View of Herne Bay Pier, from the Beach, Herne Bay, Thanet, Kent
Herne Bay Pier was the third pier to be built at Herne Bay, Kent for passenger steamers. It was notable for its length of 3,787 feet (1,154 m) and for appearing in the opening sequence of Ken Russell's first feature film French Dressing. It was destroyed in a storm in 1978 and dismantled in 1980, leaving a stub with sports centre at the landward end, and part of the landing stage isolated at sea. It was preceded by two piers: a wooden deep-sea pier designed by Thomas Rhodes, assistant of Thomas Telford, and a second shorter iron version by Wilkinson & Smith. Regeneration of the pier began in 2008, when Canterbury City Council set up a registered charity, Herne Bay Pier Trust, responsible for the task of bringing the pier to life for the benefit of the community; the trust has been described by the Piers Society as one of the most active pier trusts in the country. A Herne Bay projects exhibition was arranged on 24 March 2010, at the Kings Hall, Herne Bay. This was organised by Canterbury City Council and Humberts Leisure, who wrote the Herne Bay Pier report. With a loan of £25,000 in 2012, the trust prepared for the construction of 12 retail kiosks along the promenade, opened by the celebrity, Sandi Toksvig and rented out at £60 per week to local start-up businesses. After initial success in the first year, the trust has used the £50,000 Peoples Millions Lottery win to commission a canopy, glass windbreaks and a stage on the large platform which it is leasing for 20 years at £20,000 annually. During future summer months, the trust plans to make the pier available for entertainers, musicians and dance troupes. A long-term ambition of local people is for the long pier to be rebuilt, estimated as a £ million project in March 2008. Considering funding requirements, the trust is investigating the possibility an energy company might create a lagoon in the bay, with turbines under a newly built pier walkway to generate energy from the tides.
Size: 5475px × 3667px
Location: Herne Bay, Thanet, Kent
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: amusements, bay, beach, clouds, cloudscape, coast, coastal, fairground, groynes, herne, hut, kent, pier, rides, seaside, shingle, shops, summer, sunshine, thanet, tide, town, traditional
