South Parade Pier
The South Parade Pier is a pier in Portsmouth, England. It is one of two piers in the city, the other being Clarence Pier. The pier has a long hall down its centre which houses a seating area and a small restaurant. The outside of the hall is a promenade which runs the length of the pier and connects the entrance building with the small funfair at the southern end.
The South Parade Pier, in Southsea, part of the English city of Portsmouth, is a pleasure pier offering typical seaside attractions including souvenir shops, ice creams, indoor amusements and a small children's funfair. It also contains a fishing deck and two function rooms which are often used for live music.
The history of the pier has been eventful; like many UK piers, it was partly dismantled during the Second World War in an attempt to hinder any invasion and it has also caught fire several times, most famously in 1974 during shooting of the film Tommy. The pier appeared in an episode of Mr. Bean entitled "Mind the Baby Mr. Bean."
The Pier has been sold to three businessmen who have pledged to restore it to its former glory in 2010. The iconic pier is now owned by Frederick Nash, director of Hampshire property firm Matchams South Coast, and partners Tony Marshall, a London lawyer, and Cambridgeshire stud farm proprieter David Moore. Very little has happened to the pier since the purchase in early 2010.
Pier status as of April 2012
Access to the deck has been closed to the general public due to health and safety concerns in April 2012. Limited access is granted to people fishing, but access has been withdrawn for all other potential users.