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Prince of Wales Pier

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Image:  The Prince of Wales Pier c.1905.
The Prince of Wales Pier c.1905.

The Prince of Wales Pier was named after Edward VII who, when Prince of Wales, laid the foundation stone in 1892.

The landward end of the pier was a lattice work of iron, as is commonly associated with Victorian seaside piers, this connected with the seaward end which was built of stone and provided with berths for shipping on either side. These berths were capable of accommodating some of the largest ships then afloat as they had a depth of 40 feet even at low tide.

The pier opened in 1902 and in 1905 a railway track was laid along it to connect with the berths. For a brief period (1903-1906) Dover was a port of call for German liners on their way to New York. Unfortunately as the outer harbour was nearing completion, and the gap between the Southern Breakwater and the Admiralty Pier was narrowing, the currents through the newly formed western entrance made handling these large vessels difficult. On one occasion the Hamburg-Amerika line's "Deutschland" crashed into the pier.

In the mid-1970's work started to replace the open ironwork section with a solid pier. The harbour to the west of this section was reclaimed for the building of the new hoverport, which opened in 1978. In 1993 a catamaran berth was built alongside the pier as part of the Hoverport complex.

 

Image:  The SS Amerika at the Pier.
The SS Amerika at the Pier.

Image:  The SS Deutschland docking.
The SS Deutschland docking.

 

 

 


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