Paignton Pier (Paignton)
Paignton Pier is one of a dwindling number of English seaside piers, a fascinating and much loved institution.
It is siuated at the South Devon resort of Paignton, on Torbay.
There was to be a pier at Paignton in 1871. When Arthur Hyde Dendy purchased Teignmouth Pier, he decided to move it to Paignton. Not surprisingly, though, the idea was found to be impractical.
In 1879, an iron pier engineered by Gordon Soudon Bridgeman was opened, with a length of 780 feet. It had a pavilion and billiards room.
In 1919, a disastrous fire destroyed the pavilion, and during the Second World War the pier was taken over by the military.
Modest improvements led to the formal reopening of Paignton Pier in 1995, with plans to restore it to its Victorian glory.