A Pier into the Past
By Jill Dando News
The rescue of Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, is attracting support from many different sections of the community.
During the many years that it will take for North Somerset Council to restore the Pier structure, Birnbeck Island and the headland buildings, the project is set to be the catalyst for numerous cultural initiatives.
One interesting contribution from a group of local residents is already now well on
the way to completion. ‘A Pier into the Past’ takes a novel look at the intertwined
stories of Weston’s growth as a seaside resort and the years it took to build the
town’s first pier.
A performance by five readers and a narrator, with words from individuals who observed and shaped events as they occurred and as they were reported in the local newspapers of the day.
These accounts are accompanied by contemporary illustrations drawn from local archive collections of prints, paintings and photographs.
The programme has been devised by two of the town’s residents, Christopher
Charlton and Peter Lander, with help from other members of the group all of whom are volunteers with the Birnbeck Regeneration Trust.
The team is planning to deliver a programme of public performances at various venues in and around Weston from the spring.
The first performance will be at the Front Room Theatre in Weston on Sunday 23 rd April at 3pm. Details will be published on the Birnbeck Regeneration Trust’s website and social media channels www.birnbeckregenerationtrust.org.uk
Tickets shall be available through the Frontroom website www.frontroomwsm.com or on the door at the price of £5, all proceeds go to the Birnbeck Regeneration Trust, registered charity No.1103012.
North Somerset Council took ownership of Birnbeck Pier in July 2023. At a sale price of £400k, funded by the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Association), the purchase enabled work to start to restore the Grade II* Listed pier.
Birnbeck Pier and Island will re-open to the public, attracting visitors from across the region to this nationally important heritage site.
It will also ensure a vital lifesaving lifeboat station can operate once again from the island.
The council is working closely with the Birnbeck Regeneration Trust, who it is anticipated will manage the site.
