Bert and Fred Bollom have described their determination to keep Mumbles Pier going “for the next generation,” despite suffering setbacks in the form of debilitating maintenance costs, rising business outlay, and two devastating fires, with the brothers telling The Telegraph “there is something really magical” about owning the 128-year-old landmark.
Bert and Fred Bollom have expressed their determination to keep Mumbles Pier thriving despite significant financial and practical setbacks, as the brothers near the 100th anniversary of their grandfather taking ownership of the Swansea landmark.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the Bolloms described the constant investment the Grade II-listed structure requires, their ongoing plans for full restoration, and their qualms over enlisting their children in the family business.
“It’s a bit like looking after a very fancy pocket watch,” Bert Bollom told the paper. “I’m looking after it for the next generation. And really, it’s quite a strange one, because it’s not even my kids that will enjoy it greatly. It’s everyone who gets to walk on it.”
Currently, however, the number of people who walk on the pier is limited, with two thirds of the structure closed to allow a major restoration project costing millions of pounds.
“If I’m really honest, it looks pretty tired at the moment,” said Bollom. “But we are just trying to work through and get it done.”
The project comes after the pier suffered two fires, in 2022 and 2024, that destroyed the former Cinderella nightclub, Copperfish restaurant, offices and arcade, and which Bollom described as “absolutely gutting.”
The restoration will hopefully set the pier up for another hundred years, but the Bolloms are hesitant to bring their own children into the business, despite having worked in various jobs on the pier themselves from a young age.
“The quality of life you’d like for your children is not running a pier. You hear yourself sounding like your dad. I often tell them to go and get a nice job.”
Talking about my generation
Bert Bollom said… “I’m looking after it for the next generation. And really, it’s quite a strange one, because it’s not even my kids that will enjoy it greatly. It’s everyone who gets to walk on it…
Originally published on Coinslot on January 26, 2026. Republished with permission.