Southwold Pier aerial image
Southwold Pier stretches out from North Parade into the North Sea, seen here from above with the beach huts and promenade along the Denes and the town just inland.
A pier first opened here in 1900, created as a landing stage for visiting steamers and as a classic seaside draw for Victorian and Edwardian Southwold. The earliest pier was longer than today and it ended in a wider head. Over time, storms and changing coastal conditions reshaped what survived and what was rebuilt.
A major storm in 1934 destroyed the pier’s seaward landing stage. In the mid to late 1930s the familiar shore-end pavilion buildings were rebuilt and expanded to create the pier’s main enclosed spaces.
During the Second World War, a section of the pier was removed as a defensive measure and the structure was also damaged by a mine. Repairs and rebuilding continued after the war with a significant restoration completed in 1948.
Later storm damage shortened the pier dramatically, but a major modern reconstruction began in 1999 using new piles and modern engineering methods. The rebuilt pier reopened fully in 2001 and its present length is about 623 ft (190 m).
Who owns and runs it today: Southwold Pier is privately owned. It was purchased in 2024 by Amy and Charles Barwick, who operate it with the pier’s management and staff.
Visitors: the pier is often described as attracting hundreds of thousands of visits each year, commonly cited as around three-quarters of a million to close to a million depending on the year.
What’s on the pier: as well as the views and the walk to the end, the pier is known for Tim Hunkin’s Under the Pier Show with its interactive coin-operated machines. Other attractions include the Water Clock, the Wacky Walk of Mirrors, traditional amusements and a mix of food and drink options along the deck. Fishing is also a familiar sight from the seaward end when conditions allow.
Southwold Pier aerial image
Southwold Pier stretches out from North Parade into the North Sea, seen here from above with the beach huts and promenade along the Denes and the town just inland.
A pier first opened here in 1900, created as a landing stage for visiting steamers and as a classic seaside draw for Victorian and Edwardian Southwold. The earliest pier was longer than today and it ended in a wider head. Over time, storms and changing coastal conditions reshaped what survived and what was rebuilt.
A major storm in 1934 destroyed the pier’s seaward landing stage. In the mid to late 1930s the familiar shore-end pavilion buildings were rebuilt and expanded to create the pier’s main enclosed spaces.
During the Second World War, a section of the pier was removed as a defensive measure and the structure was also damaged by a mine. Repairs and rebuilding continued after the war with a significant restoration completed in 1948.
Later storm damage shortened the pier dramatically, but a major modern reconstruction began in 1999 using new piles and modern engineering methods. The rebuilt pier reopened fully in 2001 and its present length is about 623 ft (190 m).
Who owns and runs it today: Southwold Pier is privately owned. It was purchased in 2024 by Amy and Charles Barwick, who operate it with the pier’s management and staff.
Visitors: the pier is often described as attracting hundreds of thousands of visits each year, commonly cited as around three-quarters of a million to close to a million depending on the year.
What’s on the pier: as well as the views and the walk to the end, the pier is known for Tim Hunkin’s Under the Pier Show with its interactive coin-operated machines. Other attractions include the Water Clock, the Wacky Walk of Mirrors, traditional amusements and a mix of food and drink options along the deck. Fishing is also a familiar sight from the seaward end when conditions allow.