The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) announced today that it will help save Yarmouth Pier with a £350,500 grant. The pier, which opened in 1876, is being eaten by gribbles and shipworms. As many as 50 of its wooden supports have been attacked and it is feared the pier will soon become unsafe.
An Appeal Fund was launched earlier this year, by the owners of the Pier Yarmouth Harbour Commissioners headed by Alan Titchmarsh, which aimed to raise the money to support the restoration and keep the pier open as a facility for residents and visitors.
The restoration, which is likely to take about three months will start this coming winter.
Yarmouth pier was originally built to accommodate paddle steamers carrying passengers from Lymington to the Isle of Wight. It has been a central feature of the town ever since and today acts as a landing stage for the Waverley Paddle Steamer and the Balmoral. Built of timber, the landmark is 609ft long and features an octagonal pavilion with polygonal roof and a pavilion dating from 1927.
A spokesman said:
“The grant from HLF is a lifeline for this Grade II listed structure, helping ensure it continues to be a popular promenade and berth for visiting historic steamships.”
The cash will also be used to save memories of the pier and celebrate its place in history through a new archive. Highlights of the pier’s past include Alfred Lord Tennyson composing “Crossing The Bar” whilst on the Yarmouth ferry, its links to the development of the railway on the Island and its role during both the World Wars.
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