August 2016 – Edition 137

Probably the first Entertainment Piers were constructed in England in the 1860s, where Brighton West Pier became famous. Soon after, every British seaside resort wanted a pier!

The Brighton West Pier was designed to attract tourism in Brighton. It was the town’s second pier and was extended in 1893 with the addition of a pavilion having a capacity of 1400 people, and a concert hall was added in 1916. The pier reached its peak attendance during this time, with 2 million visitors (half the population of Australia at the time!) between 1918 and 1919.

Llandudno Pier, completed in 1878, is a pier in the seaside resort of Llandudno on the coast of North Wales between Bangor and Colwyn Bay. At 2,295 feet the pier is the longest in Wales and the fifth longest in England and Wales

Reasons for Entertainment Piers in Great Britain

The construction of Entertainment Piers in Great Britain was a logical extension of the existing popularity of seaside resorts. The advent of the Industrial Revolution which had led to Britain becoming the top industrial power in the world had led to a surge in the construction of factories in cities and rural towns. Conditions in the factories were poor by today’s standards, with dust, noise and heat, exacerbated by long working hours. Conditions in the mines were even worse, and often housing was cramped and sub-standard.

On the plus side wages had improved and the expansion of the railway system meant that factory and mine workers could travel to the seaside for a break, often referred to as “taking the sea air”. This was assisted by the fact that factories and mines had a “close down” period of about a week, during which workers were not required. It made sense for the workers to take a holiday during the close-down period. The result was a mass exodus from the towns and cities.

Some benevolent factory owners would hire steam trains to take the workers to seaside resorts.

Entertainment in Australia

The situation was somewhat different in Australia. We did not have the same degree of industrialisation. In the case of Sydney, in particular, most of the population was within striking distance of Sydney Harbour, There were a number of picnic areas which could be accessed by ferry, for instance at Balmoral. Trips to the Blue Mountains were also popular.

The surf beaches were not as popular, due to lack of public transport to many of them. Also, most people could not swim, and there were no lifesavers, making fatalities quite common.

The Entertainment Piers and similar entertainment centres seem to have filled a social need. Long before the car was invented the public flocked to them, using cheap public transport like steam trains, trams and ferries. The forms of entertainment were various, as you will see. However they seem to have had limited long-term appeal in Australia.

Entertainment at Manly

Briefly, Manly had an entertainment pier on the Harbour side, next to the ferry wharf. It also had a huge water slide, a swimming pool and bathing pavilions.The Entertainment Pier at Manly was next to the Ferry Wharf, an ideal location for ferry passengers travelling on the large Manly ferries, which could carry up to 1,000 passengers.

This pier had a Ghost Train, Dodgem Boats and a Fun Parlor.

The most spectacular feature was a short-lived Water Chute constructed on land near South Steyne Beach. Opened in 1903, the Chute was a cross between a rollercoaster and a waterslide. A rather florid newspaper article reported that “People would ride down a steep slope in a boat-like contraption which crashed into an artificial lake. Crowds gathered to watch the thrilling loss of composure of the passengers as they “shot the chute”, decorously dressed men and women screaming as they sped down the steep incline to the waters below. Local shoe store owner “Professor” Artie Adrian made regular Saturday night appearances at the Water Chute, riding his bicycle down the slope and into the pool.”

As you can see from the photo of the Chute at the top of this article there was also a toboggan ride.

The Chute operation closed after three years, going the way of many other of Manly’s seaside attractions: the fun pier, the camera obscura, the Bioscope, the toboggan ride, the Shark Aquarium, the horse and cart rides and the balloon ascents.

Bondi

Bondi had a Wonderland City.

Entrepreneur William Anderson created a new venture ‘Wonderland City’ opening in 1906 using many existing structures and modelling the site on the famous Coney Island in New York. Attractions included (to quote a source) “an artificial lake, a roller-skating rink, double-decker merry-go-round, Haunted House, Helter Skelter (a slippery slide , a switchback railway, a maze, fun factory, one-kilometre miniature railway, the Airem Scarem (a captive airship that tracked on a wire from cliff to cliff by electricity), wax works, Katzenjammer Castle, Hall of Laughter, Box Ball Alley, a boxing tent, seal pond, circus ring, movie house, penny parlour, Alice the elephant and other animals, Japanese tearooms and Swiss Chalet (slide). The Kings Theatre, a kind of music hall, could seat 1,000 people.”

Interest from the public waned and opposition from the public increased due to beach access being impeded. As a result the days of Wonderland City were numbered and Anderson’s venture finally closed after five years.