Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare
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| Official name | Grand Pier |
|---|---|
| Type | Pleasure pier |
| Locale | Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England |
| Construction | P. Munroe |
| Owner | Michelle & Kerry Michael |
| Total length | 400 m (1,300 ft) |
| Width | Promenade 13 m (43 ft) Pavilion 65 m (213 ft) |
| Opening date | 11 June 1904 |
| Toll | £1 per person (free entry for children in pushchairs and for visitors with pre-bookings at Tiffany's) |
| Coordinates | 51°20′52″N 2°58′56″W / 51.347668°N 2.982254°WCoordinates: 51°20′52″N 2°58′56″W / 51.347668°N 2.982254°W |
The Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare is a pleasure pier on the Bristol Channel approximately 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Bristol. It is located in North Somerset.
The pier is privately owned and is one of three in the town together with Birnbeck Pier, which stands derelict awaiting possible restoration, and the much shorter SeaQuarium aquarium built towards the south end of the seafront. It is supported by 600 iron piles, and is 400 metres (1,300 ft) long.
The Grand Pier has been damaged by fire on two occasions, in 1930 and 2008. Following the 2008 fire, which completely destroyed the pavilion, the pier was rebuilt at a cost of £39,000,000 and reopened on 23 October 2010.
Work began on building the pier on 7 November 1903, with P. Munroe acting as engineer, and it opened on 11 June 1904. At the pier's end was a 2,000 seat theatre which was used as a music hall and for opera, stage plays and ballet. On 16 May 1907 an extension of the pier measuring 500 yards (1,500 ft) was opened, with the intention that the pier would be used as a docking point for boats to Cardiff. The dangerous currents in the bay made this too difficult, however, and the extension was demolished.
The theatre at the pier's end was destroyed by fire on 13 January 1930. As the building was underinsured the pier was put up for sale and bought by Leonard Guy, who opened a £60,000 new pavilion three years later. This second pavilion housed a large undercover funfair rather than a theatre.
The pier was sold in 1946 to Mr. A Brenner, who went on to improve the pier's facilities, adding new shops and an amusement arcade to the pavilion in the early 1970s. As a result of the extra investment, the pier became a Grade II listed building in 1974. It won the National Piers Society Pier of the Year award in 2001. One scene from the film The Remains of the Day was filmed here in 1992.
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