Bangor Pier, North Wales
It has been restored to how the Victorians would have known it
This is an introduction to a restored relic of a bygone age, namely the pier at Bangor, North Wales. A few years ago I stayed at a house overlooking the pier and relived memories of my time as a student at the nearby University.
The Victorians’ love of piers
The Victorians had many admirable qualities, among which were a desire to stay healthy by taking gentle exercise, and excellent engineering skills. When the two came together the result was the seaside pleasure pier. Very few seaside resorts around the British coast did not have at least one pier by the end of the Victorian era, and the top resorts had several magnificent structures striding out to sea, such as Brighton with three!
Bangor Pier
Bangor, in north-west Wales, had to wait a long time for its pier, as it was not opened until 1896 when Queen Victoria was nearing the end of her life and reign.
Like most constructions of its kind, it had two main functions: as a place to promenade and take the sea air, and as a landing stage for pleasure steamers.
However, at low tide you can see that this pier had a third reason for its existence, as it is built on a foundation of hidden rocks that…