Birnbeck Island

As you may be aware our station is not open to the public at the present time owing to the very poor state of the main Pier structure and Island. Hopefully this situation will be addressed in the not too distant future and the hope is that we shall be able to welcome the general public back to Birnbeck Pier once again.

We ceased to use the slipway immediately in front of the boathouse in 2008, when we switched to using our New Eco Friendly Launching Slipway, constructed purely from the existing pebble beach on Birnbeck Island. It proved beyond any doubt that it was the right decision to change to Tractor and Carriage Launching as this new system has given us much improved flexibility in both choice of launch sites and extra availability over the Low Water period.

Take a Virtual Tour of Our Boathouse with Divisional Inspector, Adrian Carey, as he discusses the state and future of our station on Birnbeck Island.

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A Short History of Birnbeck Pier

Birnbeck pier at Weston-super-Mare is one of the few remaining piers designed by Eugenius Birch (1818-1884) who designed 14 seaside piers. It was built by the Isca Iron Company of Newport, Gwent, and was opened in the presence of Birch himself in June 1867. The pier is unusual in that the pierhead is in fact the small Birnbeck Island, which was levelled and stepped to form a promenading area. Wrought iron girderwork 1150 feet long, with a 20 feet wide timber deck and supported on 15 clusters of eight piles, connects the island to the shore.

In 1933 the opening of a fun-fair on Weston's rival Grand pier not only tempted customers away to a new entertainment, but shifted the town's focus away from the Birnbeck end of the sea front.

Closed to the general public in 1992, the ownership of the Pier has changed hands several times since, and the future is not yet clear.