Now I thought I had finished the Deal series, but no, I was wrong, because yesterday our Colin and Elizabeth sent me this picture.
Most residents and visitors to Deal will I guess give the plaque only a glance.
After all, if you are local you will know the story of the accident-prone pier, and if you’re not, the story is just background to what is "a significant local landmark and public amenity offering excellent views of Deal sea front.
It is internationally recognised as an angling venue and features a glass-walled café-bar at the end of the pier".*
But armed with the plaque, a tourist information board and Dover Council’s account, I can reveal that the pier has had a chequred history.
The construction of the first pier began in 1838, but suffered from cash flow problems, and was opened unfinished, before being destroyed in 1857 by a large storm.
The second was completed in 1864, but seemed to attract ships caught up in storms, with the barque Merle hitting the pier in 1873, the schooner Alliance, in 1884, and a Dutch vessel called the Nora which in 1940, after repeatedly bashing the pier in a storm, finally went right through it, bringing down 200 feet of ironwork.*
And soon after this last encounter with a rogue ship the pier was blown up by the army.
There is a happy ending, involving a new pier, but that is another story for another time.
In the meantime, you could just follow the link and read the full official story from Dover Council what happened next in 1954.*
Location; Deal
Pictures; at the pier in Deal, 2019, from the collection of Liz and Colin Fitzpatrick
*History Diamond Pier, Dover District Council, https://www.dover.gov.uk/Leisure-Culture-Tourism/Leisure-Facilities/Deal-Pier/History.aspx
Most residents and visitors to Deal will I guess give the plaque only a glance.
After all, if you are local you will know the story of the accident-prone pier, and if you’re not, the story is just background to what is "a significant local landmark and public amenity offering excellent views of Deal sea front.
It is internationally recognised as an angling venue and features a glass-walled café-bar at the end of the pier".*
But armed with the plaque, a tourist information board and Dover Council’s account, I can reveal that the pier has had a chequred history.
The construction of the first pier began in 1838, but suffered from cash flow problems, and was opened unfinished, before being destroyed in 1857 by a large storm.
The second was completed in 1864, but seemed to attract ships caught up in storms, with the barque Merle hitting the pier in 1873, the schooner Alliance, in 1884, and a Dutch vessel called the Nora which in 1940, after repeatedly bashing the pier in a storm, finally went right through it, bringing down 200 feet of ironwork.*
There is a happy ending, involving a new pier, but that is another story for another time.
In the meantime, you could just follow the link and read the full official story from Dover Council what happened next in 1954.*
Location; Deal
Pictures; at the pier in Deal, 2019, from the collection of Liz and Colin Fitzpatrick
*History Diamond Pier, Dover District Council, https://www.dover.gov.uk/Leisure-Culture-Tourism/Leisure-Facilities/Deal-Pier/History.aspx
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