How old is clacton pier

Wanting to go even further, on 24 June , The Kingsman Family put forward a bill to a select committee of the House of Commons to allow them to widen the front of the Pier by some 90 feet on either side of Pier Gap, which necessitated a compulsory purchase order of land belonging to Clacton Urban District Council. The Council vehemently opposed the bill. The intention was to demolish the original Blue Lagoon Dance Hall and the office buildings and to build a newer much bigger building, which would include a restaurant and a new Dance Hall.

The Council objected on the grounds that it would seriously interfere with the amenities of the foreshore. The House of Commons passed the bill and work started almost immediately on the new Blue Lagoon Dance Hall, which could accommodate couples on the dance floor, and the whole frontage of the Pier took on a completely new and much more welcoming aspect.

Between and the outbreak of War, the Kingsman Family spent something like a quarter of a million pounds in building new entertainments on the Pier. These included an open air swimming pool, the first to be built on a Pier anywhere in the country.

It was a full size Olympic standard 50 metre swimming pool, which was later used by Great Britain to play their international water polo matches in. And then, in , perhaps the most iconic image of the Pier during its glory years, the roller coaster, known as the Steel Stella, which became a major attraction in its own right and had people flocking to Clacton Pier.

With all these attractions, entertainments and amusements, Clacton Pier became one of the best known piers in the country and, by the late s, the crowds were flocking in with up to 40, people in a single day passing through the turnstiles. The Pier became affectionately known as no. During the War, the Pier was badly damaged by a floating mine and then the Ministry of War decided to breach Clacton Pier, blowing a gaping hole in the middle to stop the possibility of the Germans using it as a landing stage.

The Ministry also wanted to dismantle the Steel Stella, but Ernest Kingsman successfully pleaded with them to leave it up. In the immediate Post War years and on into the s, the Pier took up from where it had left off at the end of the s, and once again proved to be a very popular destination for holiday makers. However, as the s approached, things were beginning to change as British holiday habits also changed.

With the ending of post-War austerity and the general rising prosperity of the country, people started to look to going abroad for their holidays where the sunshine could be guaranteed and Clacton Pier began to see a general decline in its number of visitors, slowly at first, but accelerating at an alarming pace through the s and early 70s.

The Pier suffered a severe blow in when the Steel Stella caught fire and was completely destroyed. In , with audiences continuing to fall, the Ocean Theatre finally closed its doors and was converted into an amusement arcade.

Sadly, two of the killer whales died and the Pier came in for much criticism in the national press. The final Whale, Nemo, was sent to Windsor Safari Park in and the pool returned to a reduced size swimming pool with a large water chute.

During the First World War, in around Ernest Kingsman purchased the Pier after it had gone into administration and set about turning the Pier into a leisure and entertainment centre.

By the outbreak of the Second World War he had invested around a quarter of a million pounds into The Pier's redevelopment. During the war the pier was damaged by enemy action and was also breached to prevent Its use by an Invasion force. By now the Pier had helped to establish Clacton as one of the leading seaside resorts in the country. The Goss family were no stranger to seaside pleasure Piers and already had the majority share in neighbouring Walton Pier, Mr Goss ran the pier as a successful amusement centre until he eventually grew frustrated with the lack of support from the local authority and their understanding of what was required to bring new visitors to the town and so decided it was time to sell up and retire.

The proceeding years saw major additions to the pier at varying stages including the Whirlwind roller coaster, a Circus, Ice rink and a Roller Rink and even a water slide, unfortunately not all of the additions were a success and the pier company struggled financially on a couple of occasions until eventually in around the then operating company went into receivership which is where it remained for around about one year.

Those behind the Clacton project want to hear people's "personal stories", from attending the air show to eating ice creams on the beach. The year is seen as the town's founding year as that was when the pier and Royal Hotel were built. Alex Porter, Tendring District Council's cabinet member for leisure and tourism, said: "Whether it's happy memories of going to Butlins, ice creams on the beach, watching a show on the pier or going on the rides on the pavilion - maybe the first ever Clacton Airshow - we want to hear your stories.

Tendring District Council said information, pictures and videos, provided by members of the public would be used as part of a heritage trail around town, and could also form part of listening benches or other exhibitions.

If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews bbc. Clacton and District Local History Society.