Southwold Beach in April 1998, looking North toward what was then the remains of the pier.

First opened in 1899, the pier was originally 800 feet (280 metres) in length, and was used as a landing stage for passenger steamers (the depth of the water being insufficient to allow the steamers to come closer in to the shore). Gaps were cut in the pier in 1940 to prevent its use in a potential German invasion of Britain. The gaps were bridged over after the end of the Second World War, but by then the passenger steamers had been replaced by coaches and private cars as the preferred mode of transport for visitors, and the original purpose of the pier was lost.

The pier was damaged by storms in the late 1960's and early 1970s, and more storms led to the progressive shortening of the remains until all that remained in 1998 was the stump shown above. A project to reconstruct the pier began in 1999, and on 2 July 2001 the new 600 foot (210 metre) pier was re-opened in a day of celebrations that culminated in a spectacular firework display.

Pictures of the pier in its restored state will follow shortly - I think I can identify the spot from which I took this picture!