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Southwold Pier

Point 8 - Southwold Pier

The original pier at Southwold was built by the same company who operated the 'Belle' steamer fleet between London and Great Yarmouth.

The same company also built the Lowestoft Claremont and Felixstowe Piers.听 Southwold Pier opened in 1900 and measured 810 ft in length.听 At the end was a T-shaped landing stage for the steamers to bring holidaymakers to the town.听 Staff from the Southwold hotels went down to the pier to meet the boats.

Welcome to the Pier

In 1934 the end of the pier was swept away in a violent storm and during the war a mine blew away another section. Following further damage by storms, for safety reasons, it was decided to close the pier to the public in 1998.

A new pier is born

Chris Iredale bought the pier in the 1980鈥檚 and in 1999 started work on building a new Southwold Pier - the first to be built in Britain for over 40 years.

February 2002 saw the completion of the T-end, taking the total length of the pier to 623 ft. With the new landing stage the paddle steamer PS Waverley is now able to dock, as is her sister ship the MV Balmoral.

View from Southwold Pier

The plaques

Continuing the theme of the beach huts with their curious names and the Southwold benches engraved in honour of a celebration or loved one, the Southwold Pier has its 'plaques'. There are 3,000 of them and once again, Janet Gershlick has written a book exploring the sentiments behind some of them.

Many of the people who bought plaques don鈥檛 live locally but Southwold retains a very special place in their hearts. Some of the memories are intensely personal, perhaps remembering someone they have lost, while others are funny and quirky. The need to record an occasion or an event is a very powerful one. Take some time to stop and look at some of the sentiments expressed.

On Southwold Pier

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

There is something irresistible about walking out on a pier, knowing the tide is ebbing and flowing beneath your feet. You also see Southwold鈥檚 seafront from a different perspective. Take a walk to the end of the pier and look back to the shoreline.

Local tourism has benefited considerably since the opening of the pier with attractions for young and old alike. You can even get married at the end of the pier!

Stephen Bournes is the new owner of the Pier, he took over in March 2005. He believes there is something very therapeutic about being on the sea and being able to eat and drink over the sea. He has a background in hotels and catering enjoys the diversity of the food on the pier - everything from a basic burger to local smoked salmon.

LISTEN/READ MORE ABOUT THE PIER FROM THE OWNER, STEPHEN BOURNES.听 CLICK ON THE LINK AT THE TOP RIGHT OF THIS PAGE >>

An amusement arcade with a difference

There鈥檚 a mad collection of home made slot machines on the pier in a tiny 12 ft square arcade. The machines have all been produced by Tim Hunkin, some of them in collaboration with others.

Detail of the Waterclock

They feature such weird and wonderful ideas as:听 Rent-a-Dog, Auto Frisk, The Bathyscape and Instant Weightloss.听 Tim is currently working on a new attraction which is going to be a game based on crossing a motorway using a zimmer frame!

Tim Hunkin was also responsible for the famous Southwold Pier waterclock. It started life as a re-cycling project but then took on its current form on the pier.听 There are figures in a bath who sit up and squirt each other and two little boys who drop their trouser and produce two more fountains!听 It's great fun and is very popular with all the visiting school children.

So whether you just want to soak up the sun, go for a stroll over the sea, or have an ice cream you can't fail to be captivated by the pier.

last updated: 22/04/2008 at 10:51
created: 05/07/2005

Have Your Say

Rachel
i go there 3times a year and i love what an amazing place

louise
its complety fabulous im telling you you have to go. however my favorite part of southwold pier is always the water clock.

bobby and Kit
We absolutely feel at home in Southwold. The plaques are so special and we wish we could purchase one as we would love to get married at the end of the pier on June next year. The pier is peace itself!!!! Thank you!!

Brian B
I visit Southwold regulaly,such a peaceful and tranquil place away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life,love the Amber shop but it always costs me money when I visit it.

Lizzie
i go to southwold alot. i love it. it is either bad or good weather. the peer has one good arcade that makes you heart race.

nick
we went for a holliday in southwold last week. we had a fab time on the pier and on the beach! i reli recommend this for a family break.speacily walberswick great place for crabbing.

phil bagley
Southwold will allwys be a special place my gran lived in holten and the pier is the one place i remember her by plus walberswick

emily
everyone made such a big deal about the fontain why?

Judith
My father has died and I would like to either put a plaque on the pier or perhaps donate a bench in memory of him. How would I go about either of these and how much are they likely to cost?

Tanya
I would like to put a plaque on the pier in memory of my Grandfather who died on Wednesday - How do I go about this?

chris
Southwold is an awesome place to get wasted!

Tom
Tim Hunkin was also responsible for the famous Southwold Pier waterclock. It started life as a re-cycling project but then took on its current form on the pier. There are figures in a bath who sit up and squirt each other and two little boys who drop their trouser and produce two more fountains! It's great fun and is very popular with all the visiting school children.What a excellent job this man has done he has brought the good times back to southwold as well as many a tourist 3 cheers!

Extra Super Mum
We have just revisited Southwold where we spent many happy family holidays. I noticed that some of the plaques are quite recent, is it still possible to purchase one?

claire
I love southwold pier but i have heard about the construction and wonder whether it will be done before my holiday

Lynne, 麻豆约拍 Suffolk website
Maggie....Janet Gershlick has written a book. It's called 'Plaques - the stories behind the plaques on Southwold Pier'. It costs 拢3.99 and is available from several outlets in Southwold, including the Tourist Information Centre.

maggie parry-jones
I have a plaque on the pier in the form o f a Japanese poem called a Haiku.It,s a 3 line verse, and was a gift from my lover .Has anyone published a book containing the poems and dedication on the pier plaques? yours sincerely , Maggie.

Garath Jones
What a excellent job this man has done he has brought the good times back to southwold as well as many a tourist 3 cheers!

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