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businessmen approach Birch to build the first screw-pile pier in
Britain. In its design and construction, he brought two innovations: firstly, stylistic innovations directly influenced by his travels, and secondly, the adoption of screw blade added to iron piles making for a deeper and far more
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On his return to
England from India, Birch brought his global experiences to bear on the developing English fascination with seaside holidays, specifically the construction of piers. With the railways now allowing easy and cheap access to the seaside, and the known health benefits of clean air,
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In 1842 Birch married
Margaret Gent, the daughter of a silk manufacturer from Cheshire. She was the sister-in-law of Birch's sister. The couple had no children, but Birch had two children, Eugene (born 1879) and Ethel (born 1881), with his wife's niece, Marion Morris.
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First iron pier. Also known as
Margate Jetty. Hit by storm-driven ship 1 January 1877. Hit by storm 11 January 1978. The wrecked pier remained for several years, surviving several attempts to blow it up, before final demolition though part of pier head remains.
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Major sections collapsed in late 2002, and two fires in March and May 2003 left little of the original structure. Structured demolition took place in 2010 to make way for the observation tower i360; further structural damage from storms has occurred since.
297:. On top of this he designed the piled Royal Netley Hospital pier. His effect on pier construction techniques can be measured in the fact that, from 1862 to 1872, 18 new pleasure piers were built, the majority using screw piling. His last pier was at
227:, becoming a Member on 5 May 1863. In 1845 he formed a general design engineering partnership with his brother, John Brannis Birch, which worked across various projects including railways (such as the
290:, which survived storms and two world wars until it was destroyed by a storm in January 1978. The pier's foundations survive to this day, despite direct attempts at demolition.
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Grade II*-listed. The pier's arcade building, called the Blue Room, was destroyed in a fire in 2014. However, the pier continues to attract healthy numbers of visitors.
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company. His innovation, to place the wheels beneath the carriage as opposed to the side, thus freeing more room for the passengers was adopted by the railway.
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businessmen in coastal towns were competing against each other to create the longest and most ornate piers to attract the greatest number of tourists.
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Hit by ship 1940, destroying 200 feet of ironwork. Demolished by the army. Final demolition 1954. Replaced by a concrete pier, which opened in 1957.
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180:. Fascinated by engineering from a young age, he would often visit major engineering works being built in north London (such as the
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Grade II*-listed. No successful regeneration attempts have been made, so the pier continues to be in an extremely poor condition.
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The
Margate pier led to a series of new commissions, which eventually ran to 14 piers in total, the most famous of which is the
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close to the grave of his brother John
Braniss. Eugenius's grave (plot no.25915) has no headstone or identifiable memorial.
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As a result of the success in getting his idea adopted at aged 16 he was able to join Messrs. Bligh’s engineering works in
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Both
Eugenius and his elder brother, John Brannis (1813-1862), were born in Gloucester Terrace (later Pitfield Street),
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during a tour taken during the winter of 1874–75. He died on the 8th
January, 1884 and is buried on the west side of
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In
October 1903, sliced in two by drifting barges and repaired. The pavilion destroyed by fire in 1927.
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176:, London to architect and surveyor John and his wife, Susanne. He attended schools in Brighton and at
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Pier head rebuilt in concrete in 1960, followed by the neck in 1979. Pier zip-line built in 2014.
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Grade II listed. Following storm damage, the pier is currently a third of its original length.
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Later in his life, particularly during his travels, Birch produced numerous
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for his drawing of a marine steam engine, and the following year a Silver
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Destroyed by storms in 1905. Entrance building remained until 1914.
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Grade II-listed. The oldest remaining example of a Birch pier.
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resilient base support. The result was a stylish and resilient
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for his drawings and description of
Huddert’s rope machinery.
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212:. In 1837, aged 19, he received a silver Isis Medal from the
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Re-opened in 2016 following a major restoration project.
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On 19 February 1839, Birch was elected a Graduate of the
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148:(20 June 1818 – 8 January 1884) was a 19th-century
184:). While still a boy he submitted a design for a
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657:Demolished 1953 following WWII bombing in 1940.
269:, the oldest operational aquarium in the world.
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483:Closed 1938. Demolished March/April 1960
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817:. manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk
717:. eastlondonhistory.com. 28 June 2008
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678:"Eugenius Birch (1818-1884) Obituary"
141:, designed in 1870 by Eugenius Birch.
301:, opened in the year he died, 1884.
265:harbour, West Surrey waterworks and
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766:Jonathan Glancey (11 March 2002).
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885:19th-century English architects
160:and noted builder of promenade-
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225:Institution of Civil Engineers
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880:Burials at Highgate Cemetery
190:London and Greenwich Railway
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596:R Laidlaw and Son, Glasgow
480:R Laidlaw and Son, Glasgow
461:R Laidlaw and Son, Glasgow
441:R Laidlaw and Son, Glasgow
418:R Laidlaw and Son, Glasgow
60:London, England (buried in
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741:SEA LIFE Brighton Aquarium
737:"About Us and Our History"
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768:"A blot on the seascape"
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865:English civil engineers
577:J E Dowson and another
860:Architects from London
855:People from Shoreditch
570:Scarborough North Pier
492:Aberystwyth Royal Pier
464:Final demolition 1954
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793:"West Pier, Brighton"
411:North Pier, Blackpool
332:watercolour paintings
316:(the radio sequel to
250:He also designed the
208:at the request of Dr
137:The Grade II*-listed
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840:Bio at structurae.de
281:In 1853, a group of
206:Mechanics' Institute
182:Primrose Hill Tunnel
44:, Middlesex, England
295:West Pier, Brighton
229:East Indian Railway
114:East Indian Railway
186:passenger carriage
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564:Demolished 1977.
551:New Brighton Pier
533:Weston-super-Mare
348:Highgate Cemetery
267:Brighton Aquarium
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815:"Eugenius Birch"
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511:Eastbourne Pier
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210:George Birkbeck
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123:Promenade piers
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363:List of piers
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821:13 September
819:. Retrieved
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772:The Guardian
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744:. Retrieved
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719:. Retrieved
682:. Retrieved
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608:Hornsea Pier
561:Closed 1972
542:Closed 1994
444:Closed 1975
401:Closed 1976
388:Margate Pier
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288:Margate Pier
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55:(1884-01-08)
38:20 June 1818
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875:1884 deaths
870:1818 births
473:Lytham Pier
376:Contractor
306:BBC Radio 2
70:Nationality
849:Categories
664:References
558:JE Dowson
499:JE Dowson
326:Later life
319:Dad's Army
263:Ilfracombe
247:bridges).
174:Shoreditch
78:Occupation
42:Shoreditch
34:1818-06-20
454:Deal Pier
430:West Pier
382:Comments
370:Location
245:Stockwith
202:Limehouse
168:Biography
154:architect
100:Buildings
81:Architect
644:Plymouth
593:1869–72
574:1866–69
515:1866–72
477:1864–65
438:1863–66
434:Brighton
415:1862–63
396:1855–57
299:Plymouth
233:Calcutta
152:seaside
110:Projects
746:27 June
392:Margate
379:Status
304:In the
283:Margate
256:Exmouth
188:to the
150:English
73:British
799:31 May
777:31 May
721:31 May
373:Built
309:sitcom
241:Kelham
196:Career
120:Design
86:Awards
684:4 May
649:1884
646:Pier
635:Open
630:1880
612:1880
599:Open
555:1867
537:1867
520:Open
502:Open
496:1865
458:1864
421:Open
344:Nubia
340:Egypt
336:Italy
273:Piers
259:docks
237:Delhi
231:from
162:piers
823:2023
801:2010
779:2010
748:2022
723:2010
686:2016
342:and
243:and
50:Died
28:Born
235:to
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32:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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