Britannia Pier - Marine Parade, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK
Posted by: 
Dragontree
N 52° 36.412 E 001° 44.417
31U E 414695 N 5829284
This popular pier is located in Great Yarmouth.
Waymark Code: WM8XK6
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/27/2010
Views: 12
This long pier has many attractions to enjoy including superb live theatre shows, a wide selection of foods and refreshments, friendly bars, amusements and rides.
The website below describes the history of Britannia Pier:
'Britannia Pier is the 2nd of Great Yarmouth's Piers. The original wooden structure was designed by A.W. Morant and was opened in July 1858.
The Pier when constructed measured 700ft long but was badly damaged by the schooner 'James and Jessie' only a year later. This damage resulted in the pier being reduced in length by 50ft.
In the 19th century the pier was often used for evening band performances and open air concert parties. In 1880 a properly enclosed area was built to allow all weather use.
At the turn of the 20th century, Great Yarmouth was becoming quite a prosperous seaside resort. With this in mind, the Pier's wooden structure was replaced with a wooden/steel construction and a grand 2000 seat pavillion was built. This development work commenced in December 1900 and the Pier officially opened, again, in June 1902.
It would seem that the buildings on the Pier were to be plagued by fires. Only 7 years after the pavillion opened, it suffered the first of its fires.
A second pavillion opened one year later but burnt to the ground in 1914. Local gossip believed this to be an act of arson.
The 'Floral Hall' Ballroom, which opened in 1928, was only to survive 4 years. This was re-built and opened again in 1933.
Ironically, both the ballroom and pavillion survived the war, only to be both destroyed by yet another blaze in 1954.
The 4th pavillion was the only one to be rebuilt, and opened in 1958. Thankfully this construction has survived and is home to our present theatre.
The pier was purchased from First Leisure PLC in 1995 by the present owners Family Amusements Ltd'
Type of pier: Public
Expenses: Free entry to the pier and varying costs for the attractions
Parking is available: Yes
Web site: [Web Link]
Contact information:
Britannia Pier
Marine Parade
Great Yarmouth
Norfolk
NR30 2EH
Tel: 01493 842914
Fax: 01493 858807
Email: info@britannia-pier.co.uk
Handicap Accessible: Yes
Fishing Regulations: No fishing
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