The longest pleasure pier in the world, to be precise. And, it’s to be found in Southend.
I’d never been to the Essex coastal town before, and as the yesterday morning’s damp weather looked like it would break for the afternoon, we decided to head out in the car, risk a mild soaking, and try our luck.
Southend is actually not by the sea but all, but technically sits on the north bank of the Thames Estuary. With all the usual seaside town childhood memory charm of other similar resorts, it’s the pier that sets the coastal settlement apart.
Records suggest that there has been a structure on the site of the current walkway since 1830. A steamboat extension was built in 1897 to bring in more visitors, while in 1929 the Prince George extension brought the pier to its current 1.34 mile length.
It’s certainly a survivor. Four fires (1959, 1976, 1995, and 2005), a boat crash, and a veteran of two World Wars, the pier stands defiant. The Victorian entrance building is long gone though, and has been replaced with a modern glass structure, which dates from the last revamp in 2003.
Walking the pier is almost compulsory when visiting Southend, so we paid our 50p entry fees and began the stroll along the aged planks, taking in views of the pockets of blue skies when we could get them. Two fishing boats stranded among the sandbanks by the low tide - which later made silhouettes against the pier in the wintry sunshine - contrasted with the views back to the neon-lit shore and broke up the grey expanse of water, which lapped beneath us.
The undercover benches sheltered us from the biting cold, while the pier train rumbled past at well-distanced intervals, sending shuddery vibrations through the rotting wood. The promise of a sandwich and a warming cup of tea kept us going to the pier head, where we rang the large bell, and posed for pictures, wearing the bell as a hat.
A disappointing lack of refreshments saw us turn around and head back to the shore earlier than we’d planned though, and as we walked back past the half-mile markers, we really wished we hadn’t left our gloves, hats, and scarves in the car. A stop for photos on a sandy makeshift jetty on the seafront fulfilled our creative urges, the sky, sun, and silhouettes seemingly posing for the perfect picture in our viewfinders and lenses.
Cups of tea and cakes fuelled and warmed our bodies, before we then headed home, for games of backgammon and Newmarket. Delicious Shepherd’s Pie followed by lemon pudding rounded off the day, and provided me with sufficient feelings of fullness for my train ride back to Ipswich.
Pancake partying, and 1980s reminiscing (courtesy of some shocking home videos) had given us more weekend fun on Saturday.
It was all so very enjoyable, but today, I feel absolutely battered.