Southwold Pier

Southwold Pier is a pier in Southwold, Suffolk, East Anglia, England.Whilst many English seaside piers are in decline, Southwold Pier is enjoying renewed popularity. It includes a collection of modern coin-operated novelty machines designed and constructed by the inventor Tim Hunkin.

The pier was built in 1900, when it extended for a distance of 810 feet (250 m) and finishing with a T-shaped end. The pier end was practically destroyed by a gale in 1934, with the T-shaped end being swept away. A series of events during the Second World War and a further major storm in 1979 reduced the pier to approximately 100 feet (30 m).

The pier was bought by Chris Iredale in 1987 and he first spent five years turning the pavilion into a profit-making business. A major refurbishment program was started in 1999 in order to rebuild the pier. This was completed in 2001 almost 100 years after it was first opened. In 2002 the T-Shaped end was additionally added, bringing the pier to a total length of 623 feet (190 m). This additional length now allows the pier to accommodate visits by Britain's only surviving sea-going steam passenger ship, the PS Waverley paddle steamer and its sister ship the M.V.Balmoral.