Ventnor Esplanade Pier (Historic)

The Ventnor Pier and Esplanade Company was established by a group of Ventnor merchants to propose a second try at building a pier in the town. On the spot of the existing pier, they intended to construct a new, 700-foot pier and fortify the shore-facing 640 feet of the embankment.

The Board of Trade approved the plans in 1871, and construction began the following year. By the end of the summer, they had expanded for 200 feet, and on August 5th, 1872, they opened that section to the public. The next year, it was expanded to 478 feet, but the pierhead and ultimate length were put on hold due to a lack of funding. Despite the lack of financing during the following five years, the promenade remained popular among both visitors and residents.

The pierhead and landing stages weren’t finished until 1881. On September 15th, one of the largest paddle steamers of the day, the Heather Bell, arrived, marking the beginning of operations.

Ten weeks later, Ventnor and the pier were battered by a severe storm. Forty feet of the brand new pier was shanked and destroyed, causing significant damage. The foundations had sustained so much damage that the building was deemed unsafe and had to be torn down.

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A492040

• English Scenery 120 Chromo View