Brighton Pier

Advantages: Free entry
Disadvantages: Gets very crowded

...Seaside piers seem to be a very British tradition and there are many different examples to be found in England and Wales, although oddly none exist north of the border in Scotland. Brighton's pier is one of the most famous of them all. Officially known as The Brighton Marine Palace Pier or the Palace Pier for short it officially opened in the May of 1899. By this date the Victorians and their predecessors had already built many other piers, including two earlier ones at Brighton. Brighton's first pier was constructed in 1823. This was known as The Royal Suspension Chain Pier and still existed in 1891 when construction of the Palace Pier began. At this time the Chain Pier was considered to be unsafe and was in a state of disrepair so one of the conditions attached to the construction of the new pier was that this old one was demolished...

micksheff 09.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Brighton Pier

The End of the Piers Show?

Advantages: We vote for the politicians who will do our dirty work
Disadvantages: Most left book in hotel rooms.

...Piers Morgan, like the ridiculous ?Jordan?, is one of our most iconic and inflated tabloid tits, ridiculed not only for the way he ran the News of the World and the Daily Mirror but for the weasel he appears to be, an essential requirement to run a British tabloid it seems, men that puke up what they write after ten pints. So why would anyone want to read a book about his life running those tabloids? Well the answer, of course, is access. This is a guy that had the Prime Ministers ear for ten years and pretty much anyone else?s in the Labor party, a close alliance with the paper formed many decades ago. He was there from day one when Blair came in to number ten and also covered the sad Princess Diana decline and 911, two of the biggest stories of the second half of the twentieth century, and Morgan intimate with many of those bigger...

thedevilinme 15.12.2009 (26.12.2009) · Read review
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Review of The Insider - Piers Morgan

The North Pier, Blackpool

Advantages: Lots of fresh air, fully accessible by disabled visitors
Disadvantages: A small admission charge

...If you think about the main English seaside resorts then the chances are that they will have a pier. There is something very quintessentially English about seaside piers and in Britain they are largely restricted to England, with a handful in Wales and none at all north of the border in Scotland. Blackpool in the north west of England is unusual because it boasts three different piers. The North Pier, Central Pier and South Pier. As its name suggests The North Pier has the most northerly location of the three. It is also the oldest pier in the town and at 503 metres long it is also its longest pier. Eugenius Birch was drafted in to design The North Pier. He had been responsible for the design of Britain's first seaside pier at Margate. This was his second pier project and following its success he would go on to design a further...

micksheff 11.11.2008 (12.11.2008) · Read review
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Review of The North Pier, Blackpool

God Bless Piers!

Advantages: interesting stories, a lot of fun parts, his hatred for George Bush!
Disadvantages: Some name dropping!

...As it was my birthday last month I was inundated with new books, not that I am complaining but I just now need a few extra hours in each day to get through them all. I decided that I would read this one first as I did need a break from Harry Potter as I was getting Potter overload! For those of you who don?t know Piers Morgan is an ex-newspaper editor and he is now a judge on Britain?s Got Talent and also the equivalent show in America. He also still writes articles for a variety of papers and magazines. This book is entitled God Bless America and it is a diary which piers starts on 23rd October 2006 and he continues to write until 5th November 2008. He talks about his time in America and how he spends his time going back and forward between the countries. Piers does talk about how he initially hated America and thought that all...

sewbizzie 19.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of God Bless America: Misadventures of a Big Mouth Brit: Diaries of an Englishman in the Land of the Free - Piers Morgan

Following in Orwell's footsteps on The Road To Wigan Pier.

Advantages: An Glimpse into Britain's Social history
Disadvantages: Not light reading!

...Review of 'The Road To Wigan Pier' by George Orwell. I am reviewing a paperback edition of the book, published by Penguin Classics; 272 pages, cover price £9.99. The book was first published in 1937 by Victor Gollancz. My copy was published in 2001. I picked up the The Road to Wigan Pier in a book exchange facility that I often use when travelling on my narrow boat. I had read Orwell's well known classics, 'Animal Farm' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' many years ago and seeing this book decided to re visit George Orwell's writing. The Book First off, how can I describe The Road To Wigan Pier? Well, it is not a novel, nor is it a work of non fiction in the way of a true life story. It is basically an account of the findings of George Orwell's tour of the industrial areas of Britain in the 1930s. I have to be honest...

brittle1906 05.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Road to Wigan Pier - George Orwell

The one in the middle with the big wheel

Advantages: Typical seaside stuff!
Disadvantages: Not as interesting as the other two piers

...Since I have submitted an opinion on the South Pier at Blackpool I thought that I should do the other two, starting with the Central Pier. I'll start by saying that the Central Pier, like the other two piers, has free access at all times. You must know by now that I do like a bargain so this is a big plus point for me. The Central Pier, not surprisingly, is situated in between the North and South Piers, roughly opposite the Tower. It is easily accessible by the bus, which runs along the seafront, or from the famous Blackpool Trams, which run regularly in both directions and stop right outside the pier. The Central Pier was the second of the three piers to be opened Blackpool in 1868. It was called the South Pier until the current South Pier was opened in 1893. It is now 339 metres long. It was originally longer when there was...

SusanLesley 02.10.2001 · Read review
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Review of Central Pier, Blackpool

Wigan Pier: A stroll down memory lane

Advantages: Good for older people and school groups. Theatre group excellent
Disadvantages: Hard to find. expensive if you only have a quick look round

...Wigan. It is not the most inspiring place is it? Images of cloth caps, cobbles, clogs and cotton mills spring to mind. The other major thing about Wigan is that although it is miles away from the coast it has its pier featured in the title of the George Orwell classic "The Road To Wigan Pier" and also in a number of old music hall jokes. It also inspired the building of the first heritage centre in Britain, in the early 1980s, the Wigan Pier Experience. What is the Wigan Pier Experience? The Wigan Pier Experience, as mentioned, was the first heritage centre in the country. It was built as a community initiative to bring tourism to an economically depressed community using the reputation of the pier as a starting point. The pier, which was a coal-loading device by the canal side, had long since disappeared but was resurrected...

duskmaiden 17.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of Wigan Pier

Fun for all the family (Culver Pier, Sandown (Isle of Wight))

Advantages: Plenty of attractions
Disadvantages: None really, if you like this kind of thing!

...of young and old visitors alike. This central attraction is surrounded by many others. There are plenty of arcades including everything from the penny slot machines right up to the all singing, all dancing and (perhaps most imortantly) all flashing video and simulator games. There is something for everyone here. There is also a bowling alley for those who like a bit of a (friendly) competition and the staff there are more than happy to assist with any queries you might have or help you may need. Other facilities include a cafe, plenty of toilets and many eye-catching shops to get those all important souvenirs or for children to part with their pocket money. Cost-wise, the pier can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it. There is no charge to enter the pier and you are free to wander round all of the facilities...

dkm1981 03.12.2009 · Read review
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Review of Culver Pier, Sandown, Isle of Wight

The 3 Brighton Piers

Advantages: Great day out
Disadvantages: Cost a lot to repair

...Brighton has been a firm family favourite seaside destination for over 150 years now. It was once the favourite home of Queen victoria. She had the grand Pavillion renovated in the town and in 1850 sold it to the town. A grand structure, it looked more like the Taj Mahal. A Palace fit for a Queen. This may be how one of Brighton's 2 piers got their name. Brighton has in fact had 3 piers during its history. 1) The Chain Pier ----------------- In 1827, the first pier opened in Brighton and was, in fact, simply a landing stage for boats and ships. It was named, the Chain Pier. Being so close to the continent, it became used as the first stop off on a travellers journey to London. It soon became clear that the public like walking on the pier and it offered a recreational purpose. Walking over water was new and therapeutic. Its...

andycharger 15.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of West Pier, Brighton

Traditional Pier.

Advantages: English Tradition.
Disadvantages: None.

...The North Pier is my favourite of the three piers at Blackpool. It is how I believe a real seaside pier should be. Originally this pier was called the Blackpool Pier and it is the oldest (1863) and longest (402 metres) of the three Blackpool piers. This is a pier to just stroll along and really enjoy the sea air. There is a small amusement arcade at the start of the pier, where there is also a coffee shop and a few other small shops. The pier is a traditional open promenade with wooden flooring, where you can see the sea through the gaps in the planks. All of the way along the pier on either side there are seats where you can just sit and relax and watch the world go by. If you don’t fancy walking to the end of the pier then you can save your legs by taking a ride on the pier tram (75p return – 50p single...

daseaford 04.10.2001 · Read review
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Review of North Pier, Blackpool