A Tale of Three Piers
Actor Timothy West joins Helen Mark to welcome the paddle steamer docking at Clevedon pier. Helen then travels to Weston-super-Mare to visit two others with contrasting fortunes.
Helen Mark takes a day at the seaside to visit the romance of piers. They have been hailed as great examples of Victorian architecture but the cost of maintenance and repair from weather damage or fire can run into millions. She visits Weston-super-Mare in Somerset where the now hi-tech restored Grand Pier overlooks the damaged remains of Birnbeck. Actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales join her in Clevedon to visit the 'pier of the year' which was once only a vote away from demolition. It was described by Sir John Betjeman as 'delicate as a Japanese print in the mist' but it may have a fragile future. They welcome the paddle steamer Waverley as it docks - revisiting memories of Timothy's childhood holidays.
Produced in Bristol by Anne-Marie Bullock.
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Clip
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Timothy West's love of Clevedon Pier
Duration: 02:21
Broadcasts
- Thu 4 Jul 2013 15:00成人快手 Radio 4
- Sat 6 Jul 2013 06:07成人快手 Radio 4
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Open Country
Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of Britain