026.
Eastbourne Pier, Grand Parade. Historic England. Web. 28 March 2026.
Eugenius Birch. Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Vol. 78 (4/1884): 414-16. The ICE [Institution of Civil Engineers] Virtual Library. Web. 28 March 2026.
Ferry, Kathryn. "The Genius of Eugenius." The Victorian (The Magazine of the Victorian Society). No. 58 (July 2018): 4-7.
"The New Pier at Eastbourne." The Illustrated London News, Vol. 56 (Supplement, 25 June 1870): 661. HathiTrust, from a copy in the University of California Library. Web. 28 March 2026/
Created 28 March 2026