Pier Research: Present and Future

The pier continued to be a thriving holiday and entertainment venue since the fire and gave a lively mix of dance, music and sporting fixtures as well as being a popular venue for dinners, weddings and special interest events.

Pier Research: History

Building for the pier was started in 1875 and was opened in November 1879 by Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar. The original structure was then destroyed in July 1904 by the first of three fires, this then required a full rebuild costing over £12,000. 

Southsea was now considered a major south coast holiday destination and to cater for this, a large pavilion was planned which could house an entertainment theatre.
The new pier was constructed and finished in 1908 and designed by G.E. Smith with construction by Bevis, Yelf & Thorne.
It was just 600 feet long and designed to be a pleasure pier rather than a landing jetty, and was innovative for its time by featuring a deck laid in concrete rather than the traditional timber. Its reconstruction came late in the pier-building heyday and it remains one of the few to have this type of structure. 

Along the deck was a band stand were and wind-screens on all side to protect against strong sea breezes and accommodate the fashion for ‘promenading’. Wealthier, clothes-conscious visitors. A large pavilion on the shore side contained two halls, one of which was a 1,200 seat Pavilion Theatre in which shows and musical events were hosted. The smaller hall doubled as a cafe by day and a dance venue by night. A second smaller pavilion on the seaward end incorporated a bar and lounge.

The final cost of reconstruction was £85,000

 During the war the pier was used as a depot by the military. But due to concerns of the enemy using the pier as a landing strip part of the pier was destroyed in the middle. The pavilion at the shore end of the Pier did remain open for dancing except during July – September 1940 during the worst of the invasion scares and in 1944 when the Pier was used as a preparation area for the D-Day landings. Thankfully, it escaped any significant damage during the whole of the war. The pier experienced a second fire in 1967 which destroyed most of pavilion, it was then rebuilt and in its new form offered several different bars and entertainment areas and the Gaiety Lounge Show Bar saw many live performances such as David Bowie in June 1971, Genesis in December 1971 and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in November 1972. 

In June 1974 whist the filming of Tommy was taking place the pier caught fire for the third time. The rebuild was started but only part of the pier was rebuilt but it was not to its previous structure at a cost of £500,000.