PETER Sykes of Swanage commented on the Boscombe East photograph sent in by Roberta Beattie and printed on September 25.

He said the picture shows Boscombe Pier at an interesting stage of its history but was unable to ascertain the date.

The original Boscombe Pier Company was formed in 1886 with the hope to emulate the success of neighbouring Bournemouth Pier. Two years later a £3,800 building contract was awarded and the installation was overseen by Lady Jane Shelley of Boscombe Manor.

The pier metalwork was cast by the Waterloo Iron Foundry of Edward Howell & Co Ltd in Poole. The wrought iron girder frame had a number of 39 ft spans carrying timber decking which was about 13 ft wide. The pier head was 120 ft long with a landing stage on each side where excursion steamers called. At the entrance were two toll houses with turnstiles.

The architect was James Stuart Campbell McEwan-Brown and the pier was opened by the eighth Duke of Argyll in 1889.

However the pier was not successful and in 1904 Bournemouth Council took it over and erected buildings on the pier head and at the entrance as seen in the photograph. In 1924/5 and 1927 the pier head was renewed in high alumina concrete and the neck was reconstructed using reinforced concrete in the late 1950s.

In 1940 the pier was breached for defence reasons, as were all other South coast piers. It did not then re-open to boats for a further 20 years, and only then after complete reconstruction in reinforced concrete. The pier fully re-opened in 1962.

The borough architect, John Burton, designed the 1950s style entrance building which was Grade II listed in 2004.