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Bygone days of a seaside pleasure with the North Bay pier
A BOOK celebrating Yorkshire's piers, including one in Scarborough, has been published giving a detailed written and photographic account of the seaside pleasures.
Yorkshires Seaside Piers by Martin Easdown, provides an interesting insight into pleasure piers and, in particular, the lost piers from Hornsea, Coatham, Redcar and Scarborough.
The book shows the piers in all their glory as well as in their demise and contains exerts from newspapers, including the Scarborough Mercury, from the time when the piers were in use.
Mr Easdown has not only researched the piers and how they came to be constructed, but also looks into the men that built them and the hazards they had to contend with.
Throughout the book, Scarborough is mentioned and Easdown documents the building of the pier and its initial hostile reaction from some townsfolk, through to its demise.
Scarborough's pier was the first pier to be built when it was opened in 1868.
The book points out that Scarborough has been popular with visitors since 1616 when Elizabeth Farrier discovered the underground spring that led to the establishment of the Spa.
"Scarborough's unique stance as the only major spa to be located by the sea, thus led it to also become Britain's first seaside resort," says the book.
"By 1733 the world's first bathing machines were in use and in 1787 there were 26 operating in the South Bay."
It points out that those who invested in pier promotion and construction companies, expected to reap bumper benefits, however they were to have their fingers burnt, this was the case with Scarborough and several others.
In 1863 the Scarborough Marine Promenade and Jetty Company was formed to build a pier in the South Bay.
Pictures reproduced courtesy of the Marlinova Collection, Scarborough Collection Centre and publishers It would be 1,410 feet long and 45 feet wide with a pier head housing a saloon and refreshment rooms.
A landing stage would allow use of the pier by boats at all states of the tide and moveable six foot screens would prevent promenaders looking down on bathers.
The book states: “Unfortunately there was fierce opposition to the scheme, not only from the Scarborough Piers and Harbour Commissioners, but also from Scarborough Corporation and many townsfolk.”
No more was heard of that plan but three year’s later in 1866 the first pile for a pier was sunk in the North Bay, the pier would be 1,000 feet long and 23 feet wide terminating in a pier head.
It was first opened to the public on May 1 1869 and had cost 15,000 to build, however within a few years visitor numbers began to decline.
In January 1905 the pier was almost totally wrecked in a gale leaving just the entrance and pier head standing and on August 11 the Scarborough Mercury reported: “The old pavilion disappeared on Wednesday morning.”
Mr Easdown states that because of its history of storm damage the pier could not be insured and it was decided it would be unwise to rebuild it in view of its unprofitable past.
Following Scarborough’s lead other piers were built along the East Coast, Saltburn-on-sea (1869), Coatham (1872), Withernsea (1877), Hornsea (1880) and Mr Easdown writes how this led them into competition with one another.
Mr Easdown was a member of the National Piers Society for 20 years and he was also the editor of the Society’s journal ‘Piers’ for six years.
He has written six books about piers and has held the post of archivist of the National Piers Society since 1994.
The book is printed by Wharncliffe Books an imprint of Pen & Sword Books Limited and is out now priced at 12.99
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Weather for Scarborough
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: 0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
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Light snow
Temperature: -2 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
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