South Parade Pier

The South Parade Pier is a pier in Portsmouth, England. It is one of two piers in the city, the other being Clarence Pier. The pier has a long hall down its centre which houses a seating area and a small restaurant. The outside of the hall is a promenade which runs the whole length of the pier and connects the entrance building with the small funfair at the southern end.

The South Parade Pier, in Southsea, part of the English city of Portsmouth, is a pleasure pier offering typical seaside attractions including souvenir shops, ice creams, indoor amusements and a small children's funfair. It also contains a fishing deck and two function rooms which are often used for live music.

The history of the pier has been eventful; like many UK piers, part of it was removed during the Second World War in an attempt to hinder any invasion and it has also caught fire several times, most famously in 1974 during shooting of the film Tommy, directed by Ken Russell. The pier also featured in an episode of Mr. Bean entitled "Mind the Baby Mr. Bean"

The Pier has been sold to three businessmen who have pledged to restore it to its former glory in 2010. The iconic pier is now owned by Frederick Nash, director of Hampshire property firm Matchams South Coast, and partners Tony Marshall, a London lawyer, and Cambridgeshire stud farm proprieter David Moore. Very little has happened to the pier since the purchase in early 2010.