Monument record LWT 415 - South Pier, Inner South Pier, Inner North Pier, and Lowestoft to North Railway Line Lowestoft.

The South Pier, Lowestoft was built in 1846 and is 1320 feet in length. Between 1853 and 1854, a reading room was added followed by a bandstand jetty in 1884. Both these buildings were destroyed by fire in 1885. A new reading room/pavilion was built between 1889 and 1891 but was damaged during the Second World War and subsequently demolished. Built in an Arts and Crafts Style with an ornate veranda and corner towers it was a relatively unusual pavilion design. In 1928, the pier was strengthened with concrete. A new pavilion was built to the design of local architects Skipper and Corless in 1956 but demolished in 1990. A miniature railway, running the length of the pier, was also built at around the same time. Repairs were carried out to the pier at a cost of £30,000 by Waveney Borough Council in 1993. In 1998 the pier facilities included bingo, a bowling alley, a shop, kiosks and amusements. [1-9]

Additional source. [10]

Recording at Lowestoft’s Outer Harbour investigated the remains of the Lowestoft to Norwich railway line, the Inner North Pier and Inner South Pier and the South Pier, demonstrating that the harbour was extensively altered and developed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The structures have played a significant role in the commerce of Lowestoft and the town’s tourist industry. Construction of a link from the sea to Norwich, via Lake Lothing and a series of canals, began in 1821 and some 3 years later the Inner North Pier and Inner South Pier were completed. They were originally constructed using iron and timber piling and have since been significantly redeveloped. Remains of a timber-framed substructure are, however, retained at the W end of the Inner North Pier. The current iterations of the piers comprise a series of reinforced concrete cross-braced bents, supporting promenades that retain heavy mooring installations. The Inner North Pier, in association with the North Pier, formed the first trawler basin. Most of the railway lines that extended along the Inner North Pier, primarily used to transport fishing and freight wagons, have since been removed. Nonetheless, a small section of the Lowestoft to Lowestoft North railway line is preserved. Despite its utilisation as a promenade with the architectural paraphernalia of a pleasure pier, the South Pier is better described as a solid concrete harbour breakwater, although it has been a central tourist attraction in the town and has witnessed numerous phases of development and changes in function (S11).