Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Deal Promenade Pier was originally built in 1838 to the design of J. Rennie. Although planned to stretch 445 foot, it was only built to 250 feet due to financial problems. The pier quickly decayed due to storm damage and sandworm attack before finally being swept away in 1857. Between 1863 and 1864, a new cast iron pier was built, which stretched 1100 feet in length. The architect was Eugenius Birch. There were several later additions; a reading room and salt baths were added in the 1870s and a pier-head pavilion was built in 1886. It was damaged by ship collisions in 1873 and 1884 but was subsequently repaired. It was purchased by Deal Council for £10,000 in 1920. On January 29th 1940, the Dutch vessel 'Nora' destroyed 200 feet of ironwork after which, Winston Churchill allowed the army to demolish the pier to give coastal guns a clear line of sight. Only the tollhouses remained until 1954. Between 1954 and 1957, a new reinforced concrete pier was built at a cost of £250,000. The architects were W. Halcrew & Partners and the builders were Concrete Piling Ltd. It reached a length of 1026 feet (312.7m) and was given an official opening by the Duke of Edinburgh on 19th November 1957. It is now (2007) owned by Dover District Council and is the only completely new post-war pleasure pier in the country. Facilities include a bar, café, sun lounge, three-decked landing stage and angling. A £1.6 million bid for Lottery funding for the pier was rejected prior to 1998. However at around the same time Dover District Council pledged £2 million for restoration subject to the results of an underwater survey.

Monument Types

• PIER (Post Medieval - 1838 AD to 1863 AD)
• PIER (Post Medieval to Modern - 1863 AD to 1945 AD)
• PIER (Modern - 1957 AD to 2050 AD)
• PLEASURE PIER (Modern - 1957 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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[TR 378 527] Promenade Pier [NAT] (1)

The original pier at Deal was built of cast iron and was breached and
damaged beyond repair by the military in 1940-5. The present
reinforced concrete pier was designed by W. Halcrew & Partners and
built in 1954-7 by Concrete Piling Ltd to a length of 1026 feet( 312.7m). It is owned by the local authorities. (2)

Deal Pier was originally built in 1838 to the design of J. Rennie. Although planned to stretch 445 foot, it was only built to 250 feet due to financial problems. The pier quickly decayed due to storm damage and sandworm attack before finally being swept away in 1857. [3]

Between 1863 and 1864, a new cast iron pier was built, which stretched 1100 feet in length. The architect was Eugenius Birch. There were several later additions; a reading room and salt baths were added in the 1870s and a pier-head pavilion was built in 1886. It was damaged by ship collisions in 1873 and 1884 but was subsequently repaired. It was purchased by Deal Council for £10,000 in 1920. On January 29th 1940, the Dutch vessel 'Nora' destroyed 200 feet of ironwork after which, Winston Churchill allowed the army to demolish the pier to give coastal guns a clear line of sight. Only the tollhouses remained until 1954. [2-3]

Between 1954 and 1957, a new reinforced concrete pier was built at a cost of £250,000. The architects were W. Halcrew & Partners and the builders were Concrete Piling Ltd. It reached a length of 1026 feet (312.7m) and was given an official opening by the Duke of Edinburgh on 19th November 1957. It is now (2007) owned by Dover District Council and is the only completely new post-war pleasure pier in the country. Facilities include a bar, café, sun lounge, three-decked landing stage and angling. A £1.6 million bid for Lottery funding for the pier was rejected prior to 1998. However at around the same time Dover District Council pledged £2 million for restoration subject to the results of an underwater survey. [2-3]

Additional Sources and references (4-6)

<1> OS 6" 1975 (OS Card Reference). SKE48380.

<2> CBA Panel on Indust Mons Pleasure Piers 1975 4 (OS Card Reference). SKE38786.

<3> Mickleburgh, T 1988 'Guide to British Piers' (2nd ed.) p.41 (OS Card Reference). SKE47198.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1862-1875, Ordnance Survey 1:2500 1st Edition : 1862-1875, 1877/1:2500 (Map). SWX11831.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1928-1947, Ordnance Survey 1:2500 4th edition 1928-1947, 1938/1:2500 (Map). Ske12644.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 2009, OS MasterMap, MasterMap (Cartographic materials). SWX15710.

Sources and further reading