A ray of light for the Pier

M0n0rchid
recent  |  interesting  |  random  |  favorites  |  contacts  |  sets  |  tags:  
A ray of light for the Pier
A ray of light for the Pier

Following a devastating fire on Hastings Pier on 5th October 2010, which it is estimated destroyed 95% of the superstructure of the Pier, I rode down to the South Coast to photograph the sad sight of this once grand old lady of the Victorian era.

Deigned by architect and renown Pier builder Eugenius Birch (who also designed Eastbourne Pier, West Pier and Brighton Pier) and opened to the public on 5th August 1872. Hastings Pier was considered innovative for a late-Victorian designed pleasure pier, extending some 910 feet (280 m) into the English Channel from the seafront promenade, with a large 2,000 seater pavilion theatre on the Pier Head at the seaward end which was destroyed by fire in 1917 and rebuilt during an art Deco refurbishment in 1922.

From it's heyday in the 1930's and a brief revival in the 1960's as a music venue, Hastings Pier went into steady decline as the cost of maintaining the Victorian structure spiralled and the ownership of the Pier changed hands with a succession of owners which saw the Pier closed to the public between 1999-2002 .

In 2006 the Pier was purchased by an offshore investment company and following a protracted legal dispute between Hastings Borough Council and the Pier's owner's to enforce essential maintenance to the Pier's structure following storm damage, Hastings Borough Council restricted public access in 2008 effectively closing the Pier. The Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust (HPWRT) was established to raise funds through various means to renovate the pier and in February 2010 Hastings Borough Council agreed in principle to a compulsory purchase order of the Pier submitted by the Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust.

© All Rights Reserved
Taken on: October 10, 2010
Tags: Everybody's photos tagged with seafront seafront Everybody's photos tagged with seaside seaside Everybody's photos tagged with Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS f/3.5-5.6 Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS f/3.5-5.6 more » Everybody's photos tagged with kit lens kit lens Everybody's photos tagged with Victorian Victorian Everybody's photos tagged with 1872 1872 Everybody's photos tagged with Hastings Pier Fire 5/10/2010 Hastings Pier Fire 5/10/2010 Everybody's photos tagged with Digital Rebel XSi Digital Rebel XSi Everybody's photos tagged with Rebel XSi Rebel XSi Everybody's photos tagged with MJPL MJPL « less
Sets appears in:   • Hastings   
Camera: Canon EOS 450D, f/16.0, 1/30 sec, 18mm (=28mm), ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Canon EOS 450D
Aperture: f/16.0
Exposure Time: 0.033 sec (1/30)
Focal Length: 18mm (35mm equivalent: 28mm)
ISO: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
White Balance: Manual
Light Source: Daylight
Color Space: Unknown (-1)
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Show full info
Stats: 101 views