TODAY the old place looks sad and neglected but at one time the Royal Pier was one of Southampton's most popular attractions.

Now its glory days are being remembered in a unique film from a local production company which is due to be screened on television tonight.

The Royal Pier was once an elegant promenade where people idled away a few hours watching the comings and goings of ships in the docks, took some waterfront air or just snoozed in one of the many shelters.

Now a shadow of its former times the Royal Pier is the star of the television documentary that could not have been made without the nostalgic recollections of Daily Echo readers.

In the early stages of the TV project, Adam Neale from White Lantern Films asked Memory Lane to appeal for local people with memories of the Royal Pier to help them in making the production.

Scenes on the Royal Pier were re-created and actors dressed in the fashion of past decades as Southampton people told how the Royal Pier has played an important part in their lives.

The film comes out at a significant time for the old structure, now derelict after being ravaged by two serious fires.

There are plans to totally redevelop the area around the Royal Pier site, to expand Mayflower Park and open up a larger section of the city's waterfront to the public.

Unfortunately all this has come too late for the Royal Pier where once thousands flocked on sunny days and many more danced the night away in the old Pavilion ballroom.

For many of the people who have seen the film it has conjured up reminiscences and nostalgia with a hint of sadness that this once great city venue is no more.

"We have had a great reaction from many local people who have very fond memories of the times that they spent dancing in the ballroom or strolling along the wooden deck on a Sunday afternoon,'' said Adam.

"The film took a lot of hard work as we had a small budget and many different eras to re-create with period costume, music and actors, but I think that the tireless work of the White Lantern team shows in the quality of the final product.''

In earlier days, music played by military bands drifted across the pier, in the 1920s it was the frivolous Charleston and then in the 1950s and 1960s rock 'n' roll brought in the crowds.

After a facelift in the mid-1960s the pier disco cost 1s 6d (7p), the Pete Madson Band were the resident musicians and Saturday was the big evening out with appearances by groups such as the Barron Knights and Mud.

Popular with all ages, the Royal Pier was opened on July 8, 1833 by Princess Victoria four years later to become Queen. It was soon playing an important part in the life of Southampton and in 1861 facilities were improved for the steam ships ferrying passengers to and from the Isle of Wight.

By the turn of the century the Royal Pier had been virtually rebuilt. Its bandstand had been converted into a stylish maple-floored pavilion, where concerts, dances, amateur plays, roller skating, exhibitions and political meetings were held.

During the Second World War the Royal Pier was sealed off from the public as first troops and then the National Fire Service were accommodated in the buildings.

As 1944 and D-Day approached, allied forces built up in the docks and around Southampton Water and the Royal Pier became a vital Royal Navy command post.

With the war over, the public came streaming back at the first possible opportunity and once again the pier's deck chairs and glass-panelled shelters became a popular spot to relax.

In 1979 the death knell for the Royal Pier sounded as it became just too expensive to keep open. Its fate was sealed when it was wrecked by two fires, one in 1987 and then another five years later.

The White Lantern Film production on the Royal Pier can be seen on Meridian at 11.45pm tonight during the programme Taped Up.