Skegness Pier is a real jewel in the crown of Lincolnshire’s coastline. Hailed as the east coast’s biggest and most well loved pleasure pier, it has, despite a troubled and turbulent past, been re-incarnated, into very much a 21st Century pier, with all that the 21st Century has to offer tourists and visitors.
As it stands today, the pier is almost unrecognisable from the first one that was built in Victorian times. The railway arrived in Skegness in 1872 and shortly afterwards came the tourists and day trippers, all keen to fill their lungs with that bracing and invigorating sea air. The pier was constructed during 1880 and opened in 1881. Such was its prominence that it was actually opened by the Duke of Edinburgh (of the time).
Like so many other buildings the pier was constructed with a great deal of pride and not just civic pride, but a pride in the era in which it was built. The Victorians simply did not do shy, retiring and discreet buildings, instead they channelled their creative energies into big, lavish statements and Skegness pier was certainly one of these.
With a length of over 1817 feet, a width of 25 feet and an elaborate gothic archway leading to its entrance, which was, at the time at the top of a flight of 8 steps, the pier was simply awesome. This really was Victorian grandeur at its very best. Even the fact that it was accessed by 8 steps was a classic indication of its elevated status.
The pier was also not without its facilities and these were particularly modern for the time. An impressive pier head, constructed in a neat T shape, provided a concert hall, which had been designed to accommodate 700 people.
Soon it was to become a firm favourite with the crowds. By 1889 it was already attracting numbers, which sometimes topped 20,000 people a day. When you consider no one had a car, this was a serious amount of visitors. But people flocked to Skegness and it has always remained a favourite with many day trippers or people having short breaks. It is not as brash as Blackpool or Brighton, nor has it the slightly elderly and genteel feel of Llandudno; it is more a mixture of families, from grandparents to tiny toddlers.
As visitors started to take Skegness into their hearts, the facilities on offer also increased to cater for their tastes. Various musical acts trod the boards, as well as military bands and occasional crowd pullers such as confetti battles. Skegness pier has never tried to be something that it is not and has no pretentious airs or graces about it, but it is a place to come and have fun and simply enjoy the day or a couple of days. And so it was in Victorian times and through the early part of the 20th Century.
Despite the advent of the First World War, the pier continued to thrive, particularly after 1918, when the war had ended. But this was to be short lived, for in 1919, a schooner crashed through the pier, causing a breach in the pier, which was replaced by a temporary gangway to cross the damaged area.
This temporary facility lasted until 1939, when the damage had been fully restored to its former glory. But the Second World War meant that parts of the pier had to be closed off to prevent invasion.
Finally, it opened again in 1948, with a wider range of tourist attractions, such as a cinema, shops and of course amusement arcade type games.
The pier sustained some flood damage in 1953, but was only significantly refurbished in 1971, when shops were replaced and the cafes and amusement arcades were all housed within one framework. The concert hall, by this time a theatre, was also replaced and it now had over 1,000 seats.
However, disaster was soon to strike in the form of serious damage, which was caused by a storm in 1978. The theatre was effectively cast adrift from the rest of the pier, which had been extensively damaged and was left to languish as various experts tried to sort out what to do with it.
Eventually, in 1985, work began to demolish it, since it was feared that due to its dereliction it might have presented a hazard for boats in the area. However, further problems were to be faced when the theatre caught fire as it was being demolished. The only remains of the theatre are now home to a bowling centre and various other attractions.
A recent refurbishment and extension of the pier has recently been completed and it is now proud to have a 100 metre pier and a fantastic new pier head, with a whole host of modern attractions: but sadly, no theatre.
Skegness Pier, unlike many of her counterparts, is now a modern construction and not a Victorian or Edwardian architectural treasure. Often referred to within the north of England as Skeggers, the pier is nonetheless; much loved and offers a great family day out.
There is quite lot to do here, although if you are an architecture buff, Skegness Pier will not take your breath away (or at least not in a positive sense) but given that it is one of the biggest leisure attractions on the east cost, it has a full range of facilities.
Skegness does not have the number of fairground rides that other piers offer, but it has a state of the art laserquest as well as 10 pin bowling, ‘glowbowling’, which is straight from the US and a really great camel racing experience, for the young at heart or those who like to have a good time. There is even a kids activity centre, where the kids can play, even if it is wet, which is a real bonus in late or early season.
So whatever the weather or whatever you are interested in, Skegness has something to offer everyone. The emphasis for Skegness is very much on family fun, which makes it a very vibrant place, but also one that is suitable for all ages.
Since it was extensively refurbished and modernised, it is now all on one level which is great for anyone who has difficulty walking or if you have a pushchair.
There is no entrance fee to the pier itself, but fees are applicable if you want to try your hand at bowling or the children want to go to the Adventureland.
It isn’t the longest pier in the world, at only 100 metres, but you can get a good view from the end of the pier and it is particularly refreshing on a hot sunny day, to get the slightly cooler air at the end of the pier. But conversely, if the weather is wet and windy, then there is plenty to do inside. Due to the fact that it is a short pier, the range of marinelife to be seen isn’t great, but there are quite a few birds around, particularly at the end of the pier. So it may be worth taking a stroll down and just checking out what is around.
Skegness pier may not be the most beautiful in the world, but it is a modern interpretation of a seaside resort and as such it has a lot of modern games to play and quite up to date eating facilities. Try the pastries and cakes with some delicious coffee, or perhaps indulge in a panini and simply enjoy the air: it really is bracing, but also quite invigorating!