Pleasure piers are a peculiarity of England, the country most known for the tradition of building a pier out into the sea for a walk and some entertainment. There were at one time over one hundred. Now, according to Wikipedia there are 47 left to visit.
North America has its share of well known pleasure piers, even if fewer. I think Santa Monica Pier and Coney Island are most well known, but the only one I have ever visited is Chicago's Navy Pier.
Canada's most famous pier is Pier 21, which now houses the Canadian Immigration Museum, which is appropriate since it functioned as an immigration shed, much like Ellis Island was to the United States. Initially these piers were built for function, but it seems that the Chicago World Fair of 1893 was the beginning of its use of a pier to add culture to the city, known as the Beautiful City Movement. This was used to attract tourism, and the World Fair had visitors that numbered half the American population at the time.
I was reminded of these points to visit in a series Escape to the Country I was introduced to by a friend, to tour England without purchasing a plane ticket! Episode 10 from 2014 visited Norfolk's Cromer Pier, which houses a theatre. It's a great program that showcases the coastal regions of the U.K. It's both a real estate show and a travel guide. What a fun trip to more places than I am ever likely to visit. Subscribe to Elton Bennett's exhaustive list, and your can watch 216 videos in order!
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