North Pier opened on 21 May 1863 as the first of Blackpool's three piers, and it remains the only structure in the town to carry Grade II listed status. At 550 yards, it is the longest of the three piers and the oldest surviving pier designed by Eugenius Birch, the Victorian engineer who pioneered the screw pile method that allowed these structures to withstand the Irish Sea's ferocious tides.
Victorian Engineering on the Lancashire Coast
The pier represents a remarkable feat of mid-19th-century engineering. Construction began in May 1862 under the direction of Eugenius Birch, with Glasgow-based Richard Laidlaw and Son executing the build at a cost of £11,740. Birch employed his innovative screw pile technique, twisting cast iron columns into the sand until they reached bedrock. These 12-inch diameter piles, filled with concrete at 20-yard intervals, supported a deck that stood 50 feet above the low water line. More than 20,000 visitors attended the opening ceremony, a testament to the immediate significance of the structure for the growing resort.
The original pier stretched 468 yards, with a width of nine yards extending to 18 yards at the pier-head. A landing jetty added between 1864 and 1867 added a further 158 yards, bringing the total length to its present 550 yards. The pier-head alone required 420 tons of cast iron and 340 tons of wrought iron columns to support its weight.
A Pier for the "Better Classes"
From its inception, North Pier cultivated a distinct character compared to its later rivals. Whilst Central Pier and South Pier would come to cater to day-trippers seeking amusement rides and variety entertainment, North Pier maintained a policy of "genteel relaxation" aimed at the "better classes". This social stratification was enforced practically: until 2011, North Pier was the only pier in Blackpool to charge an admission fee, a practice that began with a two-pence toll in 1863 and ended only when the current owners abolished the charge.
The pier originally hosted an orchestra for promenade concerts, a world apart from the working-class entertainment developing elsewhere along the coast. This Victorian ethos of refinement persists in the pier's surviving architectural features, including hexagonal kiosks with minaret roofs built around 1900 and wooden benches with ornamental cast iron backs that line the promenade deck.
Fires, Shipwrecks and Survival
North Pier's survival into the 21st century is all the more remarkable given the disasters that have befallen it. On 8 October 1892, the storm-damaged vessel Sirene collided with the southern side, causing four shops and a section of deck to collapse and inflicting £5,000 worth of damage. Five years later, on 16 June 1897, Nelson's former flagship HMS Foudroyant wrecked alongside the pier during a storm, damaging the landing jetty.
Fire has been a recurrent threat. The Indian Pavilion, a substantial structure added to the pier-head in 1877, burned down in 1921. A replacement suffered the same fate in 1938, leading to the construction of the Art Deco theatre that stands today. A 1985 blaze, spotted by the performer Vince Hill, narrowly missed destroying the theatre. The Christmas Eve storm of 1997 delivered perhaps the most devastating blow, completely destroying the landing jetty and helipad.
The Modern Pier and Its Future
The Sedgwick family purchased North Pier in April 2011 from Six Piers Ltd. Peter Sedgwick, who had proposed to his wife Sue on the pier circa 1971, fulfilled a long-held vow to buy the structure. The family pledged to restore the pier's Victorian character, reinstate its tram, and abolish the admission charge, which they did immediately upon taking ownership.
Today's attractions include the Joe Longthorne Theatre, the Carousel Bar with its Victorian wrought iron canopy, a two-tier Venetian carousel, and a sun lounge billed as the largest beer garden in Blackpool. The pier retains its heritage room with historical photographs and one of the earliest Sooty puppets, purchased by Harry Corbett on the pier in the 1940s. An amusement arcade alone processes approximately £11 million in coins annually.
In July 2025, Avison Young placed North Pier up for sale, as the owners elected to concentrate their attention on Central and South Piers. The listing marks another chapter in the structure's long history of changing hands whilst maintaining its essential Victorian character.
What Sets North Pier Apart
Of the fourteen piers designed by Eugenius Birch, North Pier is the sole survivor. Margate Pier, another Birch design, was destroyed in 1978. Within Blackpool itself, the distinction is equally stark. Central Pier, opened in 1868 and designed by John Isaac Mawson, suffered significant fire damage as recently as 2020. South Pier, originally Victoria Pier, opened in 1893 and has endured multiple fires whilst adopting a focus on family rides.
Only North Pier retains its Grade II listed status, its cast iron columns and screw pile foundations, and its deliberate Victorian atmosphere. It stands as a physical reminder of the engineering ambition and social hierarchies of the era that created Britain's seaside resorts.