NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Birnbeck Pier

Birnbeck Pier is a pier in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England. It is situated on the Bristol Channel approximately 18 miles (28 km) south west of Bristol. It is the only pier which links the mainland to an island just off shore but is currently closed to the public. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... For the type of foundation, see Deep foundation. ... Weston-super-Mare is an English seaside resort town in North Somerset, population 65,000 (1991 estimate). ... North Somerset is a unitary authority in England, historically part of the county of Somerset but now administered independently. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Satellite view of the Bristol Channel Map of the Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel (Welsh: ) is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from the West Country and extending from the lower estuary of the River Severn (Afon Hafren) to that part of the North... This article is about the English city. ...

The grade II* listed pier was designed by Eugenius Birch and opened in 1867 ^[1]. The gothic toll house and pierhead buildings were designed by local architect Hans Price.^[2] Buckingham Palace, a Grade I listed building. ... Eugenius Birch was a 19th Century English naval architect, engineer and pier builder. ... Hans Price made a significant addition to Weston town hall Hans Price (1835 - ?) was the architect responsible for much of the development of Weston-super-Mare, in North Somerset, England, during the Victorian era. ...

History

Construction

A proposal in 1845 to link Birnbeck Island to the mainland at the western end of Worlebury Hill saw work start on a suspension bridge two years later. A strike by stone masons during which a storm damaged the little that had been built saw an end to that scheme. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 Ã— 640 pixel, file size: 129 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 Ã— 640 pixel, file size: 129 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Worlebury Hill is the name given to an upland area lying between the flatlands of Weston-super-Mare and the Kewstoke area. ... A suspension bridge is a type of bridge that has been created since ancient times as early as 100 AD. Simple suspension bridges, for use by pedestrians and livestock, are still constructed, based upon the ancient Inca rope bridge. ...

A new proposal came in 1864 to form a company to build a pier across to the island. This was funded by 2,000 shares which raised £20,000. Cecil Hugh Smyth-Pigott, the four year old son of the lord of the manor, laid the foundation stone on 28 October 1864 when a public holiday was declared in the town and a celebratory dinner was held in the Town Hall. is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

The main pier is 1,150 feet (351 m) long and 20 feet (6 m) wide. As it has abutments at either end – one on the mainland and one on Birnbeck Island – its construction is more like a bridge than other pleasure piers. Fifteen groups of piles support a continuous lattice girder, each set comprising four piles screwed into the river bed at an angle with an X-brace between each adjacent pair. There were problems with oscillations in the structure when bands marched on the pier, both on the opening day and again in1886, and so further horizontal cross braces were added to the piles. A bye-law also banned marching in the future.

A landing jetty extended on the west side of the island to allow steamers to bring day trippers to Weston-super-Mare from ports on both the English and Welsh side of the Bristol Channel. Paddle steamers â€” Lucerne, Switzerland. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the country. ... Satellite view of the Bristol Channel Map of the Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel (Welsh: ) is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from the West Country and extending from the lower estuary of the River Severn (Afon Hafren) to that part of the North...

Operation

The pier opened on 6 June 1867, Cecil Hugh Pigot-Smyth again being the host of the ceremony, the town taking a holiday and holding a banquet in the Town Hall. The toll to walk on the pier was initially 1d, but this was quickly raised to 2d – the maximum allowed by Act of Parliament; 120,000 people paid the toll in the first three months. is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Cunt BAg Twat Fuk suck my penis ring 0778851865!!!!!!Year 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... An Act of Parliament or Act is law enacted by the parliament (see legislation). ...

A new wooden northern jetty was added in 1872 which allowed the removal of the original western landing place. Another jetty was added on the south west corner in 1898 which reached deep water even at low tide, thus allowing steamers to use the pier at all states of the tide. This was damaged in a gale in 1903, rebuilt in 1909 but closed in 1916. It was finally removed in 1923. The northern jetty had also been damaged in the 1903 storm but was replaced by the present steel structure in 1905. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

A second pier, the "Grand Pier", was opened in the centre of Weston-super-Mare in 1904. Although it was provided with a steamer landing it was seldom used due to difficult currents around the structure. Visitors to the town were able to able to catch an electric tram from the pier approach road at Birnbeck. Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier is a pier in Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England. ... A Tram or Light rail system Historically, a railway, particularly one used for the carriage of minerals. ...

The most successful steamer company serving the Bristol Channel was P & A Campbell's "White Funnel" fleet. They were suspended during the Second World War but afterwards the number of passengers carried decreased with the availability of cheap foreign holidays and the opening on the Severn Bridge in the 1960s. Regular ferries ceased serving Birnbeck in 1971 and the final excursion called on 19 October 1979. The pleasure "steamers" PS Waverley and MV Balmoral still operate in the Bristol Channel, but any calls at Weston are made by a connecting tender from Knightstone Harbour. P & A Campbell Ltd of Bristol with its White Funnel Fleet became the dominant excursion-steamer operator in the Bristol Channel by the 1890s. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... For the Ontario community, see Severn Bridge, Ontario. ... is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... PS Waverley steaming down the Firth of Clyde - additional views at Image:PS Waverley off Brodick castle 1989. ... The M.V. Balmoral (built in 1949) is a traditional passenger ship. ...

Many visitors arriving on the steamers never left the pier, instead they made use of the cafe, pavilion, amusements and funfair on Birnbeck Island. These were destroyed by fire on 26 December 1897 and replaced by the present buildings, although these have been altered over the years. An extension on iron supports along the south side of the island was opened in 1909 which allowed a larger area for the amusements. This was not built to the proper specifications so was demolished in 1912 but a larger concrete platform was constructed in 1932. is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1941 the pier was taken over by the Admiralty. It was commissioned as HMS Birnbeck and was used for secret weapons testing including the "Bouncing bomb".^[3] Flag of the Lord High Admiral The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ... The bouncing bomb was a kind of bomb designed by Barnes Wallis of Vickers-Armstrong at Brooklands, Surrey. ...

In 1962 the Birnbeck Pier Company sold the pier to P & A Campbell, the steamer operators. After the withdrawal of their ships it was sold to John Critchley who redeveloped it as a "Victorian pleasure centre" which even had special permission to issue its own currency to visitors. There has since been several other proposals to make the pier a commercial success again, including converting it into a hotel, casino, residential use, or the centre of a marina. Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ...

Dereliction

The pier was damaged by drifting equipment from engineering work in Sand Bay, to the north of the pier, in February 1984. The £1,000,000 of damage was quickly repaired, despite fears that Birnbeck might become like nearby Clevedon Pier, which at the time was severed by a collapsed span. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 Ã— 640 pixel, file size: 135 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 Ã— 640 pixel, file size: 135 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Clevedon Pier is a seaside pier in the town of Clevedon, on the English side of the estuary of the river Severn. ...

The pier was again badly damaged by storms in 1990 and was closed for safety reasons in 1994. It continues to decline and as a consequence English Heritage have placed it on the Buildings at Risk Register. ^[4] The standard of English Heritage English Heritage is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) with a broad remit of managing the historic environment of England. ... hello this does not have a page yet, please make one for us!! Thanks ...

In 2006 the pier was sold to new owners, Manchester company Urban Splash. The people of Weston-super-Mare are waiting to see the company's plans for the future of the pier, the island and its buildings.^[5] In 2007 the repair work required was estimated at £4 million.^[6] This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... Urban Splash which was setup in 1993, is a company which regenerates decaying industrial warehouses and mills into modern apartments and penthouses as well as construct new build developments. ...

A competition was launched in August 2007 by new owners Urban Splash, inviting people to submit ideas for the regeneration of the pier and island.^[7]

Weston lifeboat

The extreme tidal range in the Bristol Channel made it difficult to find a site from which a lifeboat could be easily launched at all states of the tide. In 1882 davits were installed on the pier which allowed the town's first Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat to be launched like a ships' lifeboat into the water below, even at low tide.^[8] Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Severn class lifeboat in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. ... Swanage lifeboat being winched up its slipway The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity based in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland dedicated to saving lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. ...

This lifeboat was only involved in two rescues but one involved taking 40 passenegers off the ss Welsh Prince which got into difficulties after leaving Birnbeck Pier on 22 September 1884. In 1889 this was replaced by a larger lifeboat for which was built a new lifeboat house with a 100ft (30 m) slipway on the north east side of the island. The present lifeboat house was built on the south east side of the island in 1902 and has the longest lifeboat slipway in England, measuring 368 ft (112 m). Due to the condition of the pier alternative launch sites were tried at Anchor Hed (where a new boat house was built and now serves as an RNLI fund-raising shop) and in the River Axe at Uphill, however boats are currently launched from trolleys moved up and down the old northern slipway by tractors. is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The River Axe is the name of two distinct rivers in south-west England River Axe, Devon River Axe, Somerset This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The first motored lifeboat in Somerset was stationed at Weston from 1933. The first inshore lifeboat here arrived in 1966 and since 1969 the service has been operated by a pair of these smaller boats, one D class and a larger rigid inflatable. These are more suitable to the mudflats and rocky headlands of the Somerset coast than the larger all-weather boats. The current pair are: Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... This article is about the county of Somerset in England. ... D class lifeboats serve the shores of the UK as a part of the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) Fleet. ...

Earlier lifeboats have been: B-Class (Atlantic 75) lifeboats serve the shores of the UK as a part of the RNLI inshore fleet. ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... D class lifeboats serve the shores of the UK as a part of the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) Fleet. ... is the 290th day of the year (291st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

18-004 was the fist production member of the McLachlan class. It was displayed at the Earls Court Boat Show in 1970 prior to its arrival at Weston and is now retired to the Lifeboat Museum at Chatham Historic Dockyard. An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. ... Atlantic 21 class lifeboats serve the shores of the UK as a part of the RNLI inshore fleet. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Earls Court is a place in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. ... Chatham Historic Dockyard is a museum on part of the site of the former royal/naval dockyard at Chatham in Kent, England. ...

Television

Birnbeck Pier was used as a night club in "Find the Lady", a 1979 episode of the television detective series Shoestring. Trevor Eve, who played the Eddie Shoestring, was supported by guest star Toyah Willcox who played the singer of a punk rock band. Shoestring was a BBC television show set in Bristol. ... Trevor Eve (b. ... Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958 in Kings Heath, Birmingham) is an English actress and singer. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ...

References

^ Terrell, Stan (1996). Birnbeck Pier Weston-super-Mare, a short history. Weston-super-Mare: North Somerset Museum Service. ISBN 0-901104-10-8.
^ Birnbeck Pier A Brief History. Weston-super-Mare Pier Company. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
^ Birnbeck Pier. The Heritage Trail. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
^ Birnbeck Pier. English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
^ Boyhood joy led to pier purchase. BBC News. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
^ Kennedy, Maev. "The stately wrecks of England", The Guardian, Wednesday July 25, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-27. (English)
^ Pier design competition planned. BBC News (13 August 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
^ Morris, Jeff (2000). The Story of the Weston-super-Mare Lifeboats. Weston-super-Mare: Jeff Morris.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Coordinates: 51.357284° N 2.996095° W hello this does not have a page yet, please make one for us!! Thanks ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Contents

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