Paignton Pier

The pier was opened in June 1879 and enlarged in 1881.

The Victorian entertainers Lily Langtree and Dan Leno, both big names in their day, performed there.

Paddle steamers travelling between Torquay and Brixham called in.

A fire in 1919 destroyed the pavilion where the performances were staged.

The pier was sectioned in 1940 to deter unwanted Germans, but eventually repaired a few years after the war.

It was renamed Roxham Pier for Michael Winner’s 1964 film The System, staring Oliver Reed as a photographer on the make with girls in a seaside town.