Situated on the western side of Torquay's outer harbour, Princess Pier was constructed around 1890 as a simple mass concrete groyne. In 1894 a steele lattice and timber structure was added, followed by a landing stage on the seaward side of the pier head in 1906.
Around the begining of the 1920's an entertainments center was built on the end of the wooden section of the pier, but in 1974 the "Islander" as it was called then, was destroyed by a fire and was demolished down to deck level, and a sheltered "promenade" was built leaving the wider end section uncovered. The pier was hit again by fire in 2002 when vandals set fire to a section of the shelter that ran down the center of the pier. A considerable length of the shelter was severely damaged in the fire, which led to the removal of the entire shelter, leaving the pier as you see it today, sadly decaying timbers on the wider section of the pier has resulted in parts being cordoned off for safety reasons, and whilst thousands of pounds have been spent replacing timbers on other parts of the pier these seem to be being neglected, shame really.
Please note there is no need to go under the wooden section of the pier so please DO NOT climb over the railings. The utmost stealth will be required, especially during the summer months. Please replace as found.