| Scarborough North Pier | |
| Carries: | Promenaders and steamer passengers |
| Spans: | North Sea |
| Locale: | North Bay, Scarborough, North Yorkshire |
| Type: | Pleasure and steamer pier |
| Designer: | Eugenius Birch |
| Constructor: | J E Dowson and another |
| Start: | 14 September 1866 |
| Completed: | 1869 |
| Open: | 1 May 1869 |
| Client: | Scarborough Promenade Pier Company |
| Length: | 1000feet |
| Width: | 20feet but 50feet at the pier head |
| Renovated: | 1889 |
| Closed: | January 1905 |
| Destroyed: | 7 January 1905 |
| Coordinates: | 54.2903°N -0.4028°W |
Scarborough North Pier (1868-1905) was a steamer and promenade pier in North Bay, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England.
In 1862 the Scarborough Pier and Improvement Company led by engineer Josiah Forster Fairbank issued a prospectus proposing a pier and other facilities on the beach in North Bay for a capitalisation of £20,000.In 1863 following a setback with his Rock Gardens no further progress was made and the company was finally dissolved in March 1882.[1]
In 1863 the Scarborough Marine Promenade and Jetty Company was formed with the aim of building a pleasure and steamer pier in the South Bay at Scarborough.[1] [2] The pier was to be 1410feet long 45feet wide with a pier head 225feet long and 90feet wide with a saloon, refreshment room and landing stage.[1] In 1864 despite strong opposition from Scarborough Piers & Harbour Commissioners, Scarborough Corporation and others the Board of Trade gave it a provisional order to proceed, but little further happened.[1]
In 1864 there was a further proposal for a pier, this time in the North Bay with a capitalization of £15,000, leading to the formation of the Scarborough Promenade Pier Company and in 1865 they issued a prospectus proposing a 1000feet pier.[1] That year engineer and prominent pier designer Eugenius Birch was engaged, then the company was registered with the Board of Trade and the next year the company was granted a provisional order to proceed.[1] A £12,135 offer by J.E. Dowson of London to build the pier was accepted and the first piles were driven in September 1866 and with a change of contractor the pier was complete by 1869 and the pier was opened on 1 May that year.[1] [3]
The pier was designed to be 1000feet long and 20feet wide and the pier head itself was 50feet wide and 150feet long with 6feet of water at low spring tide.[3] [4] The pier design had facilities for angling and a pier head shelter for band concerts.[5] [3]
There were frequent collisions of steamers with the pier head and the pier never made much money.With the closure of the nearby Queens Parade Cliff Lift (1878-1887) income fell, the company was wound up and the pier was sold in 1889 for £1,240.[3] In 1889 the new owners spent £10,000 replacing the original entrance booths with an entrance building and restaurant, enlarging the pier head and adding a pavilion and refreshment room and even with variety shows it failed to generate enough income.[2] [3]
The pier was sold again in 1904 for £3,500 but on 7 January next year it was wrecked in a storm leaving only the entrance pavilion and isolated pier head.[2] [3] Later the pier head was demolished leaving the entrance building, itself demolished in 1914.[3]