History - Part 2: Collapse and Restoration
see also Part 1 - The building of Clevedon Pier
The Collapse
Disaster
struck Clevedon pier on the morning of 17th October 1970, when under load
testing, the two end spans failed and collapsed into the sea.
Bernard Faraway, piermaster at the time, recalls:
"After the steamer season had finished, the biennial test for insurance purposes took place. The method was to fill heavy duty plastic containers with water. These were 50ft long, 5ft wide and 2ft deep, filled to a depth of 10 inches. This gave a pressure equal to 50lbs per square foot.
Eighteen containers were used, six for each span, and three spans were tested at a time, starting from the Toll House end of the pier. Each test lasted three hours and after the first test No. 1 span had passed.
The six bags used on no. 1 span were emptied, dragged over the full bags to No. 4 span and then refilled. After a further three hours, No. 2 span had passed, and so on. No. 7 span collapsed (bringing down No. 8 also).
The tests had been carried out under full supervision. The cause of the collapse was undoubtedly a weakness in the seventh span ."
The collapse of Clevedon pier made headline news, not just locally but nationally.
Restoration of the pier - the Clevedon Pier Preservation Trust
Within
Clevedon, there was much talk over the future of the pier. It was suggested
by some that the remainder of the pier should be demolished, but a small group
of local people took a boat out to the now isolated pier head, scaled up the
landing stage and hung out a large banner reading "Save Our Pier".
The Clevedon Pier Preservation Trust was formed in 1972 and professional fund raisers were called in to help raise the huge sum of money required to carry out the repairs that were required.
Fund raising faltered, inflation galloped ahead and restoration receded into nothing more than a fond hope. The original cost of renovation was estimated in 1971 to be £75,000, but by 1979 inflation had lifted this to £379,500.
Ten years on from the collapse, the Pier Preservation Trust had obtained promises of £50,000 but still nothing had happened to the pier. No approach had been made to the owners of the pier to acquire or lease it, which was necessary before any restoration work could begin.
Public Inquiry
A Public Inquiry was called in March 1980 and the Preservation Trust engaged Paul Chadd, Q.C., a Bristol barrister, to present the Trust's case.
Firstly he presented the large number of depositions received in favour of saving the beautiful and historic structure. Once of these was voiced by the then poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman. In a recorded message he spoke freely of "Clevedon being the most beautiful pier in England. Its demolition would be a tragedy".
Secondly Paul Chadd presented the results of an earlier feasibility study completed before the Inquiry. Funded by the Pier Preservation Trust, under pressure from Mike Allman (then a new Trustee), Keith Mallory (architect) and Richard Fenton (engineer), this showed how the pier could be restored, with proper costings. Know as the Pier Technical Group, this small body now supplied extensive supporting documentation to the Inquiry.
Mike Allman commented; "I would go as far as saying that it was this type of evidence that swayed the Inspector's decision."
Supporters of the pier were jubilant when judgment was given in their favour. The Technical Group formed a new Trust which was joined by Lady Elton, Mike Hedger and John Topham. This was to be a turning point in the history pf Clevedon pier.
Out
to Tender
Funds promised by Clevedon U.D.C. were released by Woodspring District Council to the pier Trustees in 1981. The accrued sum of £30,492 was accompanied by a five year lease of the pier.
Under their Chairman, Mike Allman, six national contractors were asked to
tender for the repair works, following English Heritage's generous grant of
£40,000 for a feasibility study.
Money for the restoration was desperately short, but with the help of £100,000
(for labour only) from the Manpower Services Commission, in 1982 significant
work was done on the Toll House. This became a focal point for operations
when it was re-opened the following year.
The three pier-head buildings that had been 'cut-off' from the rest of the pier for so long, were dismantled and brought ashore to be stored for renovation in the Green Beach car park, opposite the Little Harp pub.
Clevedon Pier Supporters
The Clevedon Pier Supporters were formed not long after the pier collapsed in 1970. They carried out stirling work, alongside the Pier Trust, in organising and holding various fundraising events. They also provided volunteers to work in the Toll House shop, before the pier was restored.
During their existence, they raised over £100,000. Key members of the Clevedon Pier Supporters included Alan and Hilary Tinkling, Hilda Baker, Austin and Margaret Davis, and Ralph and Irene Fryer, some of whom are no longer with us.
Financial breakthrough
In 1984, after visiting the pier and seeing the progress that had been made, English Heritage made a grant of £500,000 and the National Heritage Memorial Fund gave an exactly matching sum. Woodspring District Council pledged their support with £170,000 while other smaller donations were given by the Pilgrim and Manifold Trusts.
The improved financial picture encouraged Woodspring to lease the pier to the Trustees for 99 years.
Restoration begins
In the August of 1984, tenders were sent out and John Howard of Chatham were selected to restore Clevedon Pier to its former glory.
The
pier renovation was carried out locally, just a few miles up the Severn at
Portishead Dock. An extensive quay-side compound was available for sorting
and stacking tidy piles of assorted iron-work. Adjacent sheds offered plenty
of space for cutting, moulding and treatment.
By the summer of 1986, the dismantled pier was lying in quite recognisable sections in Portishead and the laborious task of cutting out the rotten metal, replacement and restoration had begun.
Sadly the original contractors, John Howard, soon went into receivership. This was a shattering blow for the pier. Mike Allman recalls; "There were pier remains at Portishead . . . nothing happening . . . it was a desperate situation. I thought, honestly, this was the end of a dream."
English Heritage and the National Heritage Memorial Fund, anxious not to see the project founder, sent their representatives to Portishead and were favourably impressed with the work carried out to date. To their great credit, each organisation gave further matching sums of £137,000, showing great faith in this unusual project. New contractors, Ernest Ireland and Christiani and Nielsen were appointed.
By
the summer of 1988, all the parts, old and new, shot blasted and heavily painted
for protection against the salt seawater, were ready for collection. During
the summer the parts were transported by barge, towed down the coast from
Portishead, and reassembled - first the seven uprights and then the arched
supports for the decking.
The whole length of the pier now had to be re-decked - 800 feet of pier requires a lot of planks! A high profile campaign of plank sponsorship was initiated by Trust Chairman Mike Allman, and operated by the new Piermaster Philip Beisley.
The landing stage was put back into basic working order. This was imperative
as the Waverley was due to call in the summer season of 1989 and the revenue
from the steamers would help support the pier's funds.
Partial Re-opening of the Pier (1989):
On the 27th May 1989, after many years of hard work fund raising, painstaking restoration and re-building work, Clevedon pier finally re-opened to the public and was back in business. The official re-opening was performed by Captain Dennis Scott Masson, former master of the SS Canberra of the P & O fleet.
During the day there were cruises on the paddle steamer Waverley (returning
to Clevedon pier after nearly two decades). There was also a brass band, local
organisations lined the pier with stalls, and everyone dressed in Victorian
costume. In the evening there was a grand firework finale.
Final re-opening 1998
When the pier re-opened in May 1989, it was not completely finished. The landing stage and steps leading down to it were complete so regular boat trips could run, but the remaining works to the pierhead had not yet commenced. If you visited the pier at this time, you would be met at the end by a large metal fence, preventing you from walking onto the pierhead.
Great efforts were made to raise the remainder of the funds required to enable the pierhead to be fully restored and the Pagoda building and two shelters to be re-built.
In 1995 a further award from the Heritage Lottery Fund allowed the restoration of the landing stage, Pagoda building and two shelters to be completed.
On 23rd May 1998, Clevedon pier was formally re-opened by Sir Charles Elton Bart and Clevedon Bowler David Bryant. Sir Charles Elton is the great-great grandson of the original chairman of the Clevedon Pier Company.
Thousands of people came to witness the occasion, again many dressed in Victorian period costume. The celebrations included the Royal Marine marching band, an air-sea rescue display, aerobatic display teams, 'wing-walking' and trips on the paddle steamer Waverley. Local Clevedon company, Firemagic, finished the day with an amazing display of fireworks using the whole length of the pier.
Grade 1 listing
In January 2001, Clevedon Pier was up-graded from a Grade 2* listed structure to a Grade 1. This is the highest form of Grade Listing possible for a building or structure and is only given to a handful of places around the country.
The Brighton West Pier is only one other pier in the whole of the UK that has achieved a Grade 1 listing. Unfortunately the Brighton West Pier not open to the public as the structure has suffered decay over a long period, partial collapse and a fire in 2002 which severely damaged the the pier head and buildings.
So, at present, Clevedon pier is the only structurally intact Grade 1 listed pier in the whole of the country.
History - Part 1: The building of Clevedon Pier