Mayor uncovers unknown family connection to pier

John Crockford-Hawley said the discovery is "quite moving"

A town mayor looking for relatives of a boy who helped open a historic pier 160 years ago has called off his search, after finding out it is him.

John Crockford-Hawley, Weston-super-Mare's mayor, learnt of the discovery ahead of the announcement of a £10m package to save Birnbeck Pier from collapsing.

He said he is the cousin of Cecil Smith-Piggott, the four-year-old son of the lord of the manor who laid the pier's foundation stone using a ceremonial trowel.

Mr Crockford-Hawley said the discovery is "both moving and humbling really".

The National Lottery Heritage Fund announced on Monday it has given North Somerset Council £10m towards reopening the Victorian landmark to the public.

The Grade II listed pier has been in disrepair for 20 years after being privately owned, before being sold to the council, and restoration work is currently under way.

'Quite moving'

Mr Crockford-Hawley said: "I'm a Weston person, I'm very much involved in Weston history.

"To find I've got an even deeper involvement with a person and with this very thing he held all these years ago that I'm holding today, it's quite moving really."

He told how he came to find out he is a relative.

"We thought it would be a nice idea if we could find a relative of the squire's son, and a week ago somebody came to me and said: 'I've found a relative, he lives in Weston," said Mr Crockford-Hawley.

"I said, 'who is it?' and he said: 'It's you, you're his cousin.'

"So here I am, holding cousin Cecil's trowel."

Birnbeck Pier has been closed to the public for 20 years

The project to reopen the pier, which is on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register, is expected to be completed by Autumn 2027.

The money, which has been funded by National Lottery players, will mean more listed buildings on the pier and island can be restored, and a new RNLI lifeboat station can be built.

Mr Crockford-Hawley said the pier would "have collapsed into the sea" without the funding".

"You look at it [the pier] each winter a bit more falls off," he said.

The pier is on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register

"You begin to become a bit more despondent. But out of despondency the rays of hope have arisen.

"There is a very real need. The lifeboat must come back here. This is the only suitable place in this part of the channel for the lifeboat. It's a particular need, not just a romantic, historic liking for the past."

He added: "The critical issue is how we find an income generating purpose for its future, that's going to be a real challenge.

"That's not something we can skirt over."