EPW000791 ENGLAND (1920). Esplanade Station, Ryde, 1920

'The Royal Pier Hotel was built soon after the original pier, to serve its increasing trade and traffic. It stood on Pier Street opposite the bottom of Union Street for a hundred years, becoming a well-known local landmark. Its position across the end of the steep final section of Union Street created a difficult 90-degree turn for drivers. In 1930 a bus descending Union Street took the turn into Pier Street too fast and overturned, killing several passengers and pedestrians, and damaging the south front of the hotel. At the inquest, the Pier Hotel was found to be a hazard to drivers, and instead of being repaired its demolition was ordered. By 1931, the Pier Hotel and the entire range of buildings back to the end of St. Thomas's Street had been removed, and Pier Street itself ceased to exist, becoming part of the Esplanade.' Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryde_Pier

Ryde's railway pier. 'On 12 July 1880, a third pier was opened, alongside the first two, providing a direct steam railway link to the pier-head. It was severely damaged on 18 January 1881 when four ships, the Eclipse, Havelock, John Ward and Lucknow, were driven through it, destroying 200 feet (61 m) of the pier. The railway was part of the Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway (a company owned jointly by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and London and South Western Railway), as far as Ryde St John's Road, to connect with their ship services to Portsmouth. However, trains were run by the independent Isle of Wight Railway and Isle of Wight Central Railway, who owned the tracks beyond St John's Road and operated services to Ventnor and Cowes via Newport respectively.' Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryde_Pier

Ryde's tramway pier. 'A second 'tramway' pier was built next to the first, opening on 29 August 1864. Horse-drawn trams took passengers from the pier head to the esplanade. Before construction of the railway pier, the tramway continued to Ryde railway station at St John's Road. From 1886 to 1927 the trams were powered by electricity from a third rail, and from then until 1969 were petrol-powered.' Wikipedia: Ryde Pier - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryde_Pier

Ryde's original pier, opened 26th July 1814. This was Britain's and the World's first pier built for recreational and leisure purposes, and it remains the World's oldest pleasure pier in existence.