One year after purchasing the 125-year-old Southwold Pier, Amy and Charles Barwick have spoken to the BBC about how important the landmark remains for local residents, and the plans they are putting in place to ensure the pier remains open for decades to come.

Amy and Charles Barwick are celebrating a “fantastic” first year as owners of the historic Southwold Pier, with the couple thanking the attraction’s “really happy team” for ensuring the 125-year-old landmark remains a beacon for the local community. 

The Barwicks purchased the 810 ft structure from Gough Hotels in March 2024, and have since “learnt a lot” about both the business and the pier itself, with plans now underway to make 2025 “a positive year.”

“We’ve got a really happy team who are really friendly and the heart of the pier has not changed at all,” said Amy Barwick. “People love coming here on a daily basis and sometimes it is a stop for them… they come down for a coffee and it’s their means of getting out and chatting to people.”

“We’ve got all our regulars who we love seeing every day, so it is a very special place and that’s what we’ve got to look after.”

The Barwicks had only lived in Southwold for a few years when the pier came on the market, and despite never having owned or operated a pier, the pair “put in an offer and we got accepted.”

“We’re not shy of hard work and our background is in amusements and food operation, so we knew what we were up against.”

Since then, the Barwicks have fully renovated the Clockhouse coffee shop, as well as completing several important improvements “behind the scenes.”

“It’s been challenging, it’s been fantastic as well. We’ve got our feet under the table now,” said Barwick. “We’ve learnt a lot in the last year, but we feel like we’ve got a positive year ahead.”