The sad saga of Penarth's Pier Pavilion

Happier days: the reopened Pavilion, April 2014

The news that Penarth Pier Pavilion is again in trouble comes as no surprise. The charity that was running it since it reopened in 2013 after a £4 million Lottery Fund grant was incompetent from the start. They had ambitious plans that could have worked but there was poor management and muddle. 

Among the attractions of the magnificently refurbished building were a boutique 70-seat cinema and a small high class restaurant on the first floor and, on the ground floor,  a main auditorium for art exhibitions, concerts and a range of events, a cafe and a shop. It sounded perfect. 

To  achieve its aim, the exciting project needed a team of volunteers which it soon achieved but they became confused and frustrated by those in charge, and many gave up.

Troubles escalated. The restaurant never opened, the shop closed and the cafe ownership changed frequently.

With losses mounting, the management was changed but the cinema, a big success, closed when the company running it complained of not being paid.

To try to save money, pavilion management changed but it did not stop the decline and closure was inevitable.

The charity has given up its lease on the building - the Vale of Glamorgan Council are the ground landlords.

A sad story for a project that seemed perfect for an attractive town with a population with wide artistic and entertainment interests and home for some international artists.

My involvement in the pavilion goes back almost 80 years when, as the Penarth Times reporter, I covered plays and other events there. 

Rosemary knew it even better and she thought it had the best floor for dancing, which she loved.

I knew Bob Blundell, who managed the Marina in prewar years. I met him when, as Captain Blundell, he was a patient with me in a military hospital. In his day the Marina, as it was then called, flourished, alive with many activities

In recent years I was involved in Penarth Arts and Craft. a charity company expertly run by Maggie Smith who was based in the Washington building, where she staged many artistic events.

Open day at the Pavilion, July 2013

I voluntarily helped her plan the new pavilion project. Rosemary and I were in charge of a long running pavilion exhibition in a converted shop on the Esplanade next to our home.

Maggie would have been the perfect leader for the new project but she returned to Australia when her husband took up an academic appointment there.

Her departure was a huge loss to the town and I am sure she is dismayed at the failure.

The pavilion has now been taken over by the Vale of Glamorgan Council which plans to make it ‘community facility’ - a typical dull local government term.

They are calling on public support and ideas. I hope they succeed but I am not too optimistic. 

They have been involved for years with a director on the board but the charity kept the public in the dark about plans, finance and management. This must change.

Penarth Pier Pavilion should be a huge asset for the town. It must not be wasted.