THIS IS THE BLOG OF COLIN JONES, RHYL TOWN COUNCILLOR: BODFOR WARD
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The opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own and not the views of the town council.
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Rhyl’s pier stood opposite Church Street. It opened in 1867 as The Victoria Pier under private ownership at a cost of £23,000. The oldest illustration here would be the drawing or engraving at the top.
In 1883, 1884 and 1890 the pier was damaged when steam packets crashed into it. There were further alarms and excursions such as those illustrated above: in 1907 a fire broke out in a palmist’s kiosk, and in 1909 the pier collapsed in the middle in the wake of a storm.
In 1913, Rhyl Urban District Council were able to buy the pier for just £1,000. The council closed it as unsafe and kept it closed for 17 years. In 1930 it was re-opened with the name Rhyl Pier. This was a shorter version which remained in service until 1966. A few years later it was carted away as scrap metal.
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SAT 11th JUL 2015 UPDATE: This steamer is the kind of vessel that could cause damage to the pier when coming and going in windy weather. The item is a card for sale on eBay with seller’s temporary watermark in red. It is postmarked 1910:
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