'Eastbourne Pier'

The quality of my Blip tonight is very poor......but I do want to record this for my daily journal.
This afternoon a major fire broke out on Eastbourne pier...luckily the sea end of the pier appears unaffected by the fire.

The pier was opened in 1870..but not actually completed until two years later' On New Years Day 1877 the landward half was swept away in a storm. It was rebuilt at a higher level, creating a drop towards the end of the pier. Built on stilts that rest in cups on the sea bed the whole structure is able to move during rough weather. It is roughly 1000ft long.
Paddle steamers ran trip s from the pier along the south coast and across the Channel to Boulogne from 1906 until the outbreak of the 2nd World War. After the war the paddle steamers were gradually withdrawn from service. In 1957 the final season was operated by a motor vessel.

The pier appears in Agatha Christie's Poirot episode 'Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan' although the story is located in Brighton. It was also featured in the 2001 film 'Last Orders' and the 2008 film 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging'. In 2010 the film' Brighton Rock' used Eastbourne Pier to stand in for Brighton Pier.

The collage is of the Pier as it looked a few days ago and two photos taken from the TV before I dashed off for my Line dance class tonight.......

Thankfully people on the pier when the fire broke out were all evacuated within 5 minutes and there were no injuries. A very sad day for Eastbourne.. especially as the Annual Air Show is in a couple of weeks time and the Pier always acts as a perfect backdrop.