A hundred years of history alongside the water as Fleetwood Pier turned into a pile of smoldering, sodden ashes. Recently, London is putting out pier fires all too often. The latest wooden pier Fleetwood, was a shuttered landmark last year and a beacon to homeless seeking shelter. What is interesting is though the dilapidated pier is immediately recognizable, the fire burned from front to back leaving homes onshore safe. It was a historic eyesore, yet completely part of the landscape through the twentieth century where the London pier was a crown jewel of the community until Blackpool upstaged it with flashier tourist trappings and bigger name stars with local real estate interests.
Funny how a piece of history burns up in a blaze of flaming toothpick glory requiring over 90 firefighters, untold liters of water and in full view of all of its residents while wringing their hands ensues a dawning realization that it was something of the resort community's heritage to preserve. Nevermind, local teens trashed it in recent times and less fortunate people used it as a rough hotel to get out of the elements. What was the cost of the all out firefighting effort versus preservation of the pier, who knows, as Lancashire went into a deep decline with the increased scarcity of fish off its shores. Eighteen months ago, the pier had been up for auction for a million pounds with helium hopes of enticing real estate developers to put pricey homes on the docks. Now its all part of a police investigation into the fire's cause.

Built in 1906, Fleetwood Pier was the last such structure to arise out of the 'golden age' of pier building between 1860 - 1910.

With a promenade deck, a jetty stretching 600 foot (182 metres) and an
oriental-style pavilion, the pier was opened to the public in 1911.

A major fire gutted the structure in 1952, which was rebuilt a year later and continued to generate profit throughout the declining years of the seaside resort.

Another pier of historical value had a fiery send up within the last six weeks. Nothing but rubble was left of the prize winning 104 year old Weston-super-Mare's pavilion. It was privately held though a known grade II listed building on the English heritage list,cementing its merit as a national landmark. It is not everywhere in the world one finds donkeys on the beach. That followed the devastating loss of cultural parts of Camden Canal Market on Chalk Farm Road where the pre-hip shop in February 2008. One too many suspicious fires of landmarks...