The Grand Pier at Weston-Super-Mare : Britain in Old Photographs

Subject to both natural and man-made dangers, of the ninety-one pleasure piers that once decorated the British coastline, just fifty-five remain. For over a century, the Grand Pier at Weston has stood as a prominent symbol of this British seaside tradition. For over sixty years, the Grand Pier was owned and run by successive generations of one family, the Brenners. This book is also the story of how they constantly updated and improved the pier, ensuring its popularity with tourists continued into the twenty-first century. But the Grand Pier has also seen its fair share of disaster. The pier rose from the ashes of a devastating fire in 1930 to enjoy a period of great success between the wars. A second fire destroyed the famous pavilion in 2008, and whether the pier can return once again to its former glory remains to be seen. This book illustrates the history of this outstanding example of seaside piers, with memories and anecdotes from the people who owned it, worked on it or simply loved it.