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Associated Web Link: southparadepier.net
Transcript Of Narration
South Parade Pier was opened in 1879 by Price Edward of Saxe-Weimer. The pier was intended to be used by passengers travelling to and from the Isle Of Wight. This pier was short lived when in 1904 a fire destroyed the structure. The pier was at this point taken over by Portsmouth Corporation and was rebuilt opening in 1908. It was 600ft long and was intended to be a pleasure pier rather than as before a landing jetty.
The rebuilt pier included a large pavilion near the shoreward end that housed two halls, one was a 1,200 seat theatre and the other was a smaller hall. At the seaward end there was a small pavilion that incorporated a bar and lounge.
In 1967 a fire severely damaged the theatre, which due to that blaze had to be removed. Another fire occurred on 11th June 1974 during the filming of the rock-opera Tommy. It is believed to have started when a spotlight set light to some drapes, this fire led to a much less grand pavilion being built in place of the destroyed pavilion. It now houses the standard seaside amusement arcades.
