Remember the name: Victoria Pier! The pier, unfortunately, appears to be missing from my records. I can only find information regarding the Queen’s Pier in Ramsey. That pier, like Victoria Pier, is a proud structure extending into the sea.
Queen’s Pier stretches 2,241 feet into the Irish Sea. It was built for the Isle of Man Harbour Board. The cost was around £40,752. That equates to about £4.3 million today. Head Wrightson of Stockton-on-Tees, England constructed it. Sir John Coode designed it. He later became president of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Construction on Queen’s Pier began in 1882. It officially opened on 22 July 1886. Bishop Rowley Hill of Sodor and Man performed the opening. But, it was already in use for about a year while being finished. The pier was intended as a landing stage. Steam Packet ships could pick up or discharge passengers when the tide was low. At low water spring tides, there was about 16 feet of water at the pier head. That was enough for ships of about 250 feet long to pick up passengers.
The builders installed a 3 ft tramway on Queen’s Pier. This helped transport building materials. The tramway was intended to be dismantled after completion. Sir John added passing loops and sidings. Passenger baggage could be moved easily. The only problem was that the luggage wagons had to be pushed by hand. In the 1900s, a passenger car was added. Passengers no longer had to walk the 2,160 ft. This was especially unpopular when windy and raining. As that also had to be pushed by hand, it was quicker to walk.
In the 1930s, a locomotive powered by a Ford engine was added. It travelled at just under 10 mph. In the 1950s, a Wickham railcar was added. It was powered by a Ford 52 hp engine. It could reach speeds of 20 mph. But, they never opened the throttle up. The brakes were inadequate. A turning loop in the promenade road was added. The tramway became 2,280 ft long. Originally, two hand-propelled carts carried luggage. Later, a Planet diesel locomotive and carriage operated. Later still, a railcar operated.
In 1970, the last steamer called at Queen’s Pier Head. It closed in June 1990. This was due to safety concerns. The rolling stock was removed to a small museum. The long-disused luggage cart remained on site. The Planet locomotive is preserved at Jurby Transport Museum.
In 2015, the Ramsey Queen’s Pier Restoration Trust started work. They worked with the Isle of Man Government to lease the pier. The harbour director offered the pier at a peppercorn rent to the trust. They began raising funds to restore the first 50 m section. In March 2016, campaigners hoped to have the keys to the pier. An initial three-year licence enabled repairs to the first three bays. This provided a better understanding of the whole project. On completion of this phase, a 99-year lease was granted. This allowed the remainder of the pier to be finished. It would be brought back into public use.
In May 2016, the gates of the 130-year-old pier were unlocked. It was the first time in 25 years. The government handed over the keys to the QPRT. Full restoration could cost around £1.5 million. The pier remained closed to the public. A QPRT spokesman said the next stage was a survey. A £60,000 project would restore the first of 55 bays. In July 2017, the QPRT signed a five-year lease. They plan to get the tramway up and running. This will happen when the pier refurbishment is completed.
The first three restored sections reopened in July 2021. It was the result of four years’ work by 20 QPRT volunteers. They hope to restore bays four to eight in Phase two. As part of the celebration, the tramway’s original Hibberd locomotive and bogie carriage were loaned back. In October 2021, the Trust received a £50,000 lottery grant. This enabled the restoration to begin.