Southend-on-Sea is home to the world's longest pleasure pier, built in 1830 and stretching some 1.33 miles from shore.

A promenade was built along the seafront in 1903 and a pleasure pier opened in 1905.

The pleasure piers were a cheap form of entertainment that got cheaper, attracting a coarser crowd.

The pleasure pier was the resorts' answer, permitting holiday makers to promenade over and alongside the sea at all times.

In their heyday, there were many pleasure piers across England and Wales.

In Blankenberge a first pleasure pier was built in 1894.

Bouch also seems to have been involved in the design of pleasure piers.

A number of boat trips leave from the pleasure pier.

Fires on wooden pleasure piers had always been - and continue to be - something of an occupational hazard.

The British pleasure piers are incredible things, unlike anything anywhere else in the world.