Mumbles Pier

Mumbles Head is a rocky promontory that overlooks the gentle sweep of Swansea Bay and is not initially a place where you might expect to find a pleasure pier, especially one that has the facilities that Mumbles Pier enjoys. But don't be fooled, this small part of the South Wales coast has lovely sandy beach's hidden amongst rocky outcrops and an abundance of Mussels and Winkles, the like of which we haven't seen since our childhood days, when our shores suffered much less pollution and shellfish thrived.

Designed by W Sutcliffe Marsh and costing some £17,000, Mumbles Pier was commissioned as the terminus for the Swansea to Mumbles railway. Frequented by the many steelworkers and miners living in the area, the pier was popular for its regular steamer excursions to other resorts on the Welsh Coast, along with the resorts of North Devon and Somerset.

Mumbles Pier came quite late in the pier building era and was constructed of lattice steelwork on cast iron piles, with a pitch pine deck. Originally 835ft (253m) in length, Mumbles Pier was officially opened on 10th May 1898. Designed basically as a landing jetty, Mumbles Pier was never enhanced with ornate pavilion's, concert hall's or theatre's, only providing a bandstand and some amusement stalls for its visitors. A Hotel, aptly named 'The Pier Hotel', was built on the pier forecourt at the same time.

Partly because of the lack of timber buildings, along with a slice of good fortune where shipping and storms were concerned, Mumbles Pier's history has been largely uneventful, not suffering the damage or fires often associated with other pier's. Despite this there are several milestones in Mumbles Pier's history that are worthy of note.

A lifeboat station and walkway was added at a right-angle to the main pier neck c1920, and is still used by the RNLI today. On 1st October 1937 the running of Mumbles Pier was taken over by AMECO Ltd. This was to prove key in the long-term survival and upkeep of the pier, as this association continues to the present day. In keeping with most other southern piers Mumbles Pier was sectioned as a defence measure in 1940 and it was some years after the war before the pier was finally repaired, re-opening on 9th June 1956. Substantial repair work was required prior to re-opening and it was during this time that a three-tiered concrete landing stage, on steel piles, was added at the pier-head. Shortly after re-opening the Swansea to Mumbles railway was closed.

A new amusement complex was built at the shoreward end in 1966 which, along with a good maintenance program ensured that the whole pier was able to maintain its appeal to visitors, even through difficult times in the 1970s and 1980s. Currently Mumbles Pier remains fully open except for a small section of deck on the right hand side of the pier-head that is under going restoration. The shoreward facilities include the Pier Hotel and the re-furbished pavilion containing a bar, restaurant, bowling alley, Café, Cinder's nightclub, amusements and shops.