Discovering Southwold

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I’m Stephen Bournes the new owner of Southwold Pier.  I’ve been here since March 17th and it’s been great fun.  When it was brought to my attention that the pier was up for sale by Chris Iredale the previous owner, it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.  I feel I’m extremely lucky, it’s a fantastic site.  He’s done a tremendous job in the actual structure of the pier and it took a lot of commitment and foresight of a man like Chris to do it and I’ve got great admiration for Chris. 

I’ve a catering background in hotels and outside catering and things like this and for me it has a diverse area of catering from the very basic burger up to local smoked salmon and things like this. 

It’s a joy to come to.  Every day I’m here about 7am and whatever the weather it’s fantastic and there’s something very therapeutic about being on the sea and eating over the sea and drinking over the sea.

My aim is just to re-structure as it’s got so popular over the last five years.  It needs de-congesting, re-structuring and bringing up to the style of Southwold.  It’s a fabulous site.

The great attraction firstly is to sit outside and eat and drink, in a sense it may not be Mediterranean water but at the moment, today it is.  Hand made slot machines, I’ve just been talking to Tim Hunkin.  Wonderful British imagination in the way he creates these machines. 

We’re just creating a new eating area next to the clock.  We’re going to call it the Clock House and hopefully get one of his new creations of six foot clock dials in there. 

A great chance to see and experience what Southwold, Suffolk, Norfolk have to offer.  Quality memories and security.  You can get married at the end of the pier or upstairs in the big ballroom.  The end of the pier we’re planning to re-furbish in January and highlight that because you can lock the pier off and have canapés and champagne, or whatever in whatever weather, because we’re going to put heating in and upgrade it all and make it an all-year thing.

The pier is a bonus.  I see it as a national heritage site in a sense and it’s been acclaimed as a leader of piers.  We’re very lucky in the architecture and the engineering to have this here.  And as a family seaside area it’s an extremely good balance.  I have 8 and 10 year-olds, William and Benedict and I can sit here outside and know this area is secure and when you’re coming on holiday you want that security and I’m going to great lengths in talking to the council about the road system out the front and general pedestrianisation and things like that.

I think the plaques started just by chance with Chris and Helen because they thought it would be a nice idea to have names on there that people could come and read so it’s a tremendous thing  that will go on forever.  It’s a bit like, if you saw the film Harold and Maud, where they make this thing and throw it into the sea sort of thing.  It’s just something that’s always there and whether it’s your dog or your granny or your new son, or whatever.