I FEEL that I have to reply to the gentleman from Burley, who submitted the article “Should shed on legs be replaced”. I object to the description of the buildings as a shed.
When the buildings on the pier were being designed in the 1950s, Bournemouth Corporation employed the services of Miss Elizabeth Scott to head up their own architect’s team.
She had been responsible for the original Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon and other major projects. Her scheme for the pier was to give the impression of a ship heading out to sea.
Limitations on the load carrying capacity of the existing pier structure meant that light-weight claddings and building materials had to be utilised.
The fact that the buildings have survived for more than 50 years, bear witness to the effectiveness of her design. These limitations also restricted the choice available in the architectural appearance of the buildings.
Practically every photograph of Bournemouth sea front and every television coverage, include the pier and its buildings as a backdrop. If it were such an eyesore, I doubt if this would be the case.
I have a vested interest in the continued existence of these features.
As the technical director of a local structural engineering company, I designed the structures for the buildings.
D.E. GOLLINS, High Trees Walk, Ferndown
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