Back before there were affordable flights or holiday parks, most Brits went to the UK seaside for their summer holidays. People flocked from inland to enjoy the water and the sand, and, if they were lucky, a pier full of games and attractions.
Only a few Victorian piers are still standing today, and most of them are in need of some serious TLC, including the Grade-II listed wooden promenade in Southport. It’s an uphill battle for any pier to access enough funding to save itself from rot and ruin, but luckily for Southport a £20 million pledge from the government has secured its future.
Dating back the 1860s, Southport Pier is the second longest in the country at 1.1 kilometres, and brings an estimated £15 million to the local economy every year. Or it did, before it was shut down in 2022 due to safety concerns. Since then it’s sat completely untouched, except for a minor fire in August caused by faulty electrics.
Marion Atkinson, the leader of the local Sefton council, told the BBC that the pier is ‘a structure with a rich history’, but that a ‘poor refurbishment programme.. left [it] very vulnerable’. That scheme, which was carried out in 2002 for £7 million added a tram, but did not adequately future-proof the structure.
But that was more than two decades ago, and things are looking more positive today. Improvement works are due to begin in 2026, with a view to reopen by mid 2027. The entire pier will be refurbished, including reinforcing or replacing rotting wood boards and rusty steel supports, and new gates and security cameras will be installed. A detailed long-term maintenance plan has been drawn up for once the initial restoration works are complete.
Atkinson said: ‘The pier is a symbol of Southport’s identity, history and now, thanks to the council and central government, secured for the town's future too.’
Elsewhere, the Grade II* listed Birnbeck Pier secured the money it needs for restoration back in September, and Kent Pier is also set to get a makeover next summer.
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