150 years and counting! 2011 marks major milestone in history of Clarence Pier
ALL piers around the UK have a long history and one which is celebrating a particularly significant milestone in 2011 is Clarence Pier in Southsea, situated next to Portsmouth harbour on the south coast. The original Clarence Pier was built in 1861 and opened
by the Prince and Princess of Wales. From 1866 to 1873 the pier had a tramline which ran from Portsmouth Town railway station right onto the pier, from where passengers and their luggage would travel across The Solent to the Isle of Wight on steamers. The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) opened the pavilion in August 1882 and in 1905 a concrete extension was added to accommodate an increase in boat traffic. Further extensions were made in 1932 when a café, sun deck and concourse hall were added. Unfortunately, the pier was bombed in 1941 by the
Luftwaffe during the heaviest air raid on Portsmouth of World War Two (the hole made by the shell that night can still be viewed) but in 1953 the first pile of the reconstructed, lower structure was driven. Six years later, the rebuilding of the superstructure
began to the design of Messrs. A.E. Cogswell and Sons in association with Portsmouth architects R. Lewis Reynish, while Mouchel and Partners of London designed the deck and landing stage. Clarence Pier reopened in its present form 20 years after
being bombed, in 1961, featuring a 60ft steel framed tower, and is synonymous with Southsea. Unusual in that it is much wider than it is long, it has since entertained visitors to the area with a varied selection of attractions and facilities, including concert parties and shows, a dolphinarium show featuring dolphins, sea lions and penguins, a Wall of Death, a wide selection of fun fair rides and attractions, amusement arcades, ten pin bowling,
a
children’s play area and fast food outlets. And it is still owned by the
original company that built it – in fact the oldest company in the county of Hampshire and the third oldest in the UK – the Southsea Clarence Esplanade Pier Company Ltd. (Est. 1861) and operated by Billy Manning Ltd., Billy Manning’s grand- daughter Jill Norman and husband Jimmy now running the site. Today, the pier continues in a similar guise with the
outdoor area home to a large selection of rides and other attractions which are regularly updated and refreshed. For the 2011 season, for example, a new double deck high ropes adventure course, christened Pier Pressure, has been installed at one end of the pier overlooking the sea. Supplied by UK company Innovative Leisure, it is enjoying great success.
“So far it’s going very well as word about it spreads,”
noted Jimmy Norman. “We’re getting a lot of repeat visitors and a lot more youngsters on it than we initially envisaged. And they’re not afraid to go straight to the top either!” The high ropes course is one of three attractions in the
outside area of the pier that are charged for separately, along with the Water Walkers inflatables and the Horror Express ride - all other rides are operated on a wristband system – and it has been joined this year by another new attraction in the form of the Speedy Gonzales coaster from Daniel Pinfari. Both have been installed on an area previously filled by a Reverchon Log Flume which was removed at the end of 2010.
46 InterPark May-June 2011
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