Colwyn Bay’s Victoria Pier reopened – and reimagined by Donald Insall Associates

Following a comprehensive three-year project, Insall has completed work on Colwyn Bay’s historic Grade II listed pier. Taken together, the new pier, sea wall and adjacent landscaping form a crucial element in the regeneration of the town’s waterfront and town centre.

After a turbulent 121-year history that saw three pier complexes built – and destroyed three times by fire and, eventually, the elements – Colwyn Bay once again has a public amenity on the seaside which can be enjoyed by both residents and visitors alike. Although the most recent structure was dismantled in 2018 for safety reasons – leaving only nine standing columns and the stone seawall remaining – salvaged elements of previous piers have been retained and cleverly reimagined in a way that pays tribute to the pier’s historic fabric, setting and social significance. The commitment to secure the pier’s future is testament to its importance to the town.

An Important part of Colwyn Bay’s history

Since the opening of the original Victoria Pier in 1900, the structure has been a symbol of Colwyn Bay’s status as a thriving tourist destination. Over the years, the pier was extended to include the Bijou theatre and played host to entertainers ranging from Morecambe and Wise to Elvis Costello. The third and final pavilion built on the pier in 1934 was designed by Stanley Adshead in an Art Deco style, and featured murals by the renowned painter Eric Ravilious, as well as Mary Adshead – daughter of the architect and herself an accomplished artist.

A Challenging brief

Upon winning a competitive tender for the project in 2018, the team were faced with a structure that had severely dilapidated since its closure in 2008, been ravaged by Storm Doris in 2017 and was subsequently primarily dismantled to ensure public safety and safeguard what was left of the pier.

Insall inherited a project comprising nine standing columns, a stone seawall and numerous fragments of the previous structures which had been removed for safekeeping. With Planning and Listed Building Consents already in place to reinstate the initial three bays of the pier, their challenge was to develop the technical designs.

Given the scale of the restoration and renewal of missing elements, Insall needed to establish a strategic approach that would protect the structural integrity as well as the character of this centrepiece of Colwyn Bay’s architectural heritage.

Creative solutions

The approach involved carefully detailed research – not only into the physical condition of the fragments remaining on- and off-site, but also into the pier’s social and architectural history. The aim of this conservation project was to protect what was significant about the pier whilst allowing lessons learnt from past disasters to inform the detailing of new elements in order to better preserve the pier’s structure in the long-term.

As the harsh coastal environment had hastened the demise of previous piers, technical investigations were undertaken into the remaining cast-iron fragments. This enabled them to understand what went wrong and to ‘design out’ inherent defects – creating a structure which was both more robust and easier to maintain, whilst importantly retaining as much of the original historic fabric as possible. In order to combat the salt-water damage which had ravaged the ironwork and timbers of previous piers, Insall improved the detailing to encourage water away from the structure and chose a coating system for the original Moorish Revival cast-iron balustrades that better protects them

Research into the pier’s architectural history and social significance, as well as expert paint analysis of the 1934 structure, influenced the choice of salmon pink and cream for the decorative scheme. These colours bear a striking resemblance to colours in the interiors of the Art Deco pavilion, as well as Ravilious and Adshead’s murals, which had previously been removed for safekeeping. Almost poetically, whilst the future and conservation of the Ravilous murals remain uncertain, their spirit has been recaptured in the decorative scheme of the pier.

Armed with an understanding of the pier’s historic fabric, setting and social significance, along with a philosophy that emphasises repair over restoration, the project – led by Insall in partnership with Conwy County Borough Council – has achieved the reinstatement by retaining and repairing the pier’s nine remaining columns and the decorative cast-ironwork, and reinterpreting the lighting based on the original designs. The result is a truncated, yet elegant, pier.

A new future for Colwyn Bay

Ultimately, the Victoria Pier is a story of resilience, reinvention, regeneration and renewal. Through a combination of technical expertise, thorough historical investigation and creative design, Donald Insall Associates have respected the pier’s character and past whilst reimagining it for the 21st century. The town is keen to celebrate the addition of this new civic amenity, with plans to do so this summer, as Covid restrictions allow.

“Having the pier open for the public to use once more is another piece in the multi-million pound redevelopment of the Colwyn Bay waterfront and the physical regeneration of the town. It will be great to see families being able to enjoy the space as well as the beautiful coast line.”

Brian Cossey, Cabinet Member for Finance and Chair of the Pier Project Board, Conwy County Borough Council

“By constructing this pier we acknowledge the legacy of the Victorian engineers and also provides a focus for people to relive their many happy memories at this site.”

Abdul Khan, Council Chairman, Conwy County Borough Council

“Despite Colwyn Bay pier’s turbulent history, the fact that there has been a continued commitment to secure the future of its fine pier is testament to its centrality in the regeneration of the town and the waterfront. Our role in the project has brought a considered conservation approach, conserving what is significant about the pier whilst allowing lessons learnt from its previous disasters to inform new elements, which will better preserve the fabric in the long term.”

Elgan Jones, Senior Architect, Donald Insall Associates