Claremont Pier, Lowestoft, Suffolk

The Claremont Pier is a traditional seaside pier in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk.

The pier was constructed in 1902/03 and used originally as a mooring for Belle steamers. It was designed by D. Fox and was originally 181.8 m in length and 10.9 m in width. In 1912, it was extended to a length of 230.3 m. Steamer services ended at the pier in 1939 and it was sectioned as a defence measure against the threat of invasion in 1940. When that threat had passed, the gap was closed with a Bailey bridge and the pier became an Army training centre during World War II until 1948.

By 1948 the pier was abandoned and derelict, and when Lowestoft Town Council refused an offer to purchase it for £4,000 the actor George Studd took it over for a year and began to repair the pier. After repair in the 1950s, a storm in 1962 washed a section of it away, reducing its length to 218 meters.

In the 1990s the pier was taken over by the Scott family and, despite restoration work on the shoreward end, much of the pier remains in need of restoration. Facilities at the shoreward end include a nightclub, amusement arcade, children’s rides and a restaurant and take-away. In 2005 the pier was put up for sale at £2.8 million but was unsold.