Pier Street : A Failure Of Enterprise

Before the arrival of "tourists", Ryde was just a few fisherman's cottages at the sea front.

The Royal Pier Hotel was an early arrival as Ryde began to develop as a "seaside" town. It was built much at the same time as the first piet.

The two stood proudly next to one another.

Also in the old illustration were a couple of tow boars, horse drawn, that would have been made redundant now that boats could park at the pier head.

The Hotel (with little evidence of real Royal connections!) was both imposing and popular. Combined with the wooden pier, visitors soon flocked to this delightful seaside town with it's glorious and spacious beaches ...

... accessed by a delightful sail across the Solent.

As the other two Piers were added to the mix, the Hotel remained a distinctive feature of the pier area, filling most of the seaward side of Pier Street.

The Island's bus companies all served the pier area ...

... and, way back when,  carriages were also available.

But in 1929 it was the steepness of Union Street that was the undoing of "The Royal".

Here is Union Street in the early 60s, still with two way traffic and with its view of pier and sea at the bottom.

But take a close look at this much older equivalent.

Although it is a bit fuzzy, you can see that buildings block the view of the pier and those building are part of the block that includes the hotel and which sat on the seaward side of the now-disappeared road.

An old map explains it.

Consequently, traffic coming down Union Street had to navigate a sharp right-hand turn into what was then Pier Street.

With the arrival of the motor car the turning became notorious as an accident black spot and was the subject of many complaints to the council, all of which were ignored ­— until events one afternoon in March, 1929.

Charlie Wheeler, a driver for the Enterprise Bus Company ...

... was driving his bus down Union Street when disaster struck.

As an aside, The Isle of Wight Bus Museum has painted and ex Southern Vectis single decker in the livery of the erstwhile Enterprise bus company.

Enterprise never operated an MW, and the company was bought out by Southern Vectis!

His brakes failed halfway down and he took the corner at nearly 30 miles an hour. Horrified lunchtime shoppers watched aghast as the bus turned over on its side, leaving two people dead, including the conductor, Fred Bull, aged just 19.

A full version of this tragedy is published on-line by the County Press.

https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/19142408.pier-street-tragedy-notorious-accident-blackspot/

This accident finally made the Council sit up and take notice that the right hand turn at the bottom of Union Street was far too risky for the motor cars and buses of the early 1930s.

So the whole hotel block was summarily demolished.

This does seem a very drastic solution and fbb can find no mention of compensation to the owners; or maybe a recognition that other hotels in Ryde were more modern and better equipped leading to a decline in trade.

The art deco Royal York might well have been more attractive, situated at the top of steep George Street, parallel to the ill fated steepness of Union Street.

It was certainly bigger and posher than the Royal Pier Hotel.

But grand and posh it was no more.

But a rebuild and revamp is now in progress,

Residents of the jtown have been calling for work to be undertaken on the once luxurious building in George Street for a number of years, with many calling it an eye sore of the town, however the planning decision now means that the art deco hotel will once again open its doors as a central hotel with the addition of 4 residential flats.

fbb is unsure of the timeline here, but the "York" would have been perceived as superior to the "Pier".

But back to the hole left by the Royal Pier Hotel demolition and the effect on the Western Gardens that lay between it and the sea.

What happened to the bandstand and its associated compound once roofed and protected from the prevailing precipitation?

fbb vaguely remembers the walls of the formerly sumptuous edifice being in place, although looking forlorn, in 1958; but ultimately the Western Gardens became the western non-roundabout, but much much bigger than today's version.

There were "gardens" in the middle, but somehow the area had lost its charm.

Hey ho - the motorist rules once again.

But the next change was the construction of a bus station on Ryde Esplanade now being deconstructed and reconstructed.

Of which more in due course.

 Next Variety blog : Saturday 4th February 

The Road To The Piers, Well, Disappears!

A Familiar View

One of the more memorable views in Ryde is down the steep Union Street with a view of the sea straight ahead. At the bottom you can turn left into St Thomas' Street ...

... with the western Gardens (The Western Trees (?) on the right. Or you could go round the non-roundabout ...

... past a few more bits of garden, another tree, the toilets and cafe block that completes Western Gardens. Then comes the entrance to Ryde Pier for cars and (for the time being) pedestrians.

Then comes the now excised bus station, its successor to be featured in a forthcoming blog.

Opposite the pier/bus station you will find a selection of caffs ...

... including the (fake!) half-timbered King Lud, then a closed caff blotted out by Google (why?) and, far right, the bottom of Union Street. Swinging a little left come more eateries, the famous Arcadia ...

... and (far left) he bottom of George Street. Here is the same area on Google Earth.

For the record, Union Street is one way own (aerial view left) and George Street is one way up (lower tight opposite the bus station).

And here it is on a map.

George \street is the unnamed pink road running parallel to Union Street.

Peering For Pier Street

So all we have to do is to find Pier Street!

There are pictures of Pier Street, Ryde on-line, this one not too helpful.

It is decorated for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. 

Here is a more helpful view.

Alert readers will immediately spot the (fake!) half-timbered King Lud Hotel, and, yes it is the same one! But there are no Western "Gardens", a k a grass and trees, on the left.  In fact Western Gardens was behind those buildings, between them and the sea ...

... complete with a splendid bandstand.

And the disappearance of Pier Street was directly caused by a Public Transport Issue;

Of which more tomorrow.

Two Coronations In 2023

We look forward to King Charles III big "do" in May, but the Hornby Models programme on Yesterday on Monday last also revealed the other Coronation due this year.

One coach ...

... will set you back £67 and is thus unlikely to appear on fbb's layout! Two "beaver-tail" coaches were built to add to the prestigious "Coronation" train introduced by the L N E R (the original one) running between Kings Cross and Edinburgh.

The observation coaches were added to the train for the summer season and offered the last word in luxury seating ...

... but, perhaps, not the best view out if the beaver's rear end!

The two-blues livery adorned; with chromium plated lettering ...

... was spectacular. The blue was repeated internally.

The beaver tail had rotted away by the time preservation began ...

... and getting the curvature right was a real challenge.

It was the same challenge on the model but samples shown on the programme looked great. Much of the Yesterday item was about the technology of making the articulated coaches "ackle" through reverse curves of OO gauge pointwork.

It worked! So you will be able to buy a complete train; possibly with more applications for a second mortgage!

Perhaps the coach could pay a visit to Peterville "for a special open day"? Maybe not, as the expense of moving the layout from outside to inside is "significant".

 Next Pier Street blog : Friday 3rd February 

Three Cheers For| Three Piers (3)

Oh No We Can't : Oh Yes We Can

The temporary walkway to allow pedestrian and cycle access to the "wet end" whilst the boardwalk pier as being rebuilt was only temporary ...

... being made of scaffolding poles with a plyood deck. It was well lit for night time use.

It was originally revealed that a permanent solution would not be tolerated by English Heritage. It would spoil the view of and from the Pier.

Thus there was much excitement when plans were announced to construct a permanent walkway and cycle track where the temporary work once sat. Initial artist's impressions were superb.

We were even told what colour the decking would be.

The "wider scheme" is to extend the cycleway long the coast to Appley Park.

It was all looking super and smashing with pedestrians sheltered from the icy blast and the teeming rain both often whisking from the west. 

Then doubts began to appear.

No shelter?

Then this announcement came.

No mention of cycle track.

This was finally confirms by this piece of depressing (for cyclists) news.

So now we have  half sized walkway and cycles are banned. This is confirmed by the latest plans with no green bit!

But what about the cover? Are those little shelters all that is available? Do you shelter from the monsoon and miss your ferry?

Photographs recently received from Alan (our senior IoW correspondent - he likes to br called senior although he is the only one!) show huge new beams of timber near the Pier Head ...

... and in the background, the replacement windbreak to protect rail passengers from the same icy blasts and teeming rain that, apparently, will not be provided, as previously advertised, for those on foot!

The previous wind- and rail- break seen from within the station ...

... was not really in tip top condition! Its replacement should be a bit better.

Before we leave the tramway pier, a couple of pictures of the trams snoozing peacefully at the "dry end", Ryde Esplanade station.

Note the Brickwoods Ale advert and the large sign advertising the buses of Southern Vectis.

It must have been a quiet day - no passengers! Note also the trailer/pushcart attached to the car on the left.

And, talking of Southern Vectis, they had a sales kiosk at the Pier Head as well.

Of course, back then it wasn't all on line. There was no line for it to be "on". Back then, you had to suffer the crushing indignity but high reliability of talking to a real person.

But, back then, the companies wanted to encourage passengers to travel with them. Now they don't seem as interested.

Confirmation was received late yesterday evening from Alan that there will be NO COVER for the walkway, despite all the previously published pretty pictures.

Pity. A good quality walkway would go well with the aspirations to turn the pier into a "destination" in its own right ....

... with bars, restaurants, entertainment and even somewhere to park your cabin cruiser.

Usual comment:-

 Next Missing Pier Road blog : Thursday 2nd February