There were mixed feelings in the town as to whether a replacement pier should be built, but eventually the Herne Bay Promenade Pier Company financed a very modest structure at a cost of £2,000. Designed by Wilkinson & Smith the new pier was erected purely with promenading in mind, and extended only to a length of 320ft (97m), with a small bandstand at the end. It was opened on 27 August 1873 by the Lord Mayor of London.
In 1884 a new theatre opened at the approach to the old pier and three years later the formal gardens were laid out to celebrate Queen Victoria's Jubilee.
Between 1881 and 1901 the town's population almost doubled, from 4400 to 8400 and the last decade of the century saw Herne Bay begin to thrive again as a popular holiday resort. At the turn of the century the popular nickname for the town was 'Baby Bay' because so many nursemaids and children spent time here, enjoying the warm weather and healthy climate.
From: The Herne Bay Pier Trust