Southport Pier

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The pier, stretching over a kilometre out to sea

A single pair of tramlines runs down the centre of the pier

The Pavilion, featuring a fully glazed wall looking out over the sea towards the south

Southport Pier is a Grade II listed structure in Southport, Merseyside, England. At 3,650 feet it is the second longest in Great Britain after Southend Pier.^[1] A tram link runs from Southport to the pier head (the far end of the pier).

Recent modernisation and repair of the pier formed part of a wider redevelopment strategy, including the new Marine Drive sea wall, landscaping around the pier and the new tram route, and the new £23m Ocean Plaza shopping centre - which presents a blank back wall on the seaward side. Completion was in 2002.^[2]

The pier is a completely open structure, with modern railings on an older base, and a deck made of hardwood slats, affording a partial view of the sea below. Plans to restore the Victorian shelters along its length remain just plans.

The modern structure at the pier head, the Pavilion, was designed by Liverpool architects Shed KM. The building houses a cafeteria and a collection of vintage mechanical amusement machines, re-creating a traditional pier-end penny arcade. The age of the machines is such that they operate on pre-decimalisation pennies.