Penarth Pier is a fine structure, located in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The pier has a rich history dating back to the Victorian era when it was built. The pier is an iconic landmark in the town of Penarth and has undergone numerous renovations over the years to ensure it remains a popular tourist attraction. 

In 2022 Softwashing UK were contracted by Vale of Glamorgan Council to clean and restore the pier. As a listed building and tourist attraction there are logistical and conservation challenges to a project like this. And as the pier is built over the sea it was vital that the pier was cleaned sensitively, to avoid any possibility of marine contamination. 

At Softwashing UK we love local history too- here is a little bit about the history of the pier – it was with all this in mind we are delighted to win the contract for this project!

A Brief History of Penarth Pier

Construction of Penarth Pier began in 1894 and was completed in 1895. The pier was designed by HF Edwards and was built at a cost of £8,000. The pier was only 658 feet long, around 200m, but it was feared that making it longer would obstruct the deep water channel access to nearby Cardiff Docks. The pier was built to provide an access point for passenger steamers traveling from Bristol and other nearby ports.

In its early years, Penarth Pier proved popular and was a bustling hub of activity, and in 1907 a wooden theatre was built on the end of the pier.

During the first world war the pleasure steamers coming and going from the pier were used to sweep mines. The pier was requisitioned by the British army. During this time it became damaged and fell into a state of disrepair as there were not sufficient public funds to mend the landing stage. In 1929 the pier was sold to Penarth Borough Council who repaired the landing stage and also built the concrete Art Deco pavilion on the shoreward end. 

Over the decades the pier was damaged by several shipping accidents and went into a period of decline, so in the 1990s funds were raised to repair and renovate the pier. The substructure was repaired at a cost of £650K, and over 2.5 million was raised in order to fully restore the pier- which formally reopened in 1998.

How Softwashing UK cleaned Penarth Pier

Penarth Pier was cleaned using the Doff Steam Cleaning system. This cleaning method is ideal for sensitive restoration projects like cleaning Penarth Pier. It uses steam at tightly controlled temperatures to remove dirt and other pollutants. In this way no chemical other than H2o is used to bring about the desired finish. Steam by itself however will not remove organic growth, such as algae that causes substrate discolouration. Sadly most biocides that will kill organic growth and remove the staining are also harmful to marine life. So to safely and sensitively restore Penarth Pier we had to select a chemical that poses no risk. Softwashing UK used an organic cleaning solution that will kill algae at its root system, but as it is derived only from fruits it poses no risk to marine and animal life. This solution was applied by roller to diminish any chance of substance run-off.

What were the results like?

Vale of Glamorgan Council were delighted with the results – and you can see for yourself on the video just how great Penarth Pier looked after a treatment from Softwashing UK.