Neck Or Entrance Building At Boscombe Pier

The neck or entrance building at Boscombe Pier was constructed between 1958 and 1960 by the Bournemouth Borough Engineer's Department. It's built of reinforced concrete encased in rough natural stone, with piers and corner features on the beach supporting a concrete slab at roadway level. The building has a boomerang shape, featuring two kiosks on either side of the pier entrance, with toilets behind and shelters at each end. A sweeping, oversailing concrete roof is supported by tapered piers. Full-height timber glazed canopies with square panes are positioned at either end. The beach-facing elevation of the kiosks is faced with blue tiles, while the front uses cream tiles to define boundaries between the units. Staff access the kiosks from the sides, with a three-bay sales desk facing the road, featuring timber surrounds and soffit panels under a narrow horizontal fascia; three of these retain original lettering from around 1960. A recessed fascia and flashgap highlight the underside of the roof’s sweep, which incorporates square lights. A steel fence and double gates lead onto the pier, with porters’ lodges located between angled concrete spars, sheltered by wavy, thin slab roofs. Lavatories from around 1960 also share similar lettering and tiling at their entrances, being accessible from both the pier and the roadway.

Boscombe pier was originally built in 1888 and later remodelled in 1927-8 and to repair damage sustained during wartime. The building’s design is notable for its verve and demonstrates the revitalization of British seaside resorts in the 1950s. Its contemporary style reflects influences from Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian houses and popular Californian homes of the 1940s, emphasizing the expression of different elements and materials. The cantilevered, boomerang-shaped roof is a particularly striking feature.