Bangor: Celebrating one of Wales' oldest and longest piers

Bangor's Garth Pier is the second longest in Wales, after Llandudno

It has survived deterioration, the threat of demolition and even being hit by a ship, but remains one of Wales' oldest piers.

Now a new exhibition has opened celebrating 125 years since the construction of Bangor's Garth Pier.

The Grade-II listed structure is the second longest pier in Wales, stretching to 1,500 ft (457m).

"It's very important to the people of Bangor," said Avril Wayte, chairwoman of Friends of Bangor Garth Pier.

Since 1896, the pier has stretched into the Menai Strait toward Anglesey.

It is owned and maintained by Bangor council, who bought the pier for 1p in 1975 when it was threatened with demolition following years of deterioration.

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A £1million restoration programme to restore parts of the structure has recently completed which, volunteers hope, will see it stand for another 125 years.

Now an exhibition in the Bangor gallery Storiel follows the trials and tribulations of the pier, including being "cut in half" when struck by the Christiana cargo steamer in 1914.

Volunteers such as Avril Wayte hope the strcture's future is as long as the pier itself

"This exhibition is to celebrate the whole lifetime of the pier and all the things that happened," said Ms Wayte.

"There also used to be a ferry running from here to Beaumaris so it shows the history and what happened. It's very important to the people of Bangor."

As well as artefacts from different periods, the exhibition includes a short film of personal stories from local people.

Designed by JJ Webster, the pier is home to shops and cafes, and attracts more than 500 visitors every day in the summer.

Crowds flocked to the pier as it was re-opened in 1988

"It's a great asset to Bangor and it's surprising how many people don't know it is here," said volunteer Alun Davies.

"But when they come once, the come back many, many times. It's got very special memories for me."

The exhibition runs until 4 June.

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