Some Pier Facts

Pier’s First Vessel - May 31, 1872
The nearly-finished Hastings Pier was used for the first time by a vessel, when Thomas Brassey’s large yacht Eothen [?], 325 tons, steam-screw, 78 hp, 9-10 knots, tied up at the end. The pier was open to public inspection.

 

Hastings Pier Opens - August 9, 1872
The pier opened on 5 August, the bank holiday.  There was heavy rain. …….Some christened it the “Palace on the Sea”.

 

Pier’s Busiest Day - August 10, 1883
Hastings Pier had its busiest day so far in its 11-year history on Bank Holiday Monday, 6 August, when over 9,400 people passed through the turnstiles.

Pier Landing Stage - May 2, 1890
A big new landing stage on Hastings Pier was opened for steamboat traffic on Thursday 1 May.  The original landing stage was along the east side of the promenade beside the Pavilion. The work of the last ten months had extended this to the end of the pier and then taken in the whole of the pier-head. The staging now ran round both the east and south side of the Pavilion, but not the west, because that was too exposed. The staging was in three levels. About 400-500 tons of greenheart woods had been used, plus130-140 tons of iron. As many as four steamers could use the pier together.

 

Steamboat Prosecution - September 11, 1896
The captain of the Hastings steamer Bonnie Princess, William Hurdman, was charged on 10 September with overloading on 17 August. He sailed from Hastings Pier to Dungeness with 901 passengers, 247 more than allowed. He was fined £10 plus a shilling per head extra.

 

Pier Improvement - February 3, 1899
The Hastings Pier pavilion closed at the end of January for re-roofing and enlargement. It was expected to re-open in mid-May. The pavilion had been open continuously since the pier opened in 1872.