St Annes Pier is a beautiful Victorian pier in St-Annes-On-Sea, Lancashire. It boasts a magnificent mock Tudor entrance, a charming café, and amusement arcade.
The pier is located on the Promenade in the town centre, opposite St Annes Road West. There’s a car park with spaces for around 50 vehicles right outside the pier entrance.
The Peace and Sensory Garden, to the right of the pier entrance, contains a statue of legendary comedian Les Dawson. It was erected in 2008 and is the work of sculptor Graham Ibbeson, who also created the Eric Morecambe statue on Morecambe seafront. Dawson was born in Manchester but lived in St Annes before his death in 1993.
The Promenade Gardens lie to the south of the pier. There are a number of interesting features here including an alpine garden, putting green, bandstand, and a memorial to the victims of the 1886 ‘Mexico Disaster’.
History
The 914 ft pier was commissioned by the St Annes Land and Building Company and officially opened in 1885. It was initially a rather unassuming pier but over the years saw many additions.
The mock Tudor entrance was built in 1899 and in 1904 the 1000-seat Moorish Pavilion Theatre was added, followed by the Floral Hall in 1910. In 1953 an amusement arcade was constructed near the entrance.
In 1962 the pier, and much of the town centre, was purchased by the Amalgamated Investment & Property Company.
On July 21 1974 a fire completely gutted the Moorish Pavilion and damaged the Floral Hall. The following year an application to demolish the seaward section of the pier was refused by Fylde Borough Council. The pier owners subsequently went into liquidation.
Another fire in July 1982 completely destroyed the Floral Hall and severely damaged the pier head. In 1984 it was demolished, diminishing the pier’s length to 600 ft. Remnants of the old pier head still stand today, isolated from the rest of the structure.
