This is an oil painting of Folkestone’s Victoria Pier by the artist Paul Fordyce Maitland (1863-1909). The pier, which opened in 1888 was a popular seaside attraction, and a place to promenade and take the sea air. It was 683 feet long, and erected on elegant iron columns. It included a pavilion at the seaward end which could seat 800 and hosted a wide variety of entertainments, from music concerts and theatrical performances to Punch and Judy shows. On warm summer evenings concerts were sometimes performed outside, under the glow of fairy lights. It was also popular with local anglers. The first international beauty contest is believed to have taken place here in 1908. It also hosted a popular dog show in the 1920s. The pier was partly demolished to prevent invasion in 1940, suffered a serious fire in 1945 and was finally dismantled in 1954.
