Claremont Pier, Lowestoft

Lowestoft Claremont Pier was one of three piers on the East Coast to be built by a steamship company. Although steamships had lost a percentage of their revenue due to the advent of the railways, there was still a lucrative market for sailing excursions and pleasure trips. As the pier landing stage allowed easy mooring facilities, and the pier itself offered numerous entertainments, it was an obvious way forward for the two interests to be combined within one operating company.

The Coast Development Company formed in 1898 did exactly that, building Southwold, Felixstowe, and completing Lowestoft Claremont in 1903. The company operated the famous 'Belle' steamers from London Bridge, offering trips that called at Southend, Clacton, Walton-on-the-Naze, the three new piers, and onto Great Yarmouth. Lowestoft had now become a day trip resort, which became even more accessible with the completion of the Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth railway.

Designed by D. Fox the wooden pier was originally 600ft (181.8m) in length and 36ft (10.9m) wide. Built midway along the Esplanade, Lowestoft Claremont Pier boasted a promenade that was said to "equal the best in many resorts". In 1912 the T-shaped pier head was extended and redeveloped to facilitate a new pavilion, and the original wooden piles were renewed using green-heart timber. This extension now gave Lowestoft Claremont Pier an overall length of 760ft (230.3m).

In May 1903 the first steamer to call at Lowestoft Claremont Pier was the 'Walton Belle'. The great advantage for ship's masters at Lowestoft was that the entire 360ft (109m) length of the pier head was in deep water, allowing the mooring of steamers to be safely carried out whatever the tide or weather. Steamer services finally finished with the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. An army demolition team were assigned to section the pier for fear of invasion. Once the danger had passed, the resulting gap in the pier structure was joined with a Bailey bridge and Lowestoft Claremont Pier became an army training centre until 1948.

Left abandoned and derelict, Lowestoft Claremont Pier was then taken over by the actor George Studd when the local council declined to purchase it. Repairs were undertaken, and a new concrete platform and pavilion were completed by 1950. In 1962 a storm washed away the T-shaped head and a portion of the pier neck, reducing its length to 720ft (218m). In the 1980s a major restoration project was announced that facilitated the re-opening of the pier neck. Although the shoreward buildings were renovated at this time, the seaward end was left untouched and subsequently remains closed.

The shoreward end buildings cater for the usual array of modern leisure activities and include a nightclub, function room, electronic amusements, a takeaway food counter, and a restaurant. A considerable area immediately in front of, and leading up to, the pier has recently been refurbished and does much to enhance Lowestoft Claremont Pier. Although Lowestoft has long been regarded solely as a large industrial and fishing port, the resort to the south has been thoughtfully renovated and will pleasantly surprise even the most sceptical of visitors.