Pier Railways and Tramways

The nineteenth-century craze for building pleasure piers around the coast of Britain has left a legacy of seaside fun unmatched around the world. Although some of Britain’s piers have succumbed to fire and storm damage over the years, over fifty of these remarkable structures are still standing today. A number were built with railways and tramways to convey holidaymakers to the end of the pier, several of which survive today. These include the longest pier, at Southend-on-Sea, which opened an electric railway in 1890, when the pier was rebuilt to its present extent; the oldest seaside pleasure pier, at Ryde, which has a railway from the pier head that links to the rest of the network on the Isle of Wight; and the Hythe Pier Railway, which takes passengers to and from the ferry link at the end of the pier.


Martin Easdown has been researching Britain’s piers and their railways for many years and presents a photographic survey of them around the UK and Ireland. The photographs show both self-contained pier railways and tramways and pier railways connected to the National Rail Network. As well as the vehicles, pier stations are illustrated, including those that were not actually on the piers but the shore beside them. With many rare and fascinating photographs, this book will be of interest to railway enthusiasts and those nostalgic for the quintessential British seaside holiday.