David Haysom Collection
Swanage's Victorian pier extends around 650ft (210m) into the southern end of Swanage Bay. Awarded the Pier of the Year award in 2012 by the National Piers Society, the structure is also a Grade II listed building.
This reflects the work carried out by the Swanage Pier Trust in restoring this icon of the town's seaside heritage to its former glory. The trust took ownership of the pier in 1993 after years of neglect and decline.
Now the pier is a hub of activity; there is a small ferry service running to Poole Quay along with a popular diving school and small museum at the end of the pier. The museum is also home to an interesting underwater camera which allows people to view the thriving array of sea life under the pier.
Built between 1859 and 1861, the original structure was as one of two piers; the other wooden one has long since fallen into disrepair and all that remains are old timber piles.
Swanage Pier was built in part to cater for demand for an additional steam ferry service. However the primary reason was for loading Purbeck stone from the local quarries and there was a tramway which ran the length of the pier and along the seafront. These old tracks can still be seen to this day along the seafront walkways.
Over recent years the pier has taken a battering from several powerful storms, but with the help of over £20,000 in donations and Heritage Lottery Funding the pier was returned to full working order in early 2014.