Ryde, on the North-East coast of the Island, is the largest town on the Isle of Wight. Ryde is also the first town in Great Britain to have had a pier, a pier that is unique in that it is really three piers¹ in one. Yet there was once another pier in Ryde - Victoria Pier - which is often neglected and forgotten. Both piers, though, have interesting histories.

Ryde Pier

Traditionally, all ships travelling to Ryde have faced a problem. The Ryde sandbanks extend out to sea for almost a mile, meaning ships could only approach at high tide. In 1812, a group of Ryde's businessmen found a solution - building the first Promenade Pier in Great Britain.

In July 1812, the Act of Parliament allowing the pier to be built was passed and in 1814, the pier was finished, at a length of 1,740 ft. Ryde soon became a popular resort, and the easiest way to get to the Island as the pier was accessible at all tides. The first regular crossing from Ryde Pier started with the Britannia in 1817. Although 750 ft. of the pier was damaged in a storm in 1818, the pier remained popular and the pier was expanded in 1824 to 2,040 ft. and in 1827 the Pier Head was expanded to allow two steamers to berth at once, and small landing stages built too. From the pier you could regularly travel to Portsmouth or Southampton, or excursions to places such as Lymington, Bournemouth and Brighton.

By 1833, the pier was 2,250 ft. long, and equipped with an "octogan lamp" navigational aid, yet in 1838 a brig crashed into the pier during a gale, destroying 50 ft. of timber and piles.

In the 1830s and 40s, transport throughout the country improved with the first phase of railway building. Trains to Gosport in 1842 launched a Gosport to Ryde service, and when Albert Pier² was built in Portsmouth, steamers could travel between Ryde and Portsmouth at any state of the tide. Ryde Pier was popular not just for promenading, but was constantly busy with the flow of passengers arriving on day trips. The Pier Head was enlarged again between 1856 and 1860, and in August 1864, Ryde had it's first Railway Station, Ryde St. John's, on the line
to Shanklin. The main problem for the pier was that, at half a mile long, some form of transportation along the pier, to both the esplanade and town and also to the station, was needed.

Originally, the only way along the pier was to walk; the pier's timber decking was unable to be used by horse-drawn carriages. This walk was very long, and in bad weather, very unpleasant. In 1864 it was decided that another pier would be built alongside Ryde Pier that would connect to Ryde Pier Head. This was Ryde Tramway Pier, which opened on August 29th 1864, and at once made
a large difference to people using the pier for the steamers. The trams went from the pier head to Ryde Esplanade, and to Ryde itself - even through the middle of a building called Holywell House. The trams were originally horse-drawn until 1885, when the line was electrified. This became one of the first electric railways in the world, earlier even than the London Underground.

Petrol-engine trams were introduced in 1927, which were then converted into diesels in 1959. The pier trams were in service until 1969, when the trams were withdrawn and dismantled. The pier has been unused since then, although there are now plans to either convert the pier into a pedestrian walkway, or even rebuild the tram lines.

In 1878 it was planned to build a third pier in Ryde that connected to Ryde Pier Head. It was planned to build a railway pier that was co-financed by the London and South Western Railway Company and the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company from Ryde Pier Head to Ryde St. John's Road station. A tunnel was built at Ryde Esplanade leading to Ryde St. Johns, and
after a cost of £250,000 the railway pier opened in July 1880 - half a mile long to the existing pier head. In January 1881, some of the worst weather in Island history struck Ryde. On January 18th the collier Havelock smashed into the pier, and on the 21st, the John Warder collided also. Over 100 yards of the pier had to be replaced, yet after that the service ran smoothly, with a brief pause when the route was electrified between 1966 and 1967. Since 1966, old London Underground stock has been used on the line. Anyone who boards a train at Ryde Pier Head ³ can travel south as far as Shanklin.

Having the tramway and railway piers beside Ryde Pier made the pier even more popular, and in 1887 people petitioned for a pavilion at Ryde Pier Head for music to be played and even more entertainment. By 1895 it was finished, and was an octagonal, domed, beautiful 2-storey building containing reading and refreshments rooms, a concert hall and an upstairs sun lounge.

The pier, though, was not only further developed in the interests of comfort, but in the interests of safety also. In the 1870s a lifeboat station was built at the pier head which served until Bembridge's more effective motor lifeboat in 1922 became operational at the Bembridge station.

Until 1969, paddlesteamers continued to call at Ryde Pier, after which more modern ships have served the Ryde-Portsmouth route. The pavilion was converted into a ballroom, and then cafe, restaurant and roller-skating rink, and a pub called "The First And Last" named after either your first or last drink on the Island. However, as crowds on the pier were unpredictable and irregular, the
pavilion was closed and demolished in 1971.

In January 1979 the shipping section of British Railways became Sealink, which was privatised in 1984. In 1990, Sealink's Isle of Wight route became owned by Wightlink, who have owned the pier head and ferry route ever since. Ryde Pier remains three piers in one, and not only is it the oldest pier in Great Britain, but the third longest, with only the piers at Southport and Southend
longer.⁴

In Ryde, an unconnected pier, seperate to the main Ryde Pier and 500 yards east of it, was begun in 1863. This was financed by the Stokes Bay Pier and Railway Company and was intended to link with the new Gosport ferry service from Stokes Bay. Although it had been intended to make Victoria Pier the same length as the other piers, a shortage of funds meant that it only was 970 ft. long.

It opened in November 1864, yet could only be used by ferries at certain states of the tide. Despite an asphalt surface, which was hoped to avoid the problems that the promenade pier suffered. In 1865, the pier was sold to the Ryde Pier Company, and when in 1875 the Stokes Bay Pier and Railway Company was bought by the London and South Western Railway the ferry service to the pier ended.

Victoria Pier was then used as a bathing station, eliminating the need for bathing machines. Public baths were built at the pier head, and a free bathing stage at the shore end. Hot and Cold ozone baths were also advertised, and from 1876-1900 proved very popular. Sadly, after the end of the century, the bathing facilities fell into disuse, and an Act of Parliament of 1916 allowed its
demolition. Nothing remains of it.