Mumbles Pier: Past and Present
Please contact Mumbles Pier for
the latest information
The Mumbles Lifeboat
Public Notice
Public Notice
Due to satety issues there is no acces to Mumbles Lifeboat Station on the Pier and the Lifeboat is moored offshore.
The Inshore Lifeboat Station is open as usual.
Please contact Mumbles Lifeboat for the latest information.
With more photos
The Copperfish Restaurant, which had opened five years ago was completely reduced to rubble, as well as the adjoining room which had once been Cinderella’s Disco, which opened as The Pier Dance Hall in 1950.
The Future of The Pier:
There were already plans in place to replace the Restaurant with a new Hotel and Spa, a Conference and Exhibition Centre and a new boardwalk linking the Knab rock with the pier.
More work is also planned to improve and repair the structure of the pier, during which it may be closed to visitors.
Progress of the essential maintenance and opening times can be found on their website.
The History of Mumbles Pier
Mumbles Pier was officially opened by Lady Jenkins, on 10th May 1898, along with the new line of the Mumbles Railway Co, an extension from Oystermouth to Mumbles Head. Local schoolchildren were given a half-day holiday in celebration of these major events. The Pier was completed at a cost of £10,000, with another £40,000 spent on improvements such as the Skating Rink and Bandstand.
Pier Opening -10th May 1898
Mumbles Pier, The steam train, c. 1910.
Crowds arriving by steam train at the terminus of the Mumbles Railway to visit the pier, the Winter Garden and local beaches. The bandstand at the pier's end hosted regular concerts. A paddle steamer is approaching the pier.
The pier was not originally planned to be a pleasure pier, as it was originally intended as a working pier, a landing stage for the Railway company. It was planned to be an alternative mooring for ships which found it difficult to access the busy River Tawe.
Despite these ambitions, the pier’s history is mostly recreational, as Swansea Docks did not appreciate the competition, and the industrial boom of the area did not come to fruition.
Supporting the weight of the railway tracks, which were to extend the length of the pier, required a robust design and that is the reason that the piers legs are in square groups of four - rather than the three abreast arrangment found with traditional pleasure piers. The legs to the pier have lasted for 125 years and do not need replacing. [Mumbles Pier: Its History, by Herald of Wales].
An early view of the pier, c.1900.
Mumbles Pier, before the instalation of the Bandstand,
Mumbles Pier, with the Paddle Steamer 'Brighton' and the Camera Obscura, 1910
A very early photo of Mumbles Pier, as construction is still taking place on the landside. c. 1898
A MUMBLES IMPROVEMENT The very steep and rough path which leads from the Mumbles Pier entrance to the top of the cutting, is as our picture shows, being fitted out with concrete steps. -Daily Post
A General view of the top of the path leading to the pier, shown in the picture on the left. At this time, the cutting was only suitable for pedestrains. Later it was widened for use by motor traffic.
The new steps can be seen.
John Morris Williams and his family are pictured on the path to the pier and the steps can also be seen.
'The Prettiest Pier in The Bristol Channel '
The Brighton paddle steamer on the River Tawe.
Photo: Tom Lee of Paddle Steamer Picture Gallery .
Brighton Built in 1878 by John Elder & Co, Govan, Scotland.
Length : 221' 3" - Breadth : 27' 7"
531 Gross Registered Tons
The 'Magnificent Passenger Steamship Brighton' was purchased by the Pockett's Company in 1896 and as the pier opened in May 1898, the schedules of sailing notice (also shown here) may have been published soon after.
The Camera Obscura is pictured at the end of the Pier, pre 1916.
A Camera Obscura was installed at Mumbles Pier, soon after it opened in 1898 and in the mid 1960s. See more:
The 1904 Centenary souvenir book of the Mumbles Railway, recorded that ‘The Pier has become, without doubt, the most popular resort in the locality’ and The White Funnel paddle steamers of P and A Campbell, such as the ‘Brighton’ would call to take trippers across to Ilfracombe and other ports along the River Severn and Bristol Channel.
A Band Concert, c. 1915. This photo reveals a narrow-gauge railway track on the left, installed to transport luggage on a trolley, to the Pleasure Steamers which called to the end of the pier and conveyed holiday-makers to Ilfracombe, Lynmouth and Weston super-Mare.
Looking to the shore from the bandstand, during an event. A band is arriving on the right. pre 1916, as there is no lifeboat slipway.
The end of the Pier became home to Bandstand Concerts and on the landward side was a Pavilion, both of which attracted large crowds. The 'Mumbles Press' on 13 June 1911, featured events celebrating the Coronation of George V, as well as other attractions.
Pontardulais Town Silver Band, 1915
From Jeff Stewart, posted 5 October 2023 on TSHS Facebook
FOR THE MOTOR LIFEBOAT
Mumbles Lifeboat slipway under construction at Mumbles Pier, c.1916
The above picture shows the progress of the new boathouse being erected on the Mumbles Pier extension, in readyness for the new motor lifeboat. Photo: Daily Post. c.1922.
A covered in structure is now in course of erection on the Mumbles Pier slipway. This will house the new motor lifeboat which will probably be launched by the Prince of Wales. Photo: Daily Post. c.1922.
A busy holiday time at the pier during, or just after, he First World War. The photo can be dated to between 1916 and 22. As the slipway for the Lifeboat was built in 1916, but the Lifeboat House, dismantled at Ilfracombe, was not in place until 1922,
The carriage marked 'HANDCOCK'S,' reveals that this photo was taken at the same time as one shown earlier.
The slipway for the Lifeboat Station was completed in1916 and in 1922 the house was installed on the top.
People arrived in great numbers on the Mumbles Train, which on the fine day of August Bank Holiday Monday 1913, carried 48,000 passengers! The large double‑decked first and second-class carriages and additional, uncovered single‑decked third‑class coaches, which became known as cattle trucks, could carry over 1000 passengers at a time. The six‑mile journey took an hour at an average speed of 7‑8 mph. and the passengers sitting outside on the top, would be surrounded by smoke and cinders and covered in smuts, thrown up by the steam engine. As it travelled along, children would turn cartwheels or somersaults alongside the track, calling ‘a ha'penny or a penny‑O’, hoping to be thrown some coins in reward.
The Monkey House at Mumbles Pier
This listed Victorian toilet block, has been closed for many years.
The toilet block and terace
The Monkey cage was on the terrace of the toilet block.
Have you heard accounts about 'The Monkey House' at Mumbles Pier?
Up until the 1930s, it is said that one or more monkeys were kept in a cage on the viewing terrace at the top of the toilet block, which accounts for the building still to be known as, 'The Monkey House.' It is said that they were owned by Captain Twomey, The Piermaster, but this has not yet been confirmed.
One lady remembered that in the 1950s, while walking down the steps to the pier, on approaching the building, her parents said, 'This was the Monkey House.'
Another lady said that her mother was born in the 1920s and lived in Village Lane, and remembers her mother telling her, 'there were monkeys there.'
Many people remember that the bulding was a toilet block, as it was only closed a few years ago. Built soon after after the pier opened in May 1898, it was used by the thousands who visited the Pier. On August Bank Monday Bank Holday 1913, it is known that 48,000 passengers travelled on the Mumbles Railway!
The Piermaster Captain Twomey on the beach near the pier, with Elaine Bladen and friend, c.1928.
Captain Twomey at the Pier Winter Gardens
An advert for skating rinks at the Pier
For skating enthusiasts, The Pier offered a combined, ‘Mumbles Railway /Admission to the Pier /3 hour skating ticket’ on its new Asphalt rink. It cost 1/‑ from Swansea, 9d from Blackpill and 6d from Oystermouth.
There is a small south facing sandy beach, next to the entrance to the pier.
Mumbles Pier, cutting and Lighthouse, 1931-6
Mumbles Pier, cutting and Lighthouse, Photo: taken between 1940 and 1958
Pier Sea Horse Buffet & Grill, Amusment Arcade, as well as the Camera Obscura Hut at the end of the pier, 1960s
Any information and photos of the Camera Obscura that was once on Mumbles pier,' was the request we had from a gentleman in April 2020.
He added, ‘I visited it with my father when I was a little boy. My memory of my visit is very faint but remember being impressed by my father's explanation of the mirrors on the roof projecting the image on to the surface in the hut'.
This photo was found from Ronald Studden's collection of photos taken of Mumbles Pier. I realised that this one included the missing Camera Obscura. A copy was imediatly sent to the earlier enquirer, who quickly replied, 'Thank you for this. I discussed this with an old friend and neighbour the other day but he could only remember the bumper cars. I have yet to find anyone else who remember it'.
The electric Train, c. 1955
An electric tramcar of the Mumbles Train is waiting at the station. The end of the pier housed fairground entertainments, including dodgem cars & Coconut Shies, as well as the embarkation point for White Funnel steamer trips to Tenby, Ilfracombe and Weston-super-Mare. The lifeboat slipway and boathouse were built in 1916 and 1922.
Near the bridge to the lifeboat, two Amusement Kiosks survived from Edwardian days.
The Westward Ho arriving at Mumbles Pier, 1967
The Edwardian Kiosks on the Pier have been taken away.
A Slde and Amusments, around the 1960s
The landward side of the Pier had a Cafe, with a 'Penny Slot Arcade' alongside and a popular Dance Hall was part of the 'Pier Hotel.' and this proved to be a profitable attraction to visitors, resulting in the addition of a new building containing an amusement arcade, restaurant and bowling alley in 1998-9.
Sometimes this little monkey gets lost, April 2014.
Cinderellas Disco, at The Mumbles Pier Hotel
A re-styled entrance to Cinderellas Disco
Mumbles Pier and Headland, c1960
Mumbles Pier, July 2006
Mumbles Pier and Knab Rock, August 2006
Mumbles Pier, May 2014.
The Mumbles Lifeboat Station and four boathouses. The first on the right, built in 1883 is now a private house.
The New and the Old Boathouses along with their lifeboats. Pictured together on 8 February 2014, at Mumbles Pier, the new Tamar class Lifeboat, Roy Barker IV, with the old Tyne class, Babs and Agnes Robertson
New Tamar class Lifeboat - Roy Barker IV, being launched from the new boathouse. The old boathouse being de-commissioned. Photo: May 2014.
Mumbles Pier
Time Line:
1898 – Pier built
1916– RNLI slipway and walkway became serviceable on the pier
1922 – RNLI boathouse reconstructed on the slipway after having been transported from Ilfracombe
1940 – Pier sectioned by the military
1948 – Military hand back the pier
1949 – 50 Repair and refurbishment carried out as well as the addition of a three tier concrete landing stage for ferries
1965 – Ferry services cease
1989 – Pier closed for replacement of the steel below the middle bay
1998-9 – New Pavilion constructed
2012 – Pier closed whilst demolition of the concrete landing stage, refurbishment of the end bay and construction of the new fishing platforms and boathouse is carried out.
THE MUMBLES PIER:
Construction
In 1889, the Mumbles Railway and Pier Company was formed to lay a line one mile and 22 chains long from Oystermouth to Mumbles Head and to construct a Pier. The initial stretch 61 chains long opened from Oystermouth to Southend in May 1893, along a causeway built across the old Horsepool Harbour.
Work began on building the pier in 1897 and was carried out by the seasoned pier specialists Mayo and Haley, overseen by the engineer W. S. Marsh. The iron work was produced by the Widnes foundry and much of their work is still present today; in particular the cast iron legs and over 95% of the existing cast iron panels were forged by them in Liverpool. Coming relatively late in the pier building era many of the lessons learnt at other piers were incorporated into the design of Mumbles.
Opening:
Completed at a cost of £10,000 the 800 foot pier opened to members of the public on 10th May 1898 at a cost of £10,000, with another £40,000 spent on improvements such as the Skating Rink and Bandstand. By mid 1899, the railway and pier undertakings of the Swansea & Mumbles Railway Co. and the Mumbles Railway & Pier Co. were leased to the Swansea Improvements & Tramways Co. for 999 years.
The pier was not intended to be a traditional ‘pleasure’ pier but was designed primarily to help alleviate congestion at the nearby Swansea docks as at this time Swansea was importing vast quantities of copper ore and exporting finished metals all over the world. However the competition was not appreciated by the docks and the pier became a solely recreational pier only a few years after opening. Amusement Equipment Company (AMECO) acquired a lease on the pier and foreshore around 1937 later taking the freehold interest and continue to operate the pier and surrounding businesses to this day.
Second World War:
In 1940 the pier was sectioned by the military in case of use for enemy landings. Large parts of the deck were removed to this end and with nationwide rationing of steel and timber the pier was left to decay for years until the structure was returned to AMECO 1948.
Restoration:
At that time the company’s Managing Director, Mr Stan Bollom set about and ambitious restoration of the structure as well as the construction of a new landing stage for up to 3 ferries at any one time. Opening in 1950 and with a new amusement arcade and café built at the entrance the pier proved to be popular with visitors of all ages. Unfortunately the ferry services were unviable and ceased in 1965 but the fishermen made good use of the landing stage.
Maintenance:
The following years proved to be successful with the pier hosting many different events. However like so many piers escalating maintenance costs took its toll and the pier was closed on 1 October 1987 for a £40,00 refite, when the steel lattice work beneath the centre bay and the steel around the entrance was replaced.
New Building:
In 1998-9 a new pavilion was built to house an amusement arcade, miniature bowling alley, café, chip shop and ice cream parlour.
In 2012 the RNLI began work on a new boathouse to house a new Tamar class vessel with much great capabilities than the older boat. The refurbished head of the pier along with new boathouse and fishing platforms opened in 2014.
In 2017 a new restaurant, chip shop and gift shop was opened in The Pier Hotel building, as well as a gallery and over the years the Anglers Shop has been extended.
2020 More work is planned to improve and repair the structure of the pier, during which it may be closed to visitors.
Wednesday 31st August 2022, a devastating fire at The Mumbles Pier and the Copperfish Restaurant as well as the old Cinderellas Disco were totally destroyed.
The Beach Hut cafe, amusement arcade and the pier itself, with The RNLI Station at its end, were all unaffected by the blaze and have re-opened to the public.Thankfully, there were no injuries concerning staff or the public.
Future:
Progress of the essential maintenance and pier opening times can be found on their website.
Future plans include the building of a new hotel and spa, a conference and exhibition centre and a new boardwalk linking the Knab rock with the pier
Acknowledgments and more reading
Norman Thomas, The Mumbles: Past and Present (Swansea, 1978);
Carol Powell, Inklemakers, 1993
Herald of Wales Mumbles Pier: Its History
Explore Gower: Mumbles Pier - http://www.explore-gower.co.uk/mumbles-pier
http://www.explore-gower.co.uk/mumbles-pier
Wikipedia - Mumbles District and Mumbles Pier
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More: Mumbles Pier - After the Fire >
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