Pier Railways and Tramways

Martin Easdown

Aug 2025 · Amberley Publishing Limited

Ebook

Pages

Eligible

Ratings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More

About this ebook

The nineteenth-century craze for building pleasure piers around the coast of Britain has left a legacy of seaside fun unmatched around the world. Although some of Britain’s piers have succumbed to fire and storm damage over the years, over fifty of these remarkable structures are still standing today. A number were built with railways and tramways to convey holidaymakers to the end of the pier, several of which survive today. These include the longest pier, at Southend-on-Sea, which opened an electric railway in 1890, when the pier was rebuilt to its present extent; the oldest seaside pleasure pier, at Ryde, which has a railway from the pier head that links to the rest of the network on the Isle of Wight; and the Hythe Pier Railway, which takes passengers to and from the ferry link at the end of the pier.

Martin Easdown has been researching Britain’s piers and their railways for many years and presents a photographic survey of them around the UK and Ireland. The photographs show both self-contained pier railways and tramways and pier railways connected to the National Rail Network. As well as the vehicles, pier stations are illustrated, including those that were not actually on the piers but the shore beside them. With many rare and fascinating photographs, this book will be of interest to railway enthusiasts and those nostalgic for the quintessential British seaside holiday.

About the author

Martin Easdown is a long-time member of the National Piers Society and one of the acknowledged experts on British piers. He has written extensively on the history of piers, Britain's seaside and lost country houses in books, magazines and newspapers. He lives in Kent.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets

Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.

Laptops and computers

You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.

eReaders and other devices

To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.

Report illegal content