At intervals of about every 200 yards there were beautifully designed shelters extending beyond the usual width of the deck. The Pier was lit by gas and attractive ornamental gas lamps were spaced at regular intervals. The flagpoles which were also placed along the deck were gaily decorated on bank holidays and carnival occasions.

At the sea end, the Saloon and refreshment rooms were on the northern side of the large rectangular Pier Head. Much later the refreshment rooms were moved to the southern side. The Saloon was enlarged so that the concert parties could play to bigger audiences. It was used for all kinds of entertainment including dancing, lectures on phrenology, musical evenings and sacred concerts.

The steamers plied from the Pier for almost thirty years and, with the Pier itself, were undoubtedly the greatest attraction to excursionists and holiday-makers at that time. The Steamboat Company manager, Capt. J. R. Storr, was responsible for chartering a large number of paddle steamers over this period, these coming from Grimsby, Boston, Wisbech and Kings Lynn.     Landing stages were built at the Pier Head, on the southern and northern sides, these later being transferred to the more suitable eastern end. The steamers could land and take off passengers three hours before and three hours after high water.

During the first full season, in 1883, the paddle steamer "May" , one of the largest ships of this type on the East Coast, arrived shortly after Whitsun and was here until the middle of September. She was 116 feet long with a beam of 18ft. 8ins. She had splendid cabin accommodation which included a first-class ladies' cabin and refreshment bars with a stewardess on duty. She had a Board of Trade Certificate to carry 487 passengers in a river and 255 at sea. Her skipper, Captain Storr, had collected her from Hull, and, after coaling-up in Grimsby, had made the passage to Skegness in 34 hours.

The paddle steamers made trips each day except on Sundays and in bad weather. When the seas were too rough they would anchor off the Pier Head  until the weather had improved. Trips of all  kinds were available and on some days these would last one hour, costing only one shilling, when the ships would take passengers along the coast. For those who wanted to be a little more adventurous there was a 24 hours trip to the Lynn Well Lightship, when the passengers would go on board the lightship, and have a look at the powerful lamp and machinery. All this was included in the cost of 1 /6d. These trips were also looked forward to by the Lightship crew as the paddle steamers would drop off the daily papers and fresh vegetables.

But the most popular trips of all were those across the Wash to Hunstanton. These cost 3/- each, plus disembarking and toll charges on Hunstanton Pier. Depending on the tide the trips would last a whole day or half a day. Many of the steamers left at 8.30 in the morning, returning about 8 o'clock at night, and these would give passengers enough time to spend the afternoon looking round the grounds of Sandringham which was the home of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII).

An interesting account of a day out to Hunstanton on the paddle steamer "Spindrift" was given by passenger in the "Skegness Herald Friday, July 29th, 1887 and is as follows

"The 'Spindrift', which gives enjoyment to thousands of passengers during the season, and justly is regarded as one of the attractions of Skegness, made a very pleasant trip on Friday last to Hunstanton. She started from the Pier at 8.30 a.m. and arrived at the Norfolk coast about 11 a.m. A large number of the passengers utilised the opportunity to visit Sandringham, the charming residence of the Prince of Wales. A few went by train to Wolfreton, a mile-and-a-half from the Park, but most of the visitors went by road. The distance is eight miles, and an interesting and enjoyable drive; they formed themselves into parties of four or six, hired public conveyances and were driven there and hack for 2s. or 2s. 6d. each. The "Spin-drift" paused as usual, both going and returning, at the Lynwell Lightship, which is six miles from Hunstanton and eleven from Skegness. There are always half-a-dozen men and an officer on duty, who frequently avail themselves of the visit of the 'Spindrift' to post their letters, and for six weeks, they never leave their ship."

With the railways bringing day trippers from the Midlands to the resort, many excursionists chose to spend the day by coming by steamer. These would come from all the Wash ports landing their passengers at the Pier Head during the morning and taking them off in the early evening.

Other paddle steamers which operated from Skegness Pier during this time in addition to the two already mentioned were the "Scarbrough", "Yorkshire Lass" and "Boston". Probably the one which is remembered by Skegness people was the "Privateer the last steamer to operate from the Skegness Pier and which in its last season here in 1911 operated from the beach by embarking and disembarking its passengers into small boats.

Around the end of the 1910 season steamboat trips stopped running from Skegness Pier. Apparently the trips were not as good a paying proposition as they were during the latter part of the 1 9th century, and the building up of sandbanks in the Wash made the Hunstanton trip even more difficult as the steamers had to make a further detour to get across to the other side. But the main factor was that the landing stage at the end of the Pier became unsafe and on the advice of their consulting engineer the Pier Company had the landing stage removed as it was considered a danger to the structure of the Pier. Despite efforts in 1912 to have another landing stage built, the Pier Company were short of money and the project had to be abandoned.

In 1 948 it was completely reconstructed and no-one could trace any resemblance to the Theatre of pre-war days. It was beautifully decorated, and in the re-building the entrances were transferred to the West side, the stage and dressing rooms to the north side and the south side considerably extended. With its modern stage lighting and floodlights.  In the mid-fifties the south side was further extended, with more seats being added, and a few years later the name was changed to Pier Theatre, a name which stood until the Theatre was sadly destroyed in 1978 by a storm.