Restoration of Pier-Dock of Clevedon. An Example of Involvement of Society in Defense of the Cultural Heritage

Abstract

The city of Clevedon, located on the coast of the Bristol Canal, in the south-west of England, is a town that still keeps most of its traditional buildings and, those include, the pier-dock of Clevedon, which is considered nowadays the most beautiful and important example of British pier of the twentieth century that still remains standing. In the year 1970, the local council decided to repair the pier as a local attraction but due to an inadequate load test, a porch of the dock collapsed and the pier remained closed for years until, finally, the city council decided to tear it down. The massive popular response in favor of conservation, transcended the national press, and the British administration on heritage itself, which regarded him as a protected building “Grade I” Monument of Exceptional Interest and forbade its demolition. A reconstruction project of the pier was presented in 1980 and in 1992 the works were completed. The renovated pier opened with a popular party attended by the people of Clevedon dressed in Victorian costumes in an act that symbolized the triumph of perseverance in the service of conservation of a building with historical and cultural interest that today looks at its splendor and is a model for action in defense of industrial architectural heritage.