Clarence Pier

The pier was originally constructed and opened in 1861 by the Prince and Princess of Wales. It boasted a regular ferry service to the Isle of Wight. In 1874, the pier's management attempted to close public access to the beach between the pier and the Hot Walls in Old Portsmouth. This led to four days of rioting which became known as the Battle of Southsea. The pier's decking and landing stages were reconstructed in concrete in 1953–54. The work was carried out by Jno Croad Ltd of Portsmouth to the designs of L. G. Mouchel & Partners Ltd of London. The Lady Mayoress of Portsmouth, Mrs. Frank Miles, drove the first pile on the beach on 10 June 1953 and the pier reopened to the public in June…

A smaller building, perpendicular but not physically joined to the main pavilion houses another amusement arcade, named the "Clarence Pier". It was constructed for Portsmouth brewers Brickwoods Ltd in 1958 as the Seahorse Bars to replace an earlier public house of the same name that was bombed during World War II. It was designed by W. H. Saunders & Son and the brewery's staff architect, J. V. Nisbet. The public house, later operated by Whitbread, was renamed "Barnum's" in 1990 before being destroyed in a fire in 1993. During the building's refurbishment, the former pub was converted into 'Jurassic 3001', a futuristic dinosaur-themed dark ride, which opened in 1994. The ride's exterior…