place

Birnbeck Pier

1867 establishments in EnglandBuildings and structures in Weston-super-MareEngvarB from September 2013Geology of SomersetGrade II* listed buildings in North Somerset
Grade II* listed piersInfrastructure completed in 1867Piers in SomersetStructures on the Heritage at Risk registerStructures on the Heritage at Risk register in Somerset
Birnbeck Pier and Island
Birnbeck Pier and Island

Birnbeck Pier, also known as the 'Old Pier', is a pier situated on the Bristol Channel in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, approximately 18 miles (29 km) south-west of Bristol. It is the only pier in the country which links the mainland to an island, linking to Birnbeck Island, a 1.2-hectare (3-acre) rocky island just to the west of Worlebury Hill. The grade II* listed pier was designed by Eugenius Birch and opened in 1867. Birnbeck Pier is one of only six Grade II* piers surviving in the country. The refreshment and waiting rooms of 1898 were designed by local architect Hans Price and the clocktower and the piermaster's house have been attributed to him. The pier has been closed to the public since 1994 and is now on the Buildings at Risk Register. During the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries the pier was popular both with locals and tourists to the town. As a boarding point for steamers plying their trade in the Bristol Channel, it underwent various extensions and modifications over the years. During the Second World War the pier was commissioned as HMS Birnbeck by the Admiralty as part of the Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapons Development (DMWD) for research into new weapons. Notably conducting trials on the Barnes Wallis 'bouncing bomb'. The pier reopened after the war, but the number of visitors and steamer passengers declined. The final excursion visited the pier in 1979. Since its closure, ownership has changed many times and it has been subject to a series of proposals for its redevelopment which have all proved fruitless. The pier remains in a largely derelict state and part of it collapsed during storms in 2015. In 2023, the pier was purchased by North Somerset Council, with plans to restore it using funding from various sources.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Birnbeck Pier (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Birnbeck Pier
Birkett Road,

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Birnbeck PierContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.3565 ° E -2.9945 °
placeShow on map

Address

Birkett Road
BS23 2ER
England, United Kingdom
mapOpen on Google Maps

Birnbeck Pier and Island
Birnbeck Pier and Island
Share experience

Nearby Places