Fire Virtually Destroys Southeastern England Landmark 19th-Century Hastings Pier
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, November 1, 2024


Fire Virtually Destroys Southeastern England Landmark 19th-Century Hastings Pier
Hastings Pier in Hastings, southern England smolders after a fire early Tuesday Oct. 5, 2010. Two people were arrested on suspicion of arson after the Victorian pier was severely damaged by fire. The blaze destroyed 95 percent of Hastings pier. AP Photo/Gareth FullerPA Wire.

By: Robert Barr, Associated Press Writer



LONDON (AP).- A landmark pier in southeastern England that once hosted a Rolling Stones concert was virtually destroyed in a fire Tuesday, probably marking an end to local hopes of preserving the 19th-century structure. Two teenagers were arrested on suspicion of arson, police said.

The dilapidated Hastings Pier, which juts into the English Channel and is a relic of gentler times when mass tourism meant a trip to the seashore, had been closed since 2006. About five dozen firefighters were at the scene at the peak of the blaze, authorities said.

"About 95 percent of the structure has been destroyed," regional fire department spokesman Simon Rose said. There was some hope, however, that the cast iron pilings had survived and might support rebuilding.

In its heyday, tourists swarmed the Victorian pier, attracted by the healthful sea air and entertainment. A shooting gallery, slot machines and a bowling alley were added in the early 20th century. In the 1960s, the Rolling Stones, The Who and Jimi Hendrix played concerts on the pier.

The local council in Hastings, encouraged by a report that the pier could be stabilized for about 3 million pounds ($4.7 million), had been working on plans for a compulsory purchase.

"It was the heart of the town," 45-year-old resident Tim Hall said. "I've lived here all my life and used to go on the penny slot machines on there when I was a kid. I was really looking forward to it reopening."

Jeremy Birch, leader of Hastings Borough Council, held out hope that the pier could rise again.

"We are very disappointed that this fire has taken most of Hastings Pier's upper levels with it," he said in a statement on the council's website.

"The council will now be looking at a new structural survey so that we can be absolutely clear on the degree of damage to the substructure. Then we can see what the future holds for this iconic building on our seafront."

Hastings Pier was one of 14 seaside attractions designed by Eugenius Birch (1818-1884). His first was in Margate in 1853, and last in Plymouth in 1884. Seven, including Hastings, had survived.

Hastings "has been No. 1 in our list of top 10 threatened piers for some time," said Anthony Wills of the Nation Piers Society.

"The loss of any Birch pier is significant," Wills said. "He is like the Gustav Eiffel of piers."




Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.





Hastings Pier | Jeremy Birch | London |





Today's News

October 6, 2010

For the First Time Ever, The Museo del Prado Exhibits Treasures from Its Library

Preserved Feathers and Scales of a Giant Penguin Fossil Gives Evolutionary Clues

Damien Hirst Fills the Paul Stolper Gallery with 120 Framed, Foilblock Butterfly Prints

First Exhibition in 45 Years Devoted to Renaissance Master Jan Gossart on View at Metropolitan Museum

Tiny Footprints from Poland Show that First Dinosaurs Walked on Little Cat Feet

Magnificent and Rare Collection of Mezzotints Acquired by the Art Fund for the British Museum

Record Number of Visitors this Summer for the United Kingdom's National Museums

Biennale of Sydney Announces Joint Artistic Directors for 2012: Catherine de Zegher and Gerald McMaster

Robert F. Kennedy-Owned Emancipation Proclamation Up for Auction

Nazi Praise Sparks Switzerland's Rethink of Modernist Architect Le Corbusier

Judd Foundation Announces It will Now Be Represented Exclusively by David Zwirner

Teotihuacan's Emblematic Monument, The Sun Pyramid, Still an Enigma for Archaeologists

£769,250 Achieved at Sotheby's for Rediscovered Paintings Depicting Tipu Sultan's Victory over the British

DeCordova Announces the Rappaport Endowment Fund and the Winner of the 11th Rappaport Prize

Completely Renewed, the National Museum of Cultures to Be Reopened

France 1500: Between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance at the Galeries nationales Grand Palais

New Work by Turner Prize Nominated Artist, Cornelia Parker, Loses Wing in Cuts Campaign

Sotheby's First-Ever Evening Sale of Islamic Art Realises £7 Million - Well Above Pre-Sale Expectations

Important Whistler and Old Master Prints at Swann Galleries' Three-Part Print Auction

The Onassis Cultural Center in New York Explores the Role of Heroes in Society

Portland-based Artist to Exhibit for Art For Arts' Sake Opening of the New Orleans Art Season

As 'Peanuts' Turn 60, Schulz Family Plans Future - More TV Specials and New Film

Sears Wants to Buy Back Willis Tower Sculpture Made by Alexander Calder

First Day of Historic Three-Day Attic Sale at Chatsworth Realises US$7 Million

First Kristin Baker Exhibition in an American Museum Opens at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Sidney Nolan's Antarctic Paintings on Display at the Polar Museum in Cambridge

Baba Bling: The Peranakan Chinese of Singapore at the Musée du Quai Branly

Modern Works by Artist Joan Miró Displayed at Metropolitan Museum with Dutch Old Master Paintings

Sotheby's Hong Kong Fine Chinese 2010 Autumn Sale Fetches US$52.2 Million

Rainer Fetting's "Manscapes", Painted between 1974 and 2010, on View at Kunsthalle Tubingen

Fire Virtually Destroys Southeastern England Landmark 19th-Century Hastings Pier

More than 60 Rare and Unpublished Photographs by Richard Avedon Set for Auction

Maryhill Museum of Art Announces Plans for First Expansion in 70-Year History




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful