A visit to Grand Pier, Weston-Super-Mare

[shaunholley]

Following my visit to Timewarp we stopped in Weston-Super-Mare for the evening and I took these photos of the vids at the end of the Grand Pier. I just got in about 15 minutes before it closed, hence it was almost empty.

There were no classics, except 2 LCD'ed Space Invaders cabs. There were more 90s machines around than I expected though. The new games like Transformers lure you in with flashy graphics and instant feel-good game play, yet they lack the depth and slow-burn addictiveness of our retro faves, in my opinion.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/148558993@N02/shares/dgN808/

 

[big10p]

Pity about the SI cabs being LCD'd, but at least they've been given floor space in what must be a really busy arcade, during the summer season.

 

[GamesRoomMaker]

what was the pacman thing all about?

 

[aeroflott]

Cool. I was just telling Shaun on Twitter, that in the 80s, we used to scour the beach underneath the pier for 10p pieces, as punters would drop them on the floor through the old boards and onto the sand underneath.

It was a very different place before the fire and rebuild. Heaving with nothing but classics between 1980 and 1985.

Interesting to see those LCD SI cabs. Never seen anything like that in a commercial environment before.

 

[shaunholley]

what was the pacman thing all about?

That's Pac-Man Battle Royale. A 4 player thing that's a fun party game.

@Tony - it would be great to see some golden age pictures of the place. Must be some pics somewhere?

 

[Dex-Jay]

I think the only pics I have were of me in front of a Dragon's Lair and a friend coin-ing-up Space Ace over the road and up the street in Mr. B's. I don't have any (I don't think) of the pier or other arcades which is a shame. That was 84-85.

I last went there about 10 years ago before the pier burnt down and I don't remember anything of note then.

Yeah 10p's through the wooden floor!

 

[6510]

I used to go to WSM when holidaying in the area in the late 70s / early 80s. This place was heaven for a kid with it's streets of arcades and it's Grand Pier. It must have instilled something in me because around 10 years later I moved there from Wales. Have been living here for 25 years now.

The arcades are nothing what they used to be. It's all ticket machines now; grocle fodder. The pier does have a few games but I never liked the place. I never liked what happened to it.

When the old pier burnt down in 2008 we all went wading in the sea to find debris. It was rumoured all the coins had all melded into giant blobs so you would not be able to salvage any. And yet we did manage to find hundreds of tickets (some intact, sum half burnt).

I don't like the rides on the pier and I don't like the payout % on some of the AWPs. I put a tenner in a DOND and didn't get a bean out of it. Watching other's play different machines it just didn't seem a fair deal.

A couple of years ago they brought in a £1 fee for walk-ons. They said it was because the "Pier was expensive to run". I haven't been there since.

If I had the time I would love to open up a Retro in the town. The town certainly pulls in the crowds during the peak season. Out of season it would be pretty bleak.

There is a CeX in town, which have sort of retroed out their cafe. I am sure there is potential for a much larger arcade.

https://www.homeleisuredirect.com/blog/customer-installs/cex-weston-gaming-cafe-install.html

65102016-10-29 17:46:25

 

[big10p]

Your CeX is way better than my local one, that's for sure.

 

[shaunholley]

@6510 - I thought it was unusual to be charged 'entry' to the pier. I don't know of any other seaside town that does this. We didn't stay in WSM long - it was a stop-over on our trip back up north. Quite liked the look of the busy end of the promenade though, with all the outside-seating bars.

 

[big10p]

Think Bournemouth pier charges, too.

 

[aeroflott]

Do they still do Donkey rides up and down the beach?

 

[6510]

You should go 10 miles up the coast and try Clevedon Pier. It's £3.30! (with gift tax) and there's no machine in site. But that's a different type of pier; historic national treasure type attraction.

There has been very little development in the town in recent years. There is a new Cinema / bowling alley complex being built right now. I guess they will have a few machines in there.

Sure the donkeys are still there.