Southsea South Parade Pier.....

Mrs BM drove me down to Southsea and Southampton today to get another four Piers, Hythe, Southsea Clarance, Southampton Royal and this one Southsea South Parade Pier.

The pier was built between 1875 and 1878 to the design of G.Rale. It was opened in 1879 by Princess Saxe-Weimar. Initially, its main purpose was as a steamer jetty for Isle of Wight passengers.

In 1904, a serious fire resulted in a complete rebuild. The 'replacement' pier opened to a length of 600 feet in 1908. It had been designed by local architect G.E.Smith and cost £85,000. It had a concrete deck and windscreens protecting visitors on all sides. A spacious pavilion contained two halls: one housed a 1200 seat theatre, the other serving as a cafe during the day and a dance hall at night. At the seaward end, a similar pavilion incorporated a bar and lounge.

The theatre was damaged by fire in 1966 and was removed the following year. A further blaze in 1974 (during the filming of 'Tommy') badly affected the pier, which re-opened the following year after a £500,000 rebuild.

The large pavilion, less grand than previously, now houses showbars (one of which can hold 800) and amusements.

We had lunch out but I didn't eat too much.

Tomorrow we attend a party at my friends farm with all our friends here in the Southeast.