Work on the pier commenced in 1890 as a simple mass concrete groyne. A steel lattice girder and timber structure was added in 1894, followed by a landing quay on the seaward side of the pier-head in 1906. A shelter, built to a modern design, dates from 1965.
In April 1974, fire gutted a pier-head entertainment building, ‘The Islander’, which, because of damage to the underlying timber, was demolished to deck level. It was discovered at this time that the steel superstructure was badly corroded and that, although half of the pier-head had been replaced between 1957 and 1964, the other half and the main length of the pier required urgent attention.
Torbay Borough Council contracted Christiani & Nelson Ltd to reconstruct the deck and defective steel work at the pier-head, and to replace the pier steelwork by underpinning it without removing the decking and shelter.
Reconstruction began in 1978 and, by the time the work was entered for the ‘Business & Industry Panel for the Environment 1979’ awards, the pier had re-opened.