CELEBRATIONS marking the 150th anniversary of Saltburn Pier drew thousands of people to the seaside town.

The special occasion was marked with up to 150 volunteers in Victorian dress mingling with the crowds to bring a nostalgic feel to the event.

And the grand finale of the day long celebration culminated with a stunning firework display.

While young and old enjoyed a wide variety of fun and games including a farmers’ market, screen printing workshop, antiques market, roving musicians playing sea shanties, a vintage motorcycle display, Punch & Judy, balloon modelling and the Marske brass band.

The party ended at 9.45pm with a firework display and the unveiling of new lighting for the pier using low-energy, colour-changing lightbulbs on the underside of the historic walkway.

For those interested in the history of the Pier, Saltburn Library is holding a special display throughout May including rare, vintage photographs.

Teesside Archives have also played a part with a recent project to digitise historic plans held in their collections at Exchange House in Middlesbrough. Including a number of plans from Saltburn including the Pier, the Pier Dining Room, the early layout of the resort in the Victorian period and information on the operation of the Cliff Tramway, the digitised plans are now secured for future generations.

Teesside Archives Manager Ruth Hobbins said: “The plans of Saltburn pier are amongst tens of thousands of plans covering the local area and companies dating back to the 1800s, including those of global icons such as Sydney Harbour Bridge to local landmarks such as Saltburn Pier and Cliff Tramway.”