Last Wednesday my wife and I took our grandchildren to
Southend Pier for a ride on the train to the Lifeboat Station at the seaward
end of the pier. The 1.33 mile long pier is reputed to be the longest in the
world, but I believe it is, in fact, the longest ‘pleasure’ pier in the world.
The boys loved the train ride, but it was just as well that
they were appropriately dressed for the bitterly cold wind they experienced
when alighting from the train. The café was closed because of an electrical fault,
and the only place where we could seek shelter was at the Lifeboat Station.
There we found others sheltering from the wind until the next returning train.
A souvenir shop adjoining the lifeboat boathouse was a hit
with the kids. They weren’t in the least interested in the Atlantic 75 and the
Offshore D-class lifeboats that had recently been in action. Altogether, last
year, Southend lifeboats were launched 137 times!
Since 1879 Southend lifeboat crews have saved over 2,000
lives. All the work today is done by a team of 40 volunteers, and they even
operate a rescue hovercraft.
Links
Southend Lifeboat
Southend-on-Sea Lifeboat Station
Southend-on-Sea Lifeboat Station
Southend lifeboat station named
busiest in country in 2012
Southend Pier
Southend Pier
Southend-on-Sea
| The Longest Pleasure Pier In The World
"Longest
Pleasure pier in the world"
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