On Wednesday 11 January 1978, a northerly severe gale and storm surge brought disaster to Skegness Pier, along with other piers at Margate, Herne Bay and Hunstanton, causing irretrievable damage.
The pier decking from the main entrance was reduced in length to 127 yards (116 m), with the eastern shelters and the pierhead with its theatre isolated from the shoreline.
Late in 1978, a plan to link the isolated pierhead by monorail and build a new 1200 seater theatre collapsed when an application for financial assistance was turned down.
Debris from the wrecked pier was scattered for several miles around with souvenir hunters coming into the area to see what they could find.

For several years following the storm, the isolated structures remained as features on Skegness beach whilst plans to repair the pier and relink the structures were sought.
Proposals to reconnect the pier ultimately failed due to high costs and in 1983, the eastern shelters were dismantled and demolished.

By 1985, the isolated pierhead was now derelict and was earmarked to be demolished, given the building was falling into a state of disrepair as the upper deck of the structure had been badly damaged following the 1978 storm, although it had become a roosting place for starlings.
It was considered a risk to small shipping and also to the public.
Due to its Grade II listed classification, special permission was granted to dismantle the pierhead in stages starting from October 1985, until a fire gutted the building.
After the fire burned itself out, only the cast-iron stanchions were left and these were removed in January 1986.

A year later in October 1987, high storm tides caused damage to the then-modern extensions that had been built throughout the 1980s, with securing of the pier's understructure needing to be undertaken before the following spring season.
By the end of the 1990s, most of the extensions had been removed, revealing the Victorian pier framework.
A variety bar in the entertainment centre was replaced by the bowling centre in 1992.
On Wednesday 11 January 1978, a northerly severe gale and storm surge brought disaster to Skegness Pier, along with other piers at Margate, Herne Bay and Hunstanton, causing irretrievable damage. The pier decking from the main entrance was reduced in length to 127 yards (116 m), with the eastern shelters and the pierhead with its theatre isolated from the shoreline. Late in 1978, a plan to link the isolated pierhead by monorail and build a new 1200 seater theatre collapsed when an application for financial assistance was turned down. Debris from the wrecked pier was scattered for several miles around with souvenir hunters coming into the area to see what they could find.
For several years following the storm, the isolated structures remained as features on Skegness beach whilst plans to repair the pier and relink the structures were sought. Proposals to reconnect the pier ultimately failed due to high costs and in 1983, the eastern shelters were dismantled and demolished.
By 1985, the isolated pierhead was now derelict and was earmarked to be demolished, given the building was falling into a state of disrepair as the upper deck of the structure had been badly damaged following the 1978 storm, although it had become a roosting place for starlings. It was considered a risk to small shipping and also to the public. Due to its Grade II listed classification, special permission was granted to dismantle the pierhead in stages starting from October 1985, until a fire gutted the building. After the fire burned itself out, only the cast-iron stanchions were left and these were removed in January 1986.
A year later in October 1987, high storm tides caused damage to the then-modern extensions that had been built throughout the 1980s, with securing of the pier's understructure needing to be undertaken before the following spring season. By the end of the 1990s, most of the extensions had been removed, revealing the Victorian pier framework. A variety bar in the entertainment centre was replaced by the bowling centre in 1992.
Skegness Pier