Catalogue description Archive of the Eastbourne Pier Company Limited

Summary of contents

EPC/1 Minutes of General Meetings; 1869-1971

EPC/2 Minutes of Directors' Meetings; 1877-1965

EPC/3 Agendas of Directors' Meetings; 1930-1970

EPC/4 Directors' Meeting attendance register; 1944-1970

EPC/5 Minutes and agendas of the Management Committee; 1906-1947

EPC/6 Shareholding records; c1865-1967

EPC/7 Dividend records; 1909-1967

EPC/8 Mortgage records; 1870-1952

EPC/9 Other company records; 1865-1967

EPC/10 Ledgers; 1913-1967

EPC/11 Cash accounts; 1865-1970

EPC/12 Toll books and turnstile register; 1910-1947

EPC/13 Invoice book; 1939-1953

EPC/14 Other accounting records; 1952-1975

EPC/15 Staff records; 1911-1976

EPC/16 Entertainment records; 1913-1974

EPC/17 Title deeds and records relating to premises; 1868-1965

EPC/18 Plans; 1954-1980

EPC/19 Illustrations; 1870-1965

EPC/20 Other records; 1900-1974

For a returned tender for building a new landing-stage at the pier to the designs of Frank E Robinson of Westminster Chambers, 13 Victoria Street, London, civil engineer, 29 Jul 1893, see AMS 6501

For a deposited parliamentary plan of the pier showing its location at Devonshire Place, 1863 see QDP 324a/1, for an amended plan showing the pier in its present location, 1864 see QDP 324b/1 and for a plan showing the proposed widening of the pier, with a new pavilion, 1899 see QDP 615

For minutes of Directors' Meetings, 1944-1946 see AMS 6014/1

For postcards of the pier, 1903 see PCA/E 180, for the promenade from the pier, 1904 see PCA/E 134), for the pier at night, 1907 see PCA/E 124, for Eastbourne from the pier, 1908 see PCA/E 30, for the pier at night, 1913 see PCA/E 63, for the beach and pier, 1914 see PCA/E 26, for the entrance to the pier, 1921 see PCA/E 198, for a general view from the pier, 1922 see PCA/E 197, for Eastbourne from the pier, 1923 see PCA/E 35, for the pier and the pavilion, nd see PCA/E 27 and 40, for the pier, nd see PCA/E 48, 111 and 185), for a large wave and the pier, nd see PCA/E 126, for the new entrance to the pier, nd see PCA/E 145 and for the Grand Parade and the pier, nd see PCA/E 149

For a photograph of the pier and a general view from the Wish Tower, c1890 see PDA/E 19, for snapshots of Beachy Head, the sea front and the pier, 1924 see PDA/E 22-28; for a glass plate negative of the pier, c1900 see AMS 6115/4

Eastbourne Pier Company Limited

Documents in this list are closed to public inspection for 30 years from the last date in the document

Documents deposited 2 Jun 1982 (ACC 2845), 8 Oct 1982 (ACC 2908), 11 Oct 1982 (ACC 2911)

• Eastbourne, East Sussex
• Leisure

The Eastbourne Pier Company Limited was founded by the efforts of the Duke of Devonshire and was registered as a limited liability company in April 1865 with the following objects - 'to construct a Promenade Pier, with all proper works, approaches, and other conveniences connected therewith commencing at a point on the Esplanade, opposite Cavendish Place, in the Town of Eastbourne, in the Parish of Eastbourne, in the County of Sussex.'

Building of the Pier started in 1866 under the direction of Eugenius Birch, the railway and pier engineer, and it was opened on 13 June 1870. The buildings on the Pier consisted of four kiosks at the gates and four at the pier head. In 1888 a large shed-like structure was built on the pier head in which stage shows were presented. By the turn of the century the bandstand and the pierrot shows were very popular and in 1901 a full-scale theatre building with tea-rooms, licensed bars and offices was built. The building was topped with the largest camera obscura in the United Kingdom. The theatre was not only used for stage presentations as it was the first place where 'animated pictures' could be viewed

During the Second World War the Pier was requisitioned by the Armed Forces and was subsequently cut in two. The damage sustained was very considerable but in 1946 the Pier was reopened and the structure gradually put into a sound state

The Music Pavilion was built at the shore end of the Pier in 1925 to act as a concert hall and a ball room. As ballroom dancing became very popular and concert parties more elaborate, the distinction between the Theatre and Music Pavilion became very definite. The decline in popularity of ballroom dancing in the early 1960s led to the provision in the Music Pavilion of a high-class family amusement centre containing automatic amusements, children's rides, bowling lanes, a coffee bar, licensed bar and a small jive area by 1965

The Eastbourne Pier Company Limited has always met the changing demands of the public for varied entertainment and in the early 1980s offered facilities which included amusements, sailing trips, 'roller discos', bingo and live entertainments

The Company and the Pier were taken over in 1969 by Trusthouse Forte Leisure Limited, a subsidiary of Trusthouse Forte Limited, and in 1980 was registered as a private company

The records were the subject of a preliminary survey by the Business Archives Council in March 1982 prior to their deposit at this office

Source: the preliminary survey by the Business Archives Council

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