A bracing walk on a sunny winters dau

I love the pier just to walk along the sea and stand at the end. Perfect

Unusually no entrance fee to a pier. Was there on a windy day and it was bracing at the end, but how good it felt! Good coffee shop, amusements were fun and cheap and some interesting shops. Great morning there

Fantastico

Lovely Pier which has been lovingly restored.<br>Lots of seating and a great place to go for a walk.

Closed today. Went there last year. Excellent tea and scones when open

Nice to see it seems as good as new after the fire. We only had a stroll round it because being January it was quite cold

Love traditional piers

Great , nice and clean.

The proposal for a pier was first mooted at the end of 1863, and highly favoured by the town’s major landowner, the 7th Duke of Devonshire. It was to have been 1000 feet in length and, at a cost of £12,000, would have been situated at the end of the town’s grandest avenue, Devonshire Place. However, the project was delayed and finally abandoned in favour of the present site at the junction of Grand and Marine Parades, thus creating the easterly end of what amounts to a shingle bay. The pier interrupts what would otherwise have been a ribbon development of buildings – to the west, high-class hotels, with modest family hotels and boarding houses to the east.[1]<br><br>The Eastbourne Pier Company was registered in April 1865 with a capital of £15,000[2] and on 18 April 1866 work began. It was opened by Lord Edward Cavendish on 13 June 1870, although it was not actually completed until two years later.[3] On New Year's Day 1877 the landward half was swept away in a storm. It was rebuilt at a higher level, creating a drop towards the end of the pier. The pier is effectively built on stilts that rest in cups on the sea-bed allowing the whole structure to move during rough weather. It is roughly 300 metres (1000 ft) long. A domed 400-seater pavilion was constructed at a cost of £250 at the seaward end in 1888. A 1000-seater theatre, bar, camera obscura and office suite replaced this in 1899/1901. At the same time, two saloons were built midway along the pier.[4] The camera obscura fell into disuse in the 1960s but was restored in 2003 with a new stairway built to provide access.[1]<br><br>Paddle steamers (such as the PS Brighton Queen and the PS Devonia) operated by P and A Campbell ran trips from the pier along the south coast and across the Channel to Boulogne[2] from 1906 until the outbreak of the Second World War. These were resumed after the war, but the paddle steamers were gradually withdrawn from service. In 1957, the final season was operated by a motor vessel.<br><br>During the Second World War, part of the decking was removed and machine guns were installed in the theatre providing a useful point from where to repel any attempted enemy landings and a Bofors anti-aircraft gun was sited midway along the length of the pier.[5] In December 1942, an exploding mine caused considerable damage to the pier and nearby hotels; it had been tied to the stanchions by the local police, who were under the mistaken impression that it was fitted with a safety device. In 1943, a detachment of Royal Canadian Engineers fixed camouflage netting over the stanchions to conceal flotillas of small vessels, such as wooden assault landing craft. A George Medal and a British Empire Medal were awarded to two of the engineers who dived into the sea on 3 February 1943 to rescue a comrade who had fallen from a cableway which crossed a 30-foot gap in the structure.[6]<br><br>Various traditional pier theatres were built over the years but after the last one was destroyed by fire in 1970,[2] it was replaced by a nightclub and bar which remain to this day.[3] On the landward half of the pier stands a fish and chip kiosk, an amusement arcadeand a fast food outlet. Further out, as well as the club there is a cafe, a restaurant, a glassblower, a clothes shop and an ice creamshop.[7] The tower at the end of the pier is often used as a viewing point during the annual air show.<br><br>In May 2009, the Listed building status of the Pier was upgraded from Grade II to Grade II*.[8][9]<br><br>Six Piers Limited placed Eastbourne Pier up for sale in 2009, with an asking price of £5.5 million. The sale price included a tea room, two bars, an amusement arcade and a nightclub.[10]<br><br>On 21 October 2015, Sheikh Abid Gulzar, a local hotelier, bought the pier for an undisclosed fee, although it is believed to be less than £5.5 million

Lovely place to visit picnic on pier fantastic views..

Visited on Friday 20th October. This is a majestic pier well maintained and a pleasure to visit. It was quiet on the day we visited but can imagine during warmer months it would be packed with people enjoying themselves. If your into old piers this is one of the best still surviving today and a must see.

Good

Always nice to have a walk on the pier, some shops, and a small fair on there, great view on a good day

I went in january so was made slightly miserable by the weather. The pier is well maintained compared to others, and offers pretty much the same type of thing, gift shops, cafe and an amusement arcade. The amusements were slightly lacking and it was a shame that the bigger structure at the end of the pier was taken up as a pub and nightclub.

Nice promenade leading to the pier however, which has a number of plants and is again well maintained. They do have music in the summer months at an open air veranda

It is a beautiful place to visit especially early in the morning. There is no entrance fee unlike many others! Stunning surrounding buildings. If you haven't visited the place, you should.

An old style pier centrally located. It's home to a few shops and plenty of amusement arcades and is free to access.

A nice place to visit on a nice day

Great views to be had of the foreshore. A pretty pier in good condition compared to other better known piers nearby. I think I prefer this pier to Brighton

Very nice I recommend to visit once for every body

Eastbourne pier has been one of the town's main attractions for many decades, for the many millions of visitors and it's local residents, especially outside holiday seasons, when varied entertainment in town was few and far between. Boasting not only large amusement arcades, but a wide range of kiosks and a kicking night club, The pier offers speed boat rides too. A must see if you're visiting for the day, or staying a while longer!<br><br>One regret as a result of the (post fire) modernisation of the pier, (I was recently informed) that fishing was no longer permitted from the pier.<br><br>Despite the one regret, I wouldn't hesitate recommending everyone add Eastbourne's Pier to their "Must Do" list.

Cream tea

lovely attraction. could do wirh more shops

Wonderful place

Beautiful well looked after Victorian pier.