Royal Pier, Aberystwyth
The Royal Pier, from Aberystwyth seafront looking south
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| Type | Pleasure |
|---|---|
| Carries | pedestrians |
| Spans | Cardigan Bay |
| Locale | Aberystwyth, Wales |
| Design | Eugenius Birch |
| Construction | hardwood decking on iron piles |
| Owner | Don Leisure |
| Total length | 242 metres (794 ft) |
| Opening date | 1865 |
| Coordinates | 52°24′57″N 4°05′16″W / 52.4159°N 4.0878°WCoordinates: 52°24′57″N 4°05′16″W / 52.4159°N 4.0878°W |
The Royal Pier, Aberystwyth is a pleasure pier located in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. The first pier to open in Wales in 1865, after a series of storm attacks, it is now a much shortened version of its originally constructed length of 242 metres (794 ft).
In the health conscious Victorian era, Aberystwyth had developed quickly as a holiday resort. Lying at the centre of the West Wales coastline, with Cardigan Bay beyond, it was billed as the "Biarritz of Wales." Commissioned by a consortium of local business people under the name of the Aberystwyth Pier Promenade Company, the pier was designed and constructed by noted pier-engineer Eugenius Birch, in conjunction with local contractors J. E. Dowson. The structure had iron rod braces, cast iron piles and supporting columns concreted into the rock. Total construction costs were £13,600.
Opened on Good Friday in 1865, the 242 metres (794 ft) pier attracted 7,000 toll paying visitors on its first day of opening, the same day that the Cambrian Railways line from Machynlleth officially opened. However, this was the high point of the pier under its original owners, when seven months later in January 1866, a severe storm washed away a 30 metres (98 ft) section at the seaward end.
The original owners could not afford to replace the lost section, and so sold the pier in 1872. The new owners replaced the lost section with a new 70 metres (230 ft) thinner section, and built a new head gallery and refreshments stall.
Around the start of the 20th century, a new glass pavilion designed by Gordon Croydon-Marks was added. Erected by Bourne Engineering & Electrical Company, it consisted of three aisles surmounted by glass domed roofs, with the iron work decorated in a Gothic-style. Opened by the Princess of Wales on 26 July 1896, the pavilion could accommodate 3,000 people.
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