h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've visited Eastbourne Pier. In my lifetime I've seen the loss of Shanklin Pier and Ventnor Pier, and the slow decline of Totland Pier. A pier defines a seaside town.

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Hullo Bluebottle! A pier certainly does define a seaside town. What is it about a pier that captures the imagination I wonder? Is it because they are half land and half sea? Kind of like walking on water, really. A certain theatrical magic, a suspension of everyday reality, perhaps.

I wonder what happened to Shanklin and Ventnor piers? And the slow decline of Totland pier. I must find out.

Do you live on the Isle of Wight?

I guess the Victorians never intended a pier to last forever. They are so vulnerable, not forever type architecture.

The Great Storm of 1987 happened to Shanklin Pier - there one day, then Michael Fish said 'there's not going to be a hurricane' and following day it'd gone.

Ventnor has had 4 piers, all gone now.

See:

A492031 Shanklin Pier, Isle of Wight, UK
A492040 Ventnor Piers, Isle of Wight, UK

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Hullo Bluebottle! Thanks for the links about Shanklin and Ventnor Piers, I'll check these! Interesting!

I'm currently on a trip to Brighton in fact, so have been thinking about piers, cycling past Brighton pier every day. And seeing the skeleton of the West Pier in the distance.

I didn't know that about Shanklin Pier, and the '87 storm. That was a crazy storm, eh? Poor Michael Fish .

I was in Leeds over the weekend and outside the gallery they had a 'photos of Britain' display, complete with a beautiful picture of Eastbourne Pier before the fire.

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Really? Ah, that's amazing. Yes, that wonderful Victorian ballroom gone forever.

I was just thinking, you know, I wonder what the people of Eastbourne are doing now with all their postcards? There were always so many postcards of the pier, before the fire, now of course they are all historical documents.

I'm going to Eastbourne tomorrow, to meet my family, so I will find out.

Probably have to pay about fifty quid for a pre-fire postcard.

Can you still get postcards of Ventnor and Shanklin piers?

I don't think I've seen a postcard for sale with pictures of Shanklin or Ventnor Pier since they went - not outside shops that sell old mementos anyway. Let me know if you find an Eastbourne one.

Are they planning on restoring the pier? If so they might still sell them.

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