Historic pier awarded £10m in ‘lifeline’ lottery funding

A Victorian pier at risk of collapse has been awarded a £10 million “lifeline” in National Lottery funding.
Birnbeck Pier, which connects Birnbeck Island with Weston-super-Mare, opened in 1867 but has been shut to the public since 1994.
The Grade II* listed attraction has been in disrepair for years after being privately owned, but was bought by North Somerset Council in 2023.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has given the council the money after work to restore the crumbling pier got underway earlier this month.
The project to reopen the pier, which is on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, is due to be completed by autumn 2027.
Eilish McGuinness, chief executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), said: “Birnbeck Pier is set to be brought back from the brink of loss, ensuring its 160-year historic legacy is preserved for generations to come.”
The £10 million grant will mean more listed buildings on the pier and island can be restored, and a new RNLI lifeboat station can be built.
The announcement comes on the 160th anniversary of the pier’s foundation stone being laid, and while work is ongoing to reopen the landmark to the public.
The money follows £4.4 million in funding from the UK government, £3.5 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, and £1 million from Historic England.
The attraction has been completely unused since 2014, when the pier became so dangerous to walk across RNLI lifeboat crews were forced to stop using the island as a base after 132 years.
Work to restore the crumbling pier began earlier this month, with The Pavilion, 1888 Boathouse and the Clocktower all undergoing works.
As part of the project to reopen the pier, the first phase of work will see the council stabilise buildings on the island, repair the sea walls and remove asbestos.
Work to restore the land-side buildings is due to start later this year to enable them to reopen to the public in 2025.
Ms McGuinness said: “This is great news for Weston-super-Mare and beyond.
“We are proud to be part of this transformative project, which promises to enhance and regenerate the cultural and economic landscape of the area, provide local employment opportunities and be a source of pride and enjoyment for generations to come.”
Councillor Mike Bell, leader of North Somerset Council, said it is a “significant” investment which is going to make “all the difference” to delivering the project.
“Birnbeck Pier means so much to people in Weston-super-Mare”, he added. “We’ve been so sad to see it decline in private ownership so it’s been absolutely fantastic to be in a position where we’ve got this key investment,” he added.
The pier is among six Grade II listed piers in England and the only one in the UK to connect the mainland to an island.
Designed by Eugenius Birch and opened in 1867, it was a popular destination for day-trippers from ports along the Bristol Channel, including from south Wales.
It played a significant role during World War Two and was commissioned for weapon trials, including the famous Sir Barnes Wallis ‘bouncing bomb’.