Take a stroll along an English seaside pier and take in the view, or just enjoy a bag of chips. England has many piers, although some of them have been storm-battered and no longer function as piers. The earliest ‘pleasure pier’ was on the Isle of Wight, and many well-known piers exist today in Brighton, Wigan and Southend-On-Sea. By 1914, Britain had over 100 piers, which have been regarded as the best examples of Victorian architecture. Two are Grade 1 listed, and the pier at Weston-Super-Mare is the only one on earth, that is linked to an island. National Piers Society say that just over 50 remain.
Pier Review is a book in search of the great British Seaside. With a clapped out car and not enough cash, Jon and Danny recruit Midge (a man they barely know) to be their driver, even though he has to be back in a fortnight to sign on! Together they take a funny and nostalgic look at beaches, amusement arcades and friendship on the road, visiting 52 piers in 2 weeks. One eccentric road trip – before their seaside youth disappears. A peculiar journey from the landlocked Midlands, to see surviving pleasure piers in England and Wales.
The first stop is Weston-Super-Mare which is the nearest pier to the Midlands, and often called ‘Birmingham on Sea’ for local holidaymakers. Other piers visited include:
- Bournemouth
- Isle of Wight
- Wigan
- Brighton
- Clacton
- Southwold
- Skegness
- Blackpool
- Southport
