by HIP
Although the unusual constraints of the Pier site made planning this aspect of the project very complex, the actual works are, for the most part, fairly straightforward. Whereas the original 19th century piles were manually screwed into the ground with a capstan, the new piles are lowered into place by a crane, and then driven into the seabed with a 'piling rig'.
These six new piles consist of cylindrical sections of steel 'pile casing', which, once joined together and positioned, form a vertical 'tube' that is then filled with reinforced concrete. It is the reinforced concrete within the pile casing which forms the actual 'pile', and will support the weight of the Visitor Centre.
Firstly, to ensure each pile is correctly aligned, an open-ended 'cage' of scaffold bars is built over the pile site. This 'cage' extends 6 metres beneath the Pier platform, and guides the pile casing as it is lowered to the seabed.
The first section of pile casing is lifted into the scaffolding 'cage' by the crane and secured. The next section is attached, the joint is welded, and the pile casing is lowered. This process is repeated until the pile casing is long enough to reach the seabed. Rather like a hammer hitting a nail, the 'piling rig' is then used to gradually tap the pile casing into the seabed using a 1 Tonne (0.98 ton) weight. As the pile casing is driven further down, several smaller sections are added, one by one.
Once the pile casing has been driven to the required depth, sand, clay, and any other material inside are removed using a special scoop-like device. This device is then used to bore deeper into the seabed.
When this process has been completed, a steel reinforcement frame is installed inside the pile casing, extending beyond the base of the pile casing and down into the seabed. A 'trémie tube' is then used to fill the pile casing with marine-grade concrete. Finally, the pile casing is cut off at the necessary level and capped, ready for the steelworkers to fit the new lattice girders.
As with so much of the Pier project, the piling operation is influenced by the weather. However, so far, the weather has been reasonable for this time of year, and all is going smoothly.
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Hastings and St. Leonards Observer
Scores joined in the annual St Leonards Toss Off, a Shrove Tuesday event organised by Marine Court businesses to raise funds for Hastings Pier.
AERIAL Footage: Update on the Redevelopment of Hastings Pier
This fascinating aerial footage, filmed by Sussex Air Imaging, of Hastings Pier shows its latest stage of progress. -> Read more at Hastings Observer.
VIDEO: Workers Restoring Pier Documented
VIDEO: What's your pier story? As Hastings looks forward to the completion of its most iconic structure, a new project by the Hastings Pier Charity will ...
In August 2014 Southern Testing were awarded the ground investigation Contract for the new Visitor Centre on Hastings Pier, in East Sussex.
The purpose of the ground investigation was to determine and characterise the underlying ground conditions to provide geotechnical parameters for design of the piled foundations supporting the new Visitor Centre in the middle of the pier.
Southern Testing were first approached by Hastings Pier Charity in early 2014 as to the feasibility of completing the borehole drilling from the existing pier deck at a point approximately 10m above bed level. Various options were considered and a site visit was also undertaken to assess structural and loading issues relating to access and necessary strengthening works before the drilling could start.
The north end of the Pier (onshore) is crossed by the White Rock Fault which runs NE -SW. The NW downthrown side of the fault shows the site to be underlain by the Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation composed of mudstones, silts, sandstones and ironstones, which is in turn underlain by Wadhurst Clay Formation composed of shales and mudstones with subordinate beds of silt, sandstone, limestone and ironstone. However, the geology to the southeast side of the fault, which includes the entire overwater section of the pier is not recorded on the BGS sheet.
The geology recorded immediately southeast of the fault and to the east of the site of the pier showed the area to be underlain by the Ashdown Formation which are composed of fine grained, silty sandstones and siltstones with shale and mudstone. With no further information available it was thought likely that the underwater geology of the site was comparable to the geology of the land to the east, and probably overlain with sand and gravel associated with sea bed and beach processes.
Borehole drilling was completed overwater from the newly strengthened pier deck (at a height of approximately 10m above bed level)
Symmetrix overburden drilling methods were used initially to form the borehole in the superficial materials. Rotary core drilling methods were used to form the remainder of the borehole and to obtain core samples in the underlying bedrock.
Recovered cores were logged and photographed on site and then transported to our in-house laboratory for detailed testing and analysis.
http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/video-what-s-your-pier-story-1-6569446
As Hastings looks forward to the completion of its most iconic structure, a new project by the Hastings Pier Charity will be using state of the art equipment and techniques to explore its dramatic past. The In Living Memory project will employ a broadcast journalist and a team of local volunteers and students to gather a series of oral histories about Hastings Pier. What they uncover will form the basis of films, sound recordings, a book and a play about the Hastings landmark. Over the next 6 months, local people are being invited to contribute their memories of the pier to the In Living Memory project.
Jake is looking for powerful stories that capture the role the pier has played in many people’s lives. “As someone who regularly went to the pier disco in my teens, I witnessed both tears of laughter and sadness on those well-‐worn decks.” says Jake. But he wants to find about the drama others witnessed. “Did you witness the hysteria of a Rolling Stones concert in the sixties or find an enduring love that started with a kiss me quick hat?” he says. “If you promenaded along its boards in its heyday or witnessed its horrific cremation I would love to hear from you.” He says that no story is too mundane for the project, in fact the best stories aren’t that likely to feature an encounter with rock stars like Mick Jagger or Jimi Hendrix who once performed in the ballroom at all. “I’m looking for the angler who landed his greatest catch on its decks, or the young woman who was impressed with the diving physique of what turned out to be her future husband.”
• Future recordings plan to feature everything from those who met and fell in love on the pier, to those who witnessed the fire that almost destroyed it.
• Volunteers who would like to help find and record Pier Stories will be trained by Jake Bowers at the Hastings Pier Charity’s remise the Hub on Hastings seafront on February 11th, 12th and 14th.
For further information contact Jake Bowers, In Living Memory coordinator, on 07966 786242 or email jake.bowers@btinternet.com
Food and Beverage Update
We spend a lot of time talking about the physical progress on the Pier but there is a lot going on in the background. Perhaps one of the trickiest is planning for and meeting the food and beverage needs of all the visitors to the new Pier.
A pier is very seasonal, it must satisfy a lot of different customer needs and the offer must be popular with all visitors, locals, day tourists, holidaymakers and especially families. New restaurants are expensive to build, equip and operate and ours must pay for itself plus contribute to the financial future of the Pier.
We began an open tender process for the food and beverage opportunities on the Pier in October last year. Tenders were invited for the bistro / bar area planned for the existing building at the front of the pier as well as for the new Visitor Centre facilities including the rooftop terrace.
An integral part of the requirements for both these tenders is that the eventual winners must support the town’s economy by supporting local suppliers, providing employment to the local area and ensuring training and apprentice schemes required by the charity will be filled from the local catering college.
Good interest was shown in both food and beverage opportunities on the new Pier and discussions are progressing with a number of possible providers.
It is projected that the new Pier will provide around 40 additional local jobs and add a further 180,000+ visitors a year to the town.
The Pier - People are wondering and rumour has been busy at work as to the cause of the cessation of labour at the pier. The reason is very simple and satisfactory. The contractors, Messrs. Laidlaw, are awaiting the manufacture of some iron work which is being proceded with at Glasgow.
From the February 2015 Newsletter— for more, see http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=8a4088db8993613ffc321ff30&id=7dd671a00e&e=531273b27b
“Unsung Heroes of Hastings Pier”, an exhibition of photographs at The HUB by local photographer John Cole, is a celebration of the men and women working on Hastings Pier to restore it to as the jewel in the crown of the Hastings seafront.
“This is a work in progress,” says John. “I began it in May 2014 and will continue photographing the workers until it is completed. So far, I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph a huge variety of workers: carpenters, steel erectors, engineers, project managers, barge workers, crane operators, contracts managers, coppersmiths, and apprentice workers, to name but a few. All heroes in my book for the work they’re doing.”
“What is especially satisfying about the work is the very positive attitude of everyone I’ve photographed working on the Pier,” says John. “There seems to be a genuine enthusiasm for restoring the Pier, and the glow it will bring to Hastings. How could one not feel good working outside in the fresh air above the waters of the Channel?”
When the Pier is completed, there will be a more comprehensive exhibition of the photographs. But if you want to have a sneak preview of the work to date, please come by the HUB
The exhibition runs from
17 February until 21 March 2015
Opening Event
Tuesday 17th February, 3-4 pm
Amber Rudd MP welcomed the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Sajid Javid, to Hastings on Thursday to showcase the people’s pier and the progress that has been made with its reconstruction.
Joined by Chief Executive of Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust Simon Opie and others, they were able to see for themselves the great deal of work that has been completed to date. With new beams, girders and a shiny new zinc roof for the restaurant, real progress is being made to ensure that Hastings once again has a Pier it can be proud of.
Amber and Sajid also visited the Hub where they were able to find out more about the pier, its history, the restoration work and future plans. Also currently on display at the Pier Hub is a glass, ceramic and print exhibition with work from students at Sussex Coast College.
