Seaside holidays 6: walking on water - or above it
This is an oil painting of Folkestone’s Victoria Pier, by the artist Paul Fordyce Maitland (1863-1909).
The pier opened in 1888. It was a popular seaside attraction - a place to promenade and take the sea air.
It was 683 feet long, erected on elegant iron columns.
At the seaward end there was a pavilion. This could seat 800 people and hosted a wide variety of entertainments, from music concerts and theatrical performances to Punch and Judy shows.
On warm summer evenings there were sometimes concerts outside, under the glow of fairy lights.
The pier was also popular with local anglers.
Did you know?
The first international beauty contest is believed to have taken place here in 1908.
The pier was partly demolished to prevent invasion in 1940, suffered a serious fire in 1945 and was finally dismantled in 1954.
The Victoria pier hosted a popular dog show after World War 1. Here are some of the waggy contestants.
This photograph was taken in the early 1920s but you wouldn't guess that because of the clothes, especially the big hats!
This programme highlights pier entertainments in 1906.
They included classical concerts by the Blue Viennese Band, as well as Carl Harmon’s Punch and Judy Marionettes.