Paignton Pier for sale with £2m price tag Published duration 29 November 2013

image caption The original pier, which opened in June 1879, was destroyed by fire in 1919

A Victorian seaside pier has been put up for sale with an asking price of nearly £2m.

Paignton Pier will be sold as a going concern with its arcade and ice cream and sweet shops.

Property firm GVA, which is handling the sale for owner Mitchell Leisure, said pricing such an "iconic structure" was difficult, but it had already generated interest.

The original pier was rebuilt after it was destroyed by fire in 1919.

A major refurbishment was carried out when Mitchell Leisure bought the pier in 1994 and it currently has 15 concession agreements.

Designed by architect George Soudon Bridgeman, the 780ft (238m) original pier opened in June 1879.

image caption An amusement arcade is one of a number of commercial concessions on the seaside pier

Emergency repairs were carried out in 2008 after a major structural fault was found in one of the supporting columns.

GVA said with only a limited number of piers in the UK, this opportunity did not come up often.

Whoever buys the pier will have to maintain the public right of way on the pier's pedestrian beach underpass.

"Paignton Pier is an iconic structure, which has been a popular visitor attraction on the English Riviera for millions of people for more than 130 years," GVA director Richard Baldwin said.

"Surrounded by stunning coast and countryside, it is a real jewel in the crown of our coastline."