Recently, I was asked to speak on Radio 4’s Today news programme, about the history & cultural importance of Southport Pier. This blog is an expansion of that brief interview.
Southport Pier, 9th June 2015 ©David Walshe
Early Development & Brief History
The idea of a pier at Southport was first mooted in 1844. The historian, Bailey, tells us that this was in conjunction with a rail connection to Manchester, therefore a commercial concept, with the vision of establishing Southport as a port, enabling Manchester to by-pass Liverpool. The proposal reached Parliament as part of a bill in 1846, one of the points raised being, ‘constructing a pier and other works at North Meols’. Robinson, in his 1848 guide gave this insight:
‘In our times, a project has been advised for erecting a railway pier, to extend to low water, where vessels might discharge passengers or goods, to be from thence conveyed to the manufacturing districts! Whether this is practicable or not we do not pretend to say, but it is scarcely desirable. If a pier is erected as an additional promenade for the inhabitants and visitors, and for their convenience when embarking on pleasure voyages, it will be warmly welcomed, and will, without doubt, prove profitable to those who undertake it construction’.
The initial project did not come to fruition, and instead, by the early 1850’s we had a fisherman’s jetty, described by the artist Edwin Beattie as, a ‘frail structure’, which was used by the entrepreneurial fishermen to take trippers on pleasure trips across the Ribble Estuary to the Fylde. It was also around this time that a Pier Committee was formed, thanks to the Improvement Commissioners, the very people who helped to take our town from its beginnings as a bathing village, into a thriving Lancashire seaside resort, achieving Borough status by 1867. Two of the men worth noting that were on the committee, were, Samuel Boothroyd (of local Drapery business fame) and Dr. G. B. Barron, who wrote a book entitled Southport as a Residence in Health and Disease. The committee didn’t waste any time, and shares were available to purchase from December 1852.
Reproduction Sketch showing Fisherman's Jetty and Victoria Baths Reservoir, early-mid 1850s.
Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser, 21st December 1852.
Despite support, the project remained on the backburner until later in that decade, gathering pace again from 1856 onwards. A public meeting took place in 1858, were Boothroyd was appointed secretary. Tenders were sought in the spring of 1859, as plans had been made by the civil engineer, James Brunlees of Westminster. The first pile carefully entered the sand in August 1859, with full details below, as published in P. Mannex’s Directory of 1866 (surveyed 1865).
Herapath's Railway Journal, 21st May 1859
Specifications as detailed in Mannex's Directory, published 1866.
The following year on August 2nd, Southport Pier opened. The ceremony was a momentous occasion, as is shown by the report in the Manchester Times below.
Report on the opening ceremony, Manchester Times, 4th August 1860.
'Southport Iron Pier' Opening day lithograph sketch, from the authors archive ©David Walshe.
It clearly meant a great deal to a lot of people. Samuel Boothroyd was given huge credit. The toast by Dr. Fairburn is of particular interest, as he looked upon the Pier as:
‘….being designed to produce the greatest possible good to Southport, and to all who might visit it for the benefit of their health’.
In 1863 the Pier Tramway was opened, originally running down the centre, but moved to the south side in 1864. Cedric Greenwood, in Southport in the age of the Tram, tells us that:
‘Southport has a niche in tramway history. The pier tramway was one of the pioneers of the passenger cable haulage in 1864 and new research reveals that it was the first known cable railway on which cars were equipped with grippers and handbrakes for driver operation- nine years before San Francisco.’
Learn more about the history of the Pier Tram via our podcast here, with guest speaker Graham Fairhurst: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/grainsofsand/episodes/The-Pier-Tram--The-Gasworks-Tram--more-e2gf5tj
The Duke & Duchess of Teck take a ride on the Pier Tram, following their visit in 1872 to lay the foundation stone of Cambridge Hall (The Atkinson)
In 1868 the Pier was extended & widened. Fishing boats, known as Lancashire Nobbies, would be moored at the Pierhead. Passenger steamers were also in operation during the early C20th, taking people to North Wales, The Wirral, Isle of Man and across to the Fylde. Crowds would flock to see dare-devil acts such as Professor Powsey & Professor Osbourne, the former being remembered by a statue today along our coast. In 1897 a huge fire causing £4,000 resulted in the original Pavilion being replaced by a much grander building, including a theatre and eventually becoming a casino. Fire again caused havoc in 1933, reducing the length set in 1868 and resulting in the construction of a new Pierhead. These are just some incidents and events that have taken place throughout our Pier’s 165-year history.
Pierhead with steamer & fishing boats.
Professor Osbourne diving from the roof of Thom's Tea House, Pierhead.
Entrance to the Pier, with Pier Pavilion (1902) shown in distance. Note the Fernley Drinking Fountain (est. 1861), shown here in its second position (c1904). The Fountain, which was restored in 1995, now resides in its third position, further south along the Promenade.
The Future?
In the summer of 2020, I visited Hornsea on Yorkshire’s east coast, which coincidentally is linked to Southport, being at one end of the coast to coast cycle route. Hornsea lost its Pier in tragic circumstances in 1897, and as I read about it whilst looking out to sea, I couldn’t imagine what Southport would be like without its Pier. Southport originated as a sea-bathing village, developing into a health resort, famed for its salubrious ozone & mild winters. Over 200 years ago, it was christened, ‘The Montpellier of England’, by the Liverpool Physician, Dr. Joseph Brandreth, this being just one of several fanciful appellations, to have been given to our town.
Our towns motto is, in short, ‘Salus Populi’, meaning, ‘for the health of the people’. Walking is without doubt one of the best forms of exercise there is, for both physical health and mental wellbeing. This relates back to the words of Dr. Fairburn (and others) back in 1860, upon the opening of our Pier. With Lord Street looking to enter a period of change, via the Lord Street Living project, we are affectively harking back to our towns roots, when Lord Street had a lot more in terms of residential offerings. Why not go full circle and re-market Southport as a Health Resort? Having lived in several other places within northern England and having moved back here just over 11 years ago, I can say from experience that we do live in a great place. If only transport links were better, but that is for another debate!
There are endless leisure opportunities for the Pier, many being mentioned in the multitude of recent public comment. One popular weekly event, enjoyed by thousands nationally are the Park Runs. As an alternative idea, and of course if & when it re-opens, we could start a craze for ‘Pier Walks’, timing the fastest walkers to and from the end!
We are arguably blessed with some of the most stunning sunsets in Britain, with the Pier featuring heavily in many scenic photos & paintings. Our Pier goes hand in hand with our other tourist offerings, not only permanent fixtures such as Pleasureland, Funland & Nevill Street, but regular events such as the Air Show. I am pretty sure that the Pier is an important landmark to the emergency services along our coast, and of course our own independent Southport Lifeboat.
However, if we were to lose ‘Our Pier’, I personally feel it would be a devastating blow to a town that already struggles with its identity. Look at the Chapel Street station building of 1851, The Victoria Hotel along with a huge list of other buildings that we have lost over the years. Remember, once it’s gone, its gone.
©David Walshe (Secret Sand Land) 2025.
Sources referenced within the text. Newspaper articles from https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
A young Sandgrounder, honing his cycling skills on the Pier, November 2019. ©David Walshe.
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