Sunderland’s Roker Pier has been named as one of the best piers on the planet.
Readers of The Guardian newspaper recently voted for the world’s top ten piers and Roker Pier was among those chosen.
The Guardian article says, “This newly refurbished pier is a gem.”
“Recently it has undergone restoration so that you can now explore its tunnel, hidden within the pier itself, which runs to the lighthouse at the end. Where else do you get to go inside a pier structure?”
“The views from the lighthouse are superb. And there is excellent fish and chips at the entrance to the pier.”
Other piers to make The Guardian’s top ten included structures in California, Canada, Cuba, Australia, Portugal, Thailand and Somerset.
The leader of Sunderland City Council, Graeme Miller, said, “It’s fantastic to see Roker Pier being named as one of the world’s best piers, especially in the week after it opened up to tours for the first time in its history.”
“We always knew it was one of the best, but it’s fantastic to see it up there with some of the most beautiful piers in the world.”
Roker Pier and Lighthouse – which is a grade-II listed structure – opened to public tours last week after restoration work costing £2.5 million. The cost of the work was borne by Sunderland City Council, with contributions from the National Lottery.
The pier’s tunnel was once the only way keepers could get to the lighthouse in stormy weather. Thanks to the construction of a new entrance and staircase, the tunnel can now be accessed by members of the public.
The tours – run by local volunteers the Roker Heritage Group – proved such a hit in their first week that demand caused the group’s website to crash.
To learn more about Roker Pier and Lighthouse, or to book a tour, please go to www.rokerpier.co.uk.
To read the full Guardian article on the world’s top ten piers, please visit https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/aug/23/10-best-piers-readers-travel-tips.
