At the entrance to Birnbeck Pier, a sign reads 'Death lies this way' which, if you ask me, sounds more like a challenge than a warning. Crumbling buildings, splintered wood, and tufts of grass sprouting from cracked concrete. It's everything I love in a setting, which is why my current work in progress is set on a derelict pier inspired by Birnbeck.
The only UK pier linking an island to the mainland, Birnbeck Pier started out as a Victorian theme park complete with water slides and steamship service. Closed in the 1970s, Birnbeck Pier is now an eerie wasteland.
The image below is from a BBC article featuring some recent haunting images of the abandoned pier.
And this is a postcard from 1907 showing the pier in its heyday. Check out those fairground rides in the background. I found this image on the Friends of the Old Pier Society website - a non-profit organisation working to save Birnbeck pier.
And here's some drone footage taken by Jon Avery, complete with sinister soundtrack.
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