LLANDUDNO Pier, stretching for 700 metres, is the longest in Wales, and among the most iconic sites in the region.

The Pier had its origins in a much shorter, wooden pier erected in 1858 as part of the planned St George’s Harbour.

The wooden pier was used mainly for export of limestone from quarries in the nearby Happy Valley.

After becoming severely damaged in the Royal Charter Storm of October 25, 1859, which caused the loss of 223 ships and 800 people in British coastal waters, the Pier could only be used by steam ships in high tide. 

North Wales Pioneer: The old Pier toll booth and booking service. Photo: David RobertsThe old Pier toll booth and booking service. Photo: David Roberts

In 1875, the Llandudno Pier Company was formed, and a new pier was designed by civil engineers Sir James William Brunlees (knighted 1886) and Alexander McKerrow.

Following Parliamentary approval, the first pile was driven for the new pier in July 1876.

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The builder was Walter MacFarlane from Glasgow, with cast iron components produced by the Elmbank Foundry, Glasgow.

The pier opened to the public on August 1, 1877.

A landing stage catered for steamships, which brought visitors to Llandudno and took trippers for cruises along the coast to Anglesey and sometimes as far as the Isle of Man.

North Wales Pioneer: The Pier viewed from the sands of Llandudno, shortly after opening. Photo: Home Front MuseumThe Pier viewed from the sands of Llandudno, shortly after opening. Photo: Home Front Museum

Rival steamers sometimes raced to the Pier and in 1906, the master of the Snowdon was accused of breaching maritime law when racing against the Carisbrooke between Beaumaris and Llandudno Pier, but the case was later dropped.

To match Llandudno’s growing popularity and emergence as a seaside resort, the Llandudno Pier Pavilion Theatre was constructed in 1886, a 2,000-seat three-storey structure built in the typically flamboyant Victorian style.

Complete with a detailed cast-iron veranda, the Pavilion Theatre allowed the Pier and town to have its own orchestra, Riviere’s, which ran until 1936.

North Wales Pioneer: The Pier in the 1980s, with its old second entrance from Happy Valley Road to the left. Photo: David RobertsThe Pier in the 1980s, with its old second entrance from Happy Valley Road to the left. Photo: David Roberts

Llandudno Pier has remained popular since, despite the demolition of the Pavilion Theatre, changes to entertainment, and the regular renewal of its facilities.

In 2005, the Pier was voted the Pier of the Year by the National Piers Society, and in 2015 was bought for £4.5 million by its current owners, Tir Prince Leisure Group.

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