The Box | Tavistock Place | Plymouth | Devon PL4 8AX 01752 304774 Email Facebook Twitter
Plymouth once had a beautiful promenade pier.
This image from the early 1900s shows it viewed from West Hoe as a paddle steamer approaches.
This postcard entitled ‘Plymouth Swimming Match’ shows an image viewed from the pier. It’s a very different scene to what we’re currently experiencing in these times of social distancing, but shows the ‘Gentlemen’s Bathing Cove’ and changing rooms on the foreshore with many spectators on the cliffs and rocks and Smeaton’s Tower on horizon. It also dates from the early 1900s.
This black and white image shows a brilliant aerial shot of the Hoe and foreshore. The pier can clearly be seen along with Tinside Lido and West Hoe Harbour. It dates from the late 1930s.
The pier was opened in May 1884 and was sadly destroyed in the Second World War. Here’s an image of it, courtesy of the South West Image Bank, taken before the Blitz.
Here’s another image, courtesy of the South West Image Bank, showing the destruction caused by the war.
There are some great online descriptions of the pier if you’re interested to learn more or refresh your knowledge. We’d recommend:
Plymouth History Festival 