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

2007 Shows, North Pier Theatre, Blackpool

Advantages: Nostalgic, family entertainment at a fair price.
Disadvantages: The weather! Good eating houses away from the Pier are a long walk.

...Having visited the North Pier Theatre in July 2007 to see two shows, namely Music Music Music and Liberace Live From Las Vegas, I was highly impressed with the quality of the entertainment and was dismayed to hear that the Theatre might be closed for 2008. Fortunately, this is not to be and it now looks as if there will be a full season of great entertainment, which is I gather, presented by the same people who presented the two 2007 shows that I saw. MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC was a presentation of what used to be The Black and White Minstrel Show, although political correctness prevented the company from 'blacking-up'. There were songs in the 'old' tradition of George Mitchell and the cast contained original Minstrels cast members Bob Hunter and Les Want who were supported by a very lively company, The Minstrel Maids with some absolutely...

wurlitzerwilly 14.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of North Pier Theatre, Blackpool

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

North Pier Theatre & North Pier Views

Advantages: Fresh, Fun, Exhilarating Sea Views & Great Entertainment
Disadvantages: More deckchairs & outside seating needed.

...I have just enjoyed a week in Blackpool and my favourite time was enjoying the beautiful scenic views on North Pier. It is amazing to sit at the end of the Pier and enjoy a drink watching the sunset and the thousands of starlings that fly overhead is a natural phenomenom. We visited 3 shows the best being Soap Queens with Debra Stephenson and Bernie Nolan., Great comedy, brilliant songs and the audience made two emotional standing ovations. The Theatre is a lovely, vintage and beautifully restored little gem. Steeped in Victorian swags, tails and ambiant atmosphere you are transported back in time. The lights, the views and atmosphere is one of the best we visited in the resort. The staff were friendly and very theatrical. We loved it. Joey Blower the resident comedian at The Merrie England Showbar at the front of the Pier is a comedy...

FunkyCat 31.12.2006 · Read review
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Review of North Pier Theatre, Blackpool

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

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 traditional one

Advantages: Good fun, fresh air, more traditional than the other two
Disadvantages: None

...I’ve posted opinions on the South and Central Piers so I thought that I had better do the one on the North Pier as well – I’ve started so I’ll finish and all that! Blackpool has three piers cleverly named the North Pier, Central Pier and South Pier, all of which have free access at all times. The North Pier is situated at the end of the main part of the town, just before you reach the Metropole Hotel, and can be easily reached by the bus, which runs along the seafront, or from the famous Blackpool Trams, which stop right outside the pier. As a point of interest the tram stop outside the North Pier is also the stop where you board the illuminated trams for the illuminations tour. The North Pier was the first pier to be opened in Blackpool in 1863 and is a Grade II listed building. This is the first...

SusanLesley 04.10.2001 · Read review
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Review of North 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

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