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Britannia Pier signage to be preserved by collector

Andrew Turner
BBC News, Norfolk
Reporting fromGreat Yarmouth sea front
Andrew Turner/BBC Memorabilia collector Kaine Roo standing with his friend who helped him collect the Britannia Pier lettering. They are holding the letter 'B' and behind them is the beach and seafront buildings including the Arc Cinema. Both men are wearing high visibility jackets and workwear clothing.Andrew Turner/BBC
Kaine Roo (right) said he wanted to buy the Britannia Pier signage to preserve it for future generations

The giant orange lettering of a seaside landmark sign have been snapped up by a collector as the coastal attraction gets an overhaul.

Triangle Amusements is remodelling Great Yarmouth's Britannia Pier, but the owner said the letters on the well-known sign, installed in the 1970s, were too fragile to salvage.

Joseph Abbott, director of the pier, said he had hoped to save them to put on display in the new development, but they had been damaged over the years by the weather.

Memorabilia collector Kaine Roo, who bought the letters for an undisclosed figure, said he had "a strong passion for Yarmouth" and it held a "place in my heart".

"It's important that it gets saved and can be shared with the next generations," he added.

Listen: Great Yarmouth says goodbye to iconic sign
Paul Robinson Partnership Artist's impression of the new facade of the Britannia Pier, showing a modern building with two flagged domes and glass panellingPaul Robinson Partnership
The planned new Britannia Pier facade will not include the 1970s lettering

"I've been coming here many years with my children and now they're teenagers and my family used to come here with their family and I've got a lot of fond memories of Great Yarmouth, on the pier especially," Mr Roo said.

"They're moving with the times; everything is digital now.

"When the opportunity came along I had a good idea, but obviously it's been up there many years.

"So, it's brittle with sunlight but you've got to expect that.

"It's still intact, and it'll be remembered by so many people and at least now it can be preserved and kept safe."

Andrew Turner/BBC Letters B, a, t, a, (upside-down) and e, made from orange acrylic, laid on the pier deck. The backing plates are stacked against a bench and railings. The beach is seen beyond the pier railings.Andrew Turner/BBC
The letters were laid out with the backing plates on the pier deck ready for collection, having been advertised for sale on Facebook
Andrew Turner/BBC Orange-coloured letters from the Britannia Pier signage on a barrow being taken off site.Andrew Turner/BBC
The bright orange letters from the Britannia Pier signage are "brittle with sunlight" but have been in place since the 1970s
Andrew Turner/BBC Joseph Abbott, wearing blue jeans and a black jacket, stands outside the Britannia Pier, holding a letter 'R' made from orange acrylic, which once was mounted on the pier façade. Andrew Turner/BBC
Joseph Abbott said he had hoped to reposition the signage inside the new development which he has in progress, but damage caused by weather made that impossible

Mr Abbott added: "There's a lot of memories in Yarmouth, fond memories of people visiting the pier, we understand that.

"But we also want to try to move forward and upgrade everything to the modern standards of what you'd expect.

"Similar to the Marina Centre, which has been redeveloped and modernised, we feel like the pier really needs to head in that direction to give a better offering to the public.

"It's got a few damaged parts on it; it's become brittle and the sun has got to it, so it's quite bad to put back intact.

"We would have liked to have kept it and advertised it on the pier so people could come and see it and have photos taken, but as we assessed it, it is quite damaged and we haven't been able to achieve that."

Andrew Turner/BBC Metal letter backing plates, next to a red barrier and a skip outside the Britannia Pier.Andrew Turner/BBC
Saved from the skip: the metal backing plates that supported the orange acrylic lettering that spelled out Britannia Pier

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