Southsea's two piers: 5 things you didn't know

Southsea's piers have played host to a rock star, an army and a comic genius. David Bowie played South Parade Pier on 4 March 1972, the 12th date of the Ziggy Stardust Tour, in the Gaiety Lounge Show Bar, with Bridget St John in support. That is the best known story, but here are five more worth telling about the two piers, South Parade and Clarence.

Bowie at the pier

The Bowie Bible lists the gig, and the pier's own history page describes a full performance "in all the Ziggy regalia". We have not given attendance or the fee, because the pier's page was the only source for the fee and a newspaper figure could not be checked. A Portsmouth News headline also covers the story, though we could only see it in search.

The fire of 1904

South Parade Pier's pavilion was destroyed by fire on 19 July 1904. Portsmouth Corporation bought the pier (the sum given is £10,782, under a 1907 order) and it reopened on 12 August 1908. The rebuilt pier was 600 feet long, designed by G E Smith, with a 1,200-seat theatre. The details come from Wikipedia, the National Piers Society and the pier's own history page.

D-Day embarkation

The D-Day Story says that both before and after D-Day, large numbers of troops embarked onto landing craft at South Parade Pier, and that temporary piers were built from scaffolding alongside it. The pier's own history confirms its wartime requisition and the scaffolding piers. We have not repeated a claim about a famous general standing on it, because the only source for that was the pier's own page.

Mr Bean at Clarence Pier

Wikipedia says the Mr. Bean episode "Mind the Baby, Mr. Bean", first aired on 25 April 1994, was filmed entirely on location at Clarence Pier, and IMDb lists the pier for the funfair scenes. South Parade Pier also appears in a short scene, but the funfair episode belongs to Clarence.

A pier that opened twice

Clarence Pier opened on 1 June 1861, according to the National Piers Society, with Wikipedia and Portsmouth Museum agreeing on 1861 and on its being opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Bombing destroyed it on 10 January 1941. A new pier with a 60-foot tower re-opened on 1 June 1961, exactly 100 years to the day, with the Lord Mayor doing the honours, says Wikipedia.

A film set in 2024

Wikipedia says location filming for the film Project Hail Mary took place at South Parade Pier in October 2024, and the film was released in March 2026. One blog suggests the pier sequence may have been cut, so we claim only that scenes were shot there.

What we left out

We skipped some pier stories because the sources disagreed: the pier's own site and Wikipedia and the National Piers Society give different original lengths, and accounts differ on how bad the 1966 theatre fire was. We also left out a few Southsea stories that belong elsewhere.

Visiting

Both piers are on Southsea seafront. We have not checked current opening times, so check before you go.

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