Southend-on-Sea - Knowledge

978:, however his finances were not sound and he was soon selling off building materials. By December 1792, the operators of the Duke of York, brewers Sea and Woollet closed the public house, but by September 1793 it was still in their ownership. The Grand Hotel, now known as The Royal Hotel opened on the 1st July 1793, and most of Grove Terrace was available to let. Later that year New South-End was listed for the first time by the parish for the annual rate, and by the summer of 1794 the Terrace, Grove Terrace, the Mews and Library had finally been completed. However, by February 1795, Thomas Holland had been declared bankrupt, and the property he owned was not sold by auction until 1797, with the Heygate family purchasing the buildings. John Sanderson, the other developer was also declared bankrupt, with only Grove House built, and his estate was not sold until 1802, with much of the site still open land. In contrast, Old South-end doubled in size during the same period including two public houses, the Ship Inn and the Anchor and Hope Inn, five shops and the Caroline baths. A large house was built by Abraham Vandervord in 1792 in Old South-end which would later become the Minerva public house. 4172:. In 1914, Southend became a County Borough, taking charge of all education in the town, including the High School, School of Art and the Evening class institute all located still in the same building. After the war the number of pupils increased, so in 1919 the School of Art moved out of the top floor to make room for the High School, into temporary wooden buildings at the rear of the building. In 1920, The Commercial School was a co-educational school opened for the town’s rapidly expanding population in Bellsfield, a former large house located on Victoria Avenue. Two years later, the school's name changed from The Commercial School to Westcliff High School, and by 1926, boys attending the school had moved to the school's present site on Kenilworth Gardens, becoming Westcliff High School for Boys. The accompanying girls' school, Westcliff High School for Girls, remained on the Victoria Avenue site until 1930, following their relocation to the same site as Westcliff High School for Boys. The plans for the purchased land at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Carnarvon Road was changed in 1934 when it was decided to use this as the site of a new town hall. 2553: 2893: 5122: 4630: 4764: 1420:. The town's decline as a holiday resort continued, with the visitor numbers on the pier falling to a million during 1969-70 and the attraction lost £45,000. The town saw the number of visitors had fallen from the 1950s by 73%, which was against the backdrop of more Brits travelling abroad, growing from just 1.5 million holidays in 1951, to 4.2 million by 1971. The pier slowly began to decline and with it the structure began to deteriorate. In 1971, a child's injury prompted a survey, leading to repairs and replacement to much of the pier railway throughout the decade. In response, the council allocated £370,000 over two years, starting in 1972, to ensure the pier remained maintained, however the pier head burnt down in 1976 and in 1978 the pier railway was closed due to its poor condition. Prior to the pier railway closure, the 2644:(HMRC) previously employed over 4,000 people in Southend in Alexandra House and Portcullis House, which sat side by side on Victoria Avenue, and Tylers House/Dencora Court, Tylers Avenue. A training centre was located in Carby House, also in Victoria Avenue. In 2008, it was announced that both Tylers House and Portcullis House would be surplus to requirements. Tylers House would close, with the space rented out by HMRC to other government departments. HMRC announced in 2015 that they would be closing its Southend office and transferring the operations to Stratford. Portcullis House closed first in 2008, and in 2019 the site was purchased by Weston Homes to develop into 217 flats. Alexandra House has since closed and in late 2023 planning permission was being sought to convert the building into 557 flats by 1282:. The town itself was first hit by German bombing in May 1940, when the Nore Yacht club was hit while 10 soldiers were killed near the airport. Southend High School for Boys was hit in a raid in June 1940. By June 1940, much of the town was sealed off, with all bar 10% of the population that were engaged in essential services, evacuated and only military personnel remaining. A cordon of 20 miles was set up, with the town being designated part of the coastal defence area, but with the risk of invasion dropping, in 1941 it was reduced to 10 miles. By 28 October 1940, RAF Rochford had been renamed RAF Southend, no longer being a satellite of Hornchurch, although they still had Fighter Control at the base. A day later 264 Squadron arrived for night fighter duties equipped with the 2541: 5030: 4896: 2529: 5018: 3962: 3250: 4884: 1333:

however the dust and noise attracted unhappiness with the holidaymakers, with two elderly ladies complaining to the police that it should be stopped while they were on their vacation for the week. Many of the fairground attractions only opened at weekend due many of the men who worked them still being enlisted. It wasn't until 1946 that the town started to return to normal, and by 1949-50 visitor numbers had returned with over 5.75 million visiting the pier alone. The visitors would have used the replaced pier railway, newly installed in 1949, or may have visited the newly opened Golden Hind replica containing waxworks by Louis Tussaud next to the pier. These numbers grew to a peak of 7 million the following year.

1484: 124: 1201:£58,000, to manage the increasing number of visitors arriving by paddle steamer. A Southend icon, EKCO, opened their large factory at Priory Crescent on the site of a former cabbage patch in 1930. To cope with the increase demand for housing, estates like Earls Hall were built during 1930, with the Manners Way estate joining it just north along with a new road towards in Rochford in 1937. The London Taxi Drivers Charity for Children completed their first taxi drive to Southend in 1931, with 40 Hackney Carriages bringing children to the town, who were given 6d to spend on the seafront. At the 1931 Census the population of Southend was recorded at 110,790, however the town would grow further by absorbing 5006: 80: 4618: 2917: 4734: 4503: 108: 4606: 4321: 4872: 3921: 2905: 5168: 4358: 4515: 5180: 3328: 24544: 3947: 25293: 741: 175: 23322: 3933: 3340: 949: 3316: 4749: 4420: 4306: 1136: 144: 1496:, being rated best-value amusement park in Britain in 2024. The Kursaal, was purchased by Brent Walker in 1988 with plans to redevelop the site as a water theme park, but the company entered liquidation and the site remained empty. The council purchased the Kursaal, and after a multimillion-pound redevelopment by the Rowallan Group, the main Kursaal building was reopened in 1998 with a bowling alley, a casino and other amusements. In 2003, during excavations for a road widening scheme at Priory Crescent, an 23640: 911:. The hamlet of South-end, a few fishermen's huts and Thames Farm farmhouse stayed this way until the mid 18th century, when in 1758 a large house was built, which by 1764 had become the Ship Inn. The area was further developed by the building of oystermen cottages called Pleasant Row in 1767, and a year later the settlement was recorded in the parishes records for taxation purposes for the first time. The records also recorded a salt works and a lime kiln. A visitor to the settlement in 1780 said 4180:, and in 1935 the Technical and Commercial school was renamed Southend Municipal College, who took over the whole site after Southend High School for Boys moved to Prittlewell Chase in 1938. The college was restructured in 1963 to include in its teaching commercial and industrial skills for education in courses like plumbing, and renamed as the Southend College of Technology. The college became South East Essex College of Arts and Technology (SEECAT) in 1991, with the college formally merged with 1392:. Although the plans were rejected by central government, Hammerson started a programme of buying property in the area, and in 1964 the council accepted Hammerson's plans for the site. Hammerson had by this point had purchased 93% of the freeholds, with the council using Section 4 of the Town and Country Act 1962 to compulsory purchase the remaining properties. The development, which became Victoria Circus Shopping Centre, opened in 1970 and saw a large area of much loved Southend demolished. 4193: 2820: 94: 10737: 1958: 2206:

areas all within the top 10% most deprived areas in England (with the most deprived area having a rank of 1 and the least deprived a rank of 32,482). Victoria and Milton wards have the highest proportion of ethnic minority residents – at the 2011 Census these figures were 24.2% and 26.5% respectively. Southend has the highest percentage of residents receiving housing benefits (19%) and the third highest percentage of residents receiving council tax benefits in Essex.

4778: 4527: 23236: 3465: 1075:. The first houses were made available for sale in 1871, with even the smaller properties offering a glimpse of the sea, and eventually the development would include the Clifftown Congregational Church, the Nelson Road shopping parade and Prittlewell Square, Southend's first park. The arrival of the railway did not at first greatly increase visitor numbers, with Southend still being seen as quiet resort and not a noisy fashionable seaside town, with 1504:. A year earlier there was a slippage on the Cliffs, which saw the bandstand close. The cliffs were stabilised in 2013, with the council planning to build a new museum at the location to host the Anglo Saxon discoveries, as well as the Central Museum and Beecroft Art Gallery, but in 2018 it was abandoned due to rising costs. The town's commercial growth during the 60s and 70s, declined with the departure of many of their former tenants, including 23955: 3501: 1243: 6673: 3906: 2794:. That scheme was rejected, but a further application resulted in the Southend Waterworks Act of 1924 which was passed by parliament allowed the company to extract river water at Langford. The supply at Langford was pumped to reservoirs built at Oakwood on the Belfairs/Daws Heath border. In the late 1940s, both Southend Waterworks Company and South Essex Waterworks jointly planned a new large reservoir in the Sandon Valley, south of 3209: 22720: 2132: 24016: 5861: 23659: 1239:

planes. It was the last time there was a concentrated attack on the pier. Southend Airport was requisitioned by the RAF at the outbreak of war, becoming a satellite of Hornchurch and being renamed RAF Rochford. The town was believed to be the most heavily defended place in Essex, ranging from three and half miles of anti-tank cubes on the seafront, machine gun and anti-aircraft posts, road blocks and barrage balloons.

1319:, with over 6,000 tonnes of explosive on board, lost its mooring off the Isle of Sheppey, opposite Southend, in strong winds and wedged itself onto the mudflat, breaking its back. Prior to this, HMS Leigh had been the mustering point for 576 ships in June 1944 before they headed for Normandy and D-Day. Force L, the follow up forces that were to follow the initial D-Day invasion force were located at Southend. 1396:

line which were on the route of the planned ring road needed replacing. In 1965, the Ministry of Transport gave the council a grant of £869,986 to the planned cost of £1.2 million to build the North and East sections of the ring road. The council used compulsory purchase orders to buy up many of the properties along the planned route and work started in 1966, with the first section opening in 1967 with the

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gallons. In 1870, Brassey died, and a limited company was formed to take over the works. In 1879, the Southend Water Bill was passed to incorporate the company to allow it to raise the necessary cash to expand the supply to the growing town, and to be able to charge rates per home based on the properties value. The company created further boreholes in and around Southend, including

11613: 9447: 10047: 10571: 2749:, who in 1960 added the brutalist Esplanade House to the site as offices. The site stopped producing coal gas in 1968, and the works was demolished. Esplanade House, was taken over by Access credit card operations in the 1980s, but by the 1990s they had moved out and the gas works site remained empty until it was demolished to make way for a Premier Inn in 2014. 10718: 9797: 9890: 10123: 843:, and the construction of both the pier and railway, allowing easier access from London. From the 1960s onwards, the city declined as a holiday destination. After the 1960s, much of the city centre was developed for commerce and retail, and many original structures were lost to redevelopment. As part of its reinvention, Southend became the home of the 4828:, is South Essex's gallery for contemporary visual art, promoting and commissioning major solo exhibitions, group and thematic shows, a programme of events including performances, film screenings and talks, as well as offsite projects and temporary public artworks. The organisation is funded by Southend-on-Sea City Council and Arts Council England. 1480:, and after the first year where entry was charged by the council, it would grow to become Europe's biggest free airshow. The final show took place on 2012, with the council announcing in January 2013 it could no longer afford to run the show. An attempt to revive the show for September 2015, as the Southend Airshow and Military Festival, failed. 1471:. Two years later, management of the pier returned to the council. The seafront would see several plans put forward in the late 70s and the 1980s to build a marina on the seafront by numerous developers including Brent Walker, including an artificial island alongside the pier, though the council ended the plans after they were objected to by the 1455:

Lecorgne Amusements, but the town lost another attraction in 1983, when the Southend Aircraft Museum closed for the final time. However in the same year the council put up £800,000 with the Historic Buildings Fund investing £200,000 in restoring the pier. Further invest saw a new narrow gauge railway fitted to the pier, which was reopened by

10105: 1561:, who knew Amess personally, performed at some of the events. On 1 March, Southend Borough Council was presented letters patent from the Queen, by Charles, Prince of Wales, officially granting the borough city status. Southend became the second city in the ceremonial county of Essex, after Chelmsford, which was granted city status in 2012. 4160:

stone was laid, but prior to it opening it was decided to also open a day technical school for about 20 pupils, influenced by the Bryce commission of 1894. The first headmaster was J Hitchcock from Woolwich and was supported by one assistant teacher. A one-day a week art school was opened, which by 1899 was a fully organised art college.

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Hampshire, it was found to be leaking so it was brought into the Thames Estuary off Thorpe Bay to be checked, but after being left by the tugs, it moved partially into the channel, and without support of the mudflat snapped in half and remains there to this day. Further disaster happened when in August 1944, the liberty ship

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together quite compatibly. In the four months that Talk of the South has been operational, its results have proved so tremendously successful that managing director Manzi now feels sure that the cabaret that has been previously missing from the area has not only been required, but indeed needed, for some considerable time.

1972:, Southend became a district of Essex, with the county council once more providing county-level services to the town. In 1990, Southend was the first local authority to outsource its municipal waste collection to a commercial provider. However, in 1998 it again became the single tier of local government when it became a 10788: 10494: 4386:

a range of events, including a fete in Chalkwell Park. The parades, which included a daylight and torchlight parades were cut down to just a torchlight parade during the 1990s. The carnival has not run since 2020, although attempts have been made to restart the parade, however the accompanying fair returned in 2023.

2865:, Southchurch Road and London Road are where many of Southend's independent businesses now reside. Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff-on-Sea was once known as the Bond Street of Essex, and is full of historical buildings, having been made into a conservation area in 2021. The road hosts the In Harmony festival each year. 9993: 1366:

with plans in central government to de-centralise services. The Miles Report of 1944 had already identified Victoria Avenue as the perfect location for office development, and the council in 1960 finally started work on a new Civic Centre on land previously purchased to build a new further education college. The

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alighted from pleasure steamboats. Further facilities were built for the growing visitor numbers, including extending the esplanade to Chalkwell in 1903, and in 1909 adding the "wedding cake" bandstand at the top of the cliffs, opposite Prittlewell Square, which was one of six bandstands that stood in Southend.

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of London. During 1913, the Day Technical School split, with the girls moving to the new Southend High School for Girls at Boston Avenue, while the day technical school was renamed Southend High School for Boys. In 1914, the town gained county borough status, and the corporation formed the first police force.

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Sainsbury's supermarket. Arriva Southend is the only bus company based in Southend, with their depot located in Short Street; it was previously sited on the corner of London Road and Queensway and also a small facility in Tickfield Road. First Essex's buses in the Southend area are based out of the depot in

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for the Roman Catholic community. There are two synagogues; one for orthodox Jews, in Westcliff, and a reform synagogue in Chalkwell. Three mosques provide for the Muslim population; one run by the Bangladeshi community, and the others run by the Pakistani community. There are two Hindu Temples, BAPS

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was centered on the Junk Club, which was held in the basement of the Royal Hotel. It was run by Oliver "Blitz" Abbott & Rhys Webb of The Horrors, and the underground club night played an eclectic mix from Post Punk to Acid House, 1960s Psychedelia to Electro. The club was influential and featured

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This kind of horrific display will simply give a bad name to the Southend nightclub scene. Of course Halloween is meant to be a time of fun and celebration. I don't feel these grotesque displays are in that vein. This is simply part of a nasty culture growing up in parts of London which I don't think

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closed in 2009. Unlike the Cliffs Pavilion or the Palace Theatre, the theatre was privately run, and hosted more amateur groups. The theatre was converted from the old ABC Cinema, which had previously been the Empire Theatre built in 1896. The theatre closed after a dispute between the trust that ran

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By 1879, a new school was created called the London Road Schools which had places for over 500 pupils, and Prittlewell Church of England school had moved to East Street. However, by 1892, with further expansion of Southend, the Brewery Road School (now called Porters Grange) opened, followed by Leigh

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to form British Electronic Industries Ltd, but due to several financial issues, the television and radio manufacturing on the site was closed in 1966 with the loss of 800 jobs. Pye of Cambridge (British Electronic Industries was renamed in 1963) was purchased by Philips in 1967. The offices and radio

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to Maitland House in Southend-on-Sea. The company brought 120 existing jobs from Braintree and announced the intention to create more in the future. However the business announced the plan to relocate to Bristol in 2016. The company however as of 2021 is still located in Southend. The building is now

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twice for weapon demonstrations, with the Experimental Establishment carrying out numerous trials of weird and wonderful weapons. An air raid in February 1941 destroyed the London Hotel in the High Street, while the foreshore was often used by German bomber aircraft as a dumping ground for their bomb

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was taken over as an army training ground. During the war, the public could still walk the length of the pier. As the war drew on, Southend also became an evacuation point for casualties and several hotels were converted to hospitals, including the Metropole into the Queen Mary Naval Hospital. Arthur

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with holidays becoming available to more of the population. The growth in visitor numbers due to the new bill saw the Local Board purchase the pier in 1873, construct Marine Parade in 1878, while the cliffs west of the pier were purchased and transformed into tree lined walkways during 1886. In 1889,

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is the largest purpose built arts venue in Essex. Plans for a theatre, the Shorefield Pavilion, on the site started in 1935 when the borough council purchased the site to build a 500-seat theatre and concert venue, with work starting four years later on construction but was suspended by the outbreak

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Southend Carnival has been an annual event since 1906, where it was part of the annual regatta, and was set up to raise funds for the Southend Victoria Cottage Hospital. In 1926, a carnival association was formed, and by 1930, they were raising funds for the building of the new General Hospital with

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set up the Technical Instruction Committee, and soon classes were started at the council offices in Clarence Road. They were extremely popular, and the following year the newly created Southend Corporation purchased further land in Clarence Road to build a Technical Institute. In 1895 the foundation

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Demolition of the historic Victorian covered York Road market began on 23 April 2010, with the site becoming a car park. A temporary market had been held there every Friday until 2012 after the closure of the former Southend market at the rear of the Odeon. As of 2013, a market started to be held in

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in the town. The investigation, led by Dr. R. Bruce Low, concluded that the water quality was good, but it was poor sanitation, with issues with the identified with the town's sewer system and discharge onto the beach. The sewer system had been found to be wanting at a previous investigation in 1890

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moved to Southend during 1966 into the purpose built Heath House on Victoria Avenue. C. E. Heath was one of the largest insurance brokers in the world. The company also operated offices in Sutton Road and had a social club in Wellstead Gardens. In 1996, redundancies saw the number of staff drop from

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A fifth of the working population commutes to London daily. Wages for jobs based in Southend were the second lowest among UK cities in 2015. It also has the fourth-highest proportion of people aged over 65. This creates considerable pressure on the housing market. It is the 11th most expensive place

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during 1939, and organised over 3,000 East Coast convoys by the end of the war. HMS Leigh was attacked by the Germans on the 22 November when they dropped magnetic mines and machine gunned the pier, but none of the mines caused any damage and the navy's anti-aircraft guns destroyed one of the German

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Scratton leased the parcels of land to building firm Pratt, Watt & Louden and John Sanderson, an architect, both of Lambeth. Another site was leased from Scratton by Pratt, Watt & Louden for a brick works for the development. The first house in Grove Terrace was completed by January 1792 and

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Southend has one cinema – the Odeon Multiplex at Victoria Circus which has eight screens. The borough of Southend had at one time a total of 18 cinema theatres, with the most famous being the Odeon (formerly the Astoria Theatre), which as well as showing films hosted live entertainers including the

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that opened in 1912. It shows plays by professional troupes and repertory groups, as well as comedy acts. The theatre has two circles and the steepest rake in Britain. The theatre was given to the town by its then owner Gertrude Mouillot in 1942 on condition that local amateur groups could continue

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reported that the public returned in their droves, with 79,000 visitors turning up in the first nineteen days, though it wasn't until 30 September that the pier was officially derequisitioned by the Navy. The town, which had been heavily fortified, slowly started to remove the defences during 1945,

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announcing in his radio broadcasts that German forces had sunk the British ships HMS Westcliff and HMS Leigh. The town started to fall under constant V1 and V2 rocket attacks until December 1944, with one hitting the Pavilion on the pier. In 1944, while towing a Mulberry harbour caisson to Goole in

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In 1909, an indoor roller-skating rink was opened in Warrior Square. The new facilities were not only serving the growing visitor numbers, but also the residents, with the inhabitants having grown by 1911 to 62,723, the fastest growing population in England, and was being regarded an Eastern suburb

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equal, if not rival any of the watering places to which the genteelest company usually resort; there being nothing wanted but a place of accommodation, where the agreeable distance from the metropolis, and the excellence of the roads, added to the incomparable fineness of the water, have induced so

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It was felt for a long time that Southend had paid too much attention to the younger generation and not nearly enough to the over-thirties and so it was, with this fact in mind, that the designers worked their overtime in an attempt to create decor suitable to marry different generations of people

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and his troupe of dancers, the Swinging Lovelies. In 1991–92, the council extended the site, with a new Foyer Bar added and a balcony added to the auditorium, increasing the capacity to 1,600. The venue hosts a variety of concerts, shows and performances on ice, as well as pantomimes at Christmas.

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Since 2021, the city has hosted a Halloween parade in October, while the Leigh Art Trail runs during July. Two events that started in 2022 was Southend City Jam, a street art festival, and LuminoCity, a light festival, however LuminoCity was announced to be cancelled for 2024 due to budget cuts at

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was the longest surviving independent retail business in Southend. The outfitters was started in 1897 by Percy Raven from a small store in the High Street. The business moved to a larger store in the High Street designed by architect Mr Grover, before moving to a newer store on London Road in the

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review into credit cards. In the same year, processing was transferred to a new site in Basildon, while offices across Southend were transferred to the member banks. This included Esplanade House to NatWest, Chartwell House to Midland Bank/HSBC and Essex House to Lloyds Bank. In 1991, the business

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in Britain. The West and South sections of the ring road were never completed. In the same year, work was started on dualing Victoria Avenue to Carnarvon Road, while part of the High Street was pedestrianised by 1968. By this point Victoria Avenue had seen further development, with offices opening

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to central government, to improve both the commercial and retail growth in the town, but the original plan and an amendment, which requested compulsory purchase orders, were both rejected by the Minister for Housing Development and Local Government. Part of the plans included redeveloping the area

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Between 1948 and 1962, it was recorded that 22% of the town's population were working in holiday related industries. The council were concerned that the town was to reliant on tourism and being a dormitory town, that they decided to try and grow the commercial industry in the town, which coincided

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and several thousand were held on three ships, the Royal Edward, Saxonia and the Ivernia which were moored off the pier until May 1915. The War Office selected a piece of land north of the town in 1914 for a new aerodrome, with Squadron no. 37 of the Royal Flying Corps moving in a year later. Many

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In 1790, the local lord of the Manor of both Prittlewell and Milton (now Westcliff-on-Sea) and landowner Daniel Scratton set aside 35-acres of land at the top of the cliffs to the west of South-end called Grove Field and the Grove. The site was split into three leasehold sites with 99 year leases,

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is a medieval Manor house. The name comes from the family, le-Porters, who owned the land during the 14th century. The current house was built either in the 15th or 16th century made from red brick, with cross wings at the east and west ends gabled on the north and south fronts. At the end of the

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The Day Technical School soon outgrew the Clarence Road site, and in 1902 a new building opened at Victoria Circus to host them, the Evening Technical Institute and the School of Art. In 1907, Essex County Council formed a new Higher Education committee, who decided that education should be split

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formation in 1853 had seen the government push for education in art, science, technology, and design in Britain and Ireland. The movement did not arrive in Southend until 1882 when two evening classes were set up at the London Road Schools for Art and Physiology. By 1883 the classes were moved to

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in 1727, after the Reverend Case campaigned for one to be setup. Land was provided by the Lord of the Manor Daniel Scratton in North Street for establishment of a school, and by 1739, Scratton had donated a further 21 acres of land. The school was by subscription of 1d a week, with 16 free places

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data showed that Southend is one of Essex's most deprived areas. Out of 32,482 Lower Super Output Areas in England, area 014D in the Kursaal ward is 99th, area 015B in Milton ward is 108th, area 010A in Victoria ward is 542nd, and area 009D in Southchurch ward is 995th, as well as an additional 5

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Further developments put forward by the council included building a ring road around the town centre. First discussed by the council in 1955, plans were started to be developed in 1961, with the electrification of the London, Tilbury and Southend railway line acting as impetus as bridges over the

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took place in 1917 with a further 33 deaths. When peace was confirmed in 1919, official celebrations were organised by the town. A large Naval review off the Southend shore took place, with a twenty-one gun salute being fired on Peace Day on the 23 July. The town organised a carnival, fetes and a

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There seems but little doubt of its becoming a place of fashionable resort, and answering the expectations of the proprietors, being only 42 miles from London and two coaches, and the post passes through it three times a week; water carriage is also convenient, being only eight hours sail, with a

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in Elmer Approach, a new facility paid for by Southend Council, South Essex College and The University of Essex. It replaced the former Farringdon Multistorey Car Park. The old Central Library building (built 1974) has become home to the Beecroft Gallery and the Jazz Centre UK. This building had

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which has a campus in Elmer Approach, that opened in 2007 and is on the site of the former Odeon cinema. The University has operated from the city since 2003 when they opened a new satellite campus at Princess Caroline House in the High Street. It also operates the East 15 Acting School Southend

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Southend has a bus station, known as the Southend Travel Centre, on Chichester Road, which was developed from a temporary facility added in the 1970s in 2006. The previous bus station was located on London Road and was run by Eastern National, but it was demolished in the 1980s to make way for a

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Southend High Street runs from the top of Pier Hill in the South, to Victoria Circus in the north. It currently has two shopping centres. The Victoria (built during the 1960s and a replacement for the old Talza Arcade, Victoria Arcade and Broadway Market) is located at the north end of the High

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in 1865, initially to provide water for the steam engines on the new railway line that opened in 1856, and to which Brassey was involved with. The company constructed the city's first deep borehole in Milton Road, which would be known as Southend No.1 Well, along with a reservoir to hold 300,000

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purchased National Plastics subsidiary NP Ekco in 1986. Linpac became Ecomold, but closed the factory after it fell into administration in 2008. After the Ecomold factory closed, the whole site was converted into Ekco Park, a 231 home estate. A statue of Eric Cole was placed in his honour on the

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was an electronics manufacturer formed by local, Eric Kirkham Cole in 1926. The business started at factory in Leigh-on-Sea, before opening a larger site at Priory Crescent in 1930. The company expanded from radio production into televisions, radar and plastics, and employed over 8,000 people in

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affected by groundwater, with major slips having occurred in 1956, 1962, 1964 and 1969. In 2001, a small slippage occurred, which was followed by a major slippage in November 2002, which irreparably damaged the cliffs bandstand and restaurant. At a later date, a report came to light from a month

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a year later. The site had previously been planned to be home to a new joint town hall, library and school but spiraling costs had seen the town hall and library being dropped. In 1903, it was reported that around 1 million people had paid admission to use the pier, while 250,000 passengers had

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engines to generate power for the tram network, siting them at Leigh, London Road and Thorpe Bay. During 1924, the Sunken Gardens at the side of the pier became Peter Pan Playground, a children's pleasure garden. The pier head was enlarged in 1929 with the Prince George extension, at a cost of

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After the war Southend continued to grow in both residents and visitors, with many moving out of London to live in better conditions. Its population in 1921 was recorded as 106,050, but as the census was postponed to the summer months due to a planned general strike, it was greatly inflated by

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is a Grade II listed former tennis club house in Clatterfield Gardens in the suburb of Westcliff-on-Sea. The building, along with its neighbouring house were designed by the Head of the School of Architecture at Southend Municipal College, Douglas Niel Martin-Kaye for the Thurston family. The

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Tourism is still a key industry in Southend, with over 7,500 employed people in the sector, which counts as 15.9% of jobs in the city. In 2019, it was reported that 253,900 people had stayed, generating £53.4 million while over 7.3 million day visitors had contributed over £308 million to the

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In 1980, the town's reinvention as a commercial centre had seen it shrug off its tag as a dormitory town for London, however the future of the pier was in doubt and a campaign, which included Sir John Betjeman, pushed the council to keep the pier open. The pier may have been saved, now run by

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In 1922, the School of Art grew by adding a School of Architecture The School of Art would become the nucleus of the newly formed Southend Technical and Commercial School. A Junior Technical department was opened at Fairfax Drive in 1929, but moved to Victoria Circus in 1934 to make way for

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opened as a grocers at 64 High Street in 1885. The grocers in 1910 opened a cinema and cafe, which had a ballroom added in 1920. The company further expanded the grocery side of the business, opening a large bakery in Sutton Road, and by 1946 branches were operating as grocers, butchers and

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works to supply Southend. The works opened on Eastern Esplanade in 1855, and helped with the development of the then fledgling town. The company was purchased by Southend Corporation after the First World War, with its own landing pier locally known as Southend Pier Junior. The company was

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also came to the town. However the growth of Southend saw a Local Board of Health be created in 1866, and the large steam powered Middleton brewery was opened by Henry Luker & Co in 1869 to serve a growing population. Southend's development as a resort however seem to stall, until the

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attended the opening night gala in both 2010 and 2011, and has become the Festival Patron. Southend is also home to Horror-on-Sea festival, again run by the White Bus Company, which was founded in 2013. The festival for independent horror films takes place over two weekends in January.

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in the centre. Southend High Street mainly consists of chain stores, with Boots located in the Royals, while Next anchor the Victoria. However, since the covid pandemic the amount of empty shops in the city centre has increased greatly, with the High Street being called a ghost town.

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In the census it was reported that 87.5% of the population were born in the UK, while for those who were born outside of the country, most were born in Europe, and most had lived in the UK for more than 10 years. The census reported that nearly 33,000 of the population were retired.

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was a furniture manufacturer and retailer that was based in Southend that first listed on the Unlisted Securities Market of the London Stock Exchange in 1989. The business operated five stores under the Essex Furniture brand within Essex, and expanded nationally to 28 stores under

5105:, with a number of the featured videos on the DinoTracker website filmed in the Southend area doubling for locations around the world. This is due to the fact that local resident and Jurassic World Franchise marketer Samuel Phillips utilised the area for both videos and imagery. 2690:

nameplate. In 1998, the company experienced financial difficulties, closing their Southend factory before their shares being suspended on the London Stock Exchange, announcing a £3.7 million loss in the first half of 1998. The company entered insolvency later that year.

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Mark 32 Super Freighter. It was the sign of the future for tourism in the town, with the British public moving from UK holidays to foreign vacations that saw the start of the downturn on for the British seaside towns, though Southend still had strong numbers visiting.

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before the slip which showed there was already signs of a slippage. A £2.8 million cliffs stabilisation programme was completed in 2013. In May 2023, work started to investigate further slippage at Belton Hills in Leigh-on-Sea, with remedy work said to cost £500,000.

21772: 5641:, which broadcast from studios below Clifftown Road. The station was formed by several local companies, including Keddies, Garons & TOTS nightclub, with David Keddie, owner of the Keddies department store in Southend, becoming its chairman. In 2004, the renamed 2778:

by Dr Thresh, and the town council was investing £35,000 to upgrade and improve the sewers. In 1907, the company's boundaries were extended by the government to incorporate the areas of both Leigh on Sea Urban District Council and Billericay Rural District Council.

1210:, coming from this pastime. In the same year, the council purchased land on the Cliffs at Westcliff to build a 500 seater theatre and concert venue to be called Shorefield Pavilion with working starting four years later only to be suspended by the start of the war. 4130:

It was reported that the National School had closed and that Southend required a further 220 places. Many parishioners were against a local school board being setup, but Daniel Scratton was for the development, and by 1877 the Prittlewell School Board was formed.

1883:. The city is split into seventeen wards, with each ward returning three councillors. The 51 councillors serve four years and one third of the council is elected each year, followed by one year without election. As of the 2024 local elections a coalition led by 3232:

division of the Stobart Group, who completed a rebuilding of the airport during 2010. It now offers scheduled flights to destinations across Europe, corporate and recreational flights, aircraft maintenance and training for pilots and engineers. It is served by

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was an airline that from 1967 was headquartered at Southend Airport. The company went into administration, and after several changes of ownership became British World Airlines in 1993, however the business entered administration for a final time in 2001.

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OBE has been based in Chalkwell Hall since 2006. The organisation offers residency space for artists and also organises the Village Green Art & Music Festival. The park is also home to NetPark, which claims to be the world's first digital art park.

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until it ended in 2018. The club hosted the first Luck N Neat Juniors rave outside of London in April 2019. Later that year, owner Dick de Vigne put the club up for sale, however the club remained open until the Covid lockdown and has never reopened.

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that extend far from the shore, with a high tide depth that seldom exceeds 5.5 metres (18 ft). Large boats were unable to port near to the beach and no boats could approach at low tide. Many potential visitors would travel beyond Southend on to

11422: 12271: 9049: 4103:"The premises consists of a house of lath and plaster, situate in the village near the bridge; it comprises a schoolroom of about 30ft. in length and 20ft. in breadth, and several other rooms which are appropriated to the use of the schoolmaster" 1058:

with the line finally opening at Southend in 1856. The line had been planned to terminate opposite the pier, however residents in The Royal Terrace opposed this, and the station was built further back. In 1859, the Grove Field area was leased to

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Southend-on-Sea is home to the world's longest pleasure pier, originally built in 1830 from wood before being replaced in iron during 1889. The pier stretches some 1.34 miles (2.16 km) from shore into the Thames Estuary and is a Grade II

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district and parts of Rochford district in 1933. Southend tried their first autumn illuminations during 1935, following the example set in 1913 by Blackpool. The town became a favourite with motorcycle riders during the 1930s, with the phase,

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with the development called New South-End, and the original settlement being renamed Old South-end. A new road was created that cut through the development, which would later become the High Street. The Chelmsford Chronicle wrote at the time,

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opened its station at Southend Victoria, and a new iron built replacement for the pier opened. The town was officially incorporated in 1892, with the Local Board of Health being replaced by a municipal corporation, and a year later added the

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was reporting that the resort was likely to attract the lower and middle classes, not the wealthy clientele that was being aimed at. At this time, Pratt, Watt & Louden transferred the lease to Thomas Holland, a builder and solicitor from

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amusement park. In the same year, the Metropole Hotel opened on Pier Hill, which would later be renamed the Palace Hotel, while the town first received both electric street lighting and trams, and had fitted an electric staircase fitted by

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of World War II. After the war, the site was known as Southend's white elephant until 1963, when work was started on building that could host shows, concerts and private functions. The building was opened by the actor, writer and director

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in a purpose-built building in the centre of town. Formerly known as South East Essex College, (and previously Southend Municipal College) the college changed name in January 2010 following a merger with Thurrock and Basildon College.

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in 1855 in Lower Southend. By 1876, the Board of Education called for a local board of education be setup and extra places be created. At the time of their report Southend had the following schools providing education for under 12s:

4806:. The museums service looks after around 50,000 objects including collections of archaeology, natural history, social history, fashion and textile, fine art and photography. Southend Central Museum is the home of the world-renowned 20907: 19112: 2049:

of Labour, who won 35.6% of the vote on a turnover of 63%. This was the first time since the initial seat in parliament was created in 1918, that Labour have been elected, as the city had previously been held by the Conservatives.

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As of 2023, large employers (those employing more than 250 people) made up only 0.4% of companies within the city, while micro employers (9 or less employees) make up 90.8%, which is 1.2% greater than the East of England average.

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in 1974. The planned fire station was dropped and was eventually built in Sutton Road. These replaced cramped facilities located in Alexandra Road and Clarence Street. The council in 1960 put forward a redevelopment plan, called

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to operate from. The company would expand by opening further offices across the city. In 1989, the company was renamed as Signet Ltd in 1989, along with a change to allow member banks to process their own customers as part of a

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were underway at the time of his death. A "City Week" was held throughout the town between 13 and 20 February 2022, beginning with the inaugural "He Built This City" concert named in honour of Amess. The concert was held at the

998:, although further away from London than Southend, offered cheaper boat and stagecoach fares and had more to offer the visitor. Development was piecemeal in the early 19th century, with a Theatre being built in Old South-end by 4368:

The Kursaal was one of the earliest theme parks, opening in 1901. It closed in the 1970s and much of the land was developed as housing. The entrance hall, a listed building, was redeveloped to house a bowling alley operated by

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By 1920, the limit had been meet by how much water could be extracted from the boreholes in the chalk, and in 1921 a joint application with neighbouring water firm South Essex Waterworks was raised to extract water from the

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purchased the building to save it from demolition, living there until 1932, when it was sold to Southend Corporation who in 1935 opened it as the Mayor's parlour and civic house. The building was listed as Grade I in 1951.

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After the war Southend soon opened up to visitors again, with pier officially being given permission to open by the Home Office in March 1945, although the Prince George Extension was still out of bounds to the public. The

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The Southend-on-Sea Film Festival is an annual event that began in 2009 and is run by the White Bus film and theatrical company based at The Old Waterworks Arts Center located inside a Victorian era Old Water Works plant.

5778:, which was 100 miles from London, compared to the easier distance of 40 miles from the London home of the John and Isabella Knightley, as discussed at length with Mr. Woodhouse in the novel in Chapter XII of volume one. 2806:

opened in 1957 at a cost of £6 million. In 1970, the Essex Water Order was passed by parliament which saw Southend Waterworks Company and South Essex Waterworks merge to create the Essex Water Company. The company became

1340:, with Peter Pan's Playground left underwater. However the town was not affected as badly as other parts of Essex. The town however was more joyous in June, with the town holding a week of celebrations to commemorate the 22120: 11075: 1348:

and a grand fireworks display on the seafront. In 1956, the Great Eastern line was electrified which encouraged more Londoners move to the town, further making it into a dormitory town for the capital. On 14 April 1955,

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due to loss of intertidal areas for wildlife was deemed to much. Plans were resurrected again in 2020 for a marina off the coast at Shoeburyness. In May 1986, the Southend Airshow was started, featuring a fly past by

5049:. This building no longer stands having been replaced by the Southend Campus of the University of Essex. There are plans to build a new 10-screen cinema and entertainment facility on the site of the Seaway Car Park. 1226:, with the army building a concrete platform on the Prince George extension to house anti-aircraft guns. The navy also took over the Royal Terrace for its personnel. The pier was used by the navy to help control the 4629: 2095:

served Southend East, then its replacement seat Rochford and Southend East from 1980 until he retired in 2005. James Duddridge served as Sir Teddy's replacement from 2005 until stepping down at the 2024 election.

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laid the foundation stone, and the first section of the pier opened a year later. However, Southend was still a quiet health resort, as the pier did not extend far enough out and visitors had issues disembarking.

1046:, campaigned in the early 1820s to gain permission from parliament to build a pier. On the 7 May 1829, the House of Lords passed the Bill and it received Royal Assent on the 14 May. By July, Lord Mayor of London, 742: 12087: 4478:

Southend City Council. The Old Leigh Regatta takes place every September, while Leigh Folk Festival has run since 1992, though will be taking a break in 2024. The Southend Jazz Festival has been run since 2020.

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The town started to regenerate its visitor attractions, with the Sealife Centre opening in 1993. In 1995, the owners of Peter Pan's Playground purchased the land East of the pier and started to expand, creating

4663:. The Terrace has been Grade II listed since 1951. In 1973, the owners of the Royal Hotel at the end of the Terrace, put in planning permission to demolish the public house and replace it, which was rejected. 4274:. The facilities cover all track and field events. The centre has a 25m swimming pool and a world championship level diving pool with 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10m boards, plus springboards with the only 1.3m in the UK. 2967:

greengrocers across the town. The company also grew their catering facilities with the construction of Center House at 66-68 High Street. In 1962, the 45 grocery stores across Essex and the bakery was sold to

14982: 2724:(MW) power station redundant. Electricity was generated by diesel engines and by steam obtained from the exhaust gases. The power station closed in 1966 and in its final year of operation it delivered 2,720 21823: 4713:

16th century it was rebuilt with the space between the wings being filled in and a porch built on the north front. The property's first recorded owner was Humfrey Browne (died 1592). Between 1833 to 1835,

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600 to 300. However six years later, C. E. Heath merged with Lambert Fenchurch Group and announced closure of the Southend office. The property remained empty until 2016 when it was converted into flats.

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it was reported that the hotel had been roofed and 60 dwellings had been started on. By the summer two public houses, the Duke of York and the Duke of Clarence had opened. However, by September that year

1306:. The police helped the Combined Operations Service find the owners of the empty properties so they could requisition properties to billet their staff. HMS Westcliff was officially opened, in secret, by 11986: 10597: 4101:

provided, and the remainder of the funding provided by a partial subscription of the parish and collections at St Mary's. The Parliamentary commission into charities of 1819-37 described the school as

3220:; it was opened as a civil airport in 1935. The airport was the UK's third-busiest airport during the 1960s, behind Heathrow and Manchester, before passenger numbers dropped off in the 1970s. In 2008, 16066: 5795:

s Infinite Improbability Drive). Dent briefly feared that both he and Prefect did in fact die, based on a childhood nightmare where his friends went to either Heaven or Hell but he went to Southend.

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opened its doors for the first time. Between 1871 and 1901 the towns population grew 100 fold from 2,800 to 29,000. Marine Park & Gardens opened during 1894, which in 1901 was redeveloped into

18106: 15016: 2892: 5831: 4982:, until it closed and was converted to the Diamond Horseshoe Showbar before it was destroyed in the fire in 1976. The largest lost theatre was the Hippodrome in Southchurch Road, designed by 2574:

factory was sold to the Joint Credit Card Company in 1972, however EKCO Plastics continued to operate from the site. EKCO Plastics had been a separate subsidiary, and had won awards from the

4075:, a drama school has its second campus in Southend, while the Southend Adult Community College is in Ambleside Drive. Southend United Futsal & Football Education Scholarship, located at 3516:. Frosts are occasional. During the 1991–2020 period there was an average of 29.6 days of air frost. Rainfall averaged 527 millimetres (20.7 in). Weather station data is available from 2960:

was a department store that opened in 1901, in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff-on-Sea. In May 2017, Havens announced that they would be closing their store to concentrate as an online retailer.

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as a memorial to Amess, who had long campaigned for this status to be granted. Preparations, led by Amess, for Southend to enter a competition for city status in 2022 as part of the Queen's

20898: 19102: 2552: 1123:'s diamond jubilee, a statue of her pointing out to sea was placed at the top of Pier Hill, although the locals stated she was pointing at the gents toilets! A foundation stone was laid by 4491:, is an annual event featuring motorbikes and scooters. There are other scooter runs throughout the year, including the Great London Rideout, which arrives at Southend seafront each year. 14561: 12234: 4400:

A short funicular railway, constructed in 1912, links the seafront to the High Street level of the town. The line runs on the site of a pioneering moving walkway, a forerunner of today's

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royal burial was found dating from the 6th century, with a display of the finds displayed at Southend Central Museum since 2019. The road widening was cancelled after a campaign known as

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pub was once a regular music venue. Situated on Western Esplanade, the building was opened in 1900. In the 70s it ran as a Pub Rock venue, called the Grand Canyon Club with the likes of

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into separate boys and girls schools. In 1912, a foundation stone was laid in Boston Avenue for a new girls school, and a year later the girls left the Day Technical School to the new

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awarded beaches at East Beach, Shoebury Common, Three Shells and Westcliff Bay. A modern vertical lift links the base of the High Street with the seafront and the new pier entrance.

936:. By the end of the decade, the number of bathing machines had increased, the hamlet was recorded as containing the Ship Inn and 25 houses and cottages, and reported visitors such as 2944:

opened as a drapers in 1913 on the corner of London Road and what is now the High Street. Expansion before World War II saw it become a department store. The business closed in 1973.

1431:, Britain's second credit card, opened their offices in the former EKCO site in Priory Crescent. A year later HM Customs and Excise opened the central offices for the collection of 13134: 10395: 5671:

On 28 March 2008, Southend got its own radio station for the first time which is also shared with Chelmsford Radio (formerly known as Dream 107.7 FM and Chelmer FM before that),

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Road (which would become Hamlet Court County School) in 1897, Southchurch Hall in 1904, Bournemouth Park in 1907 and Chalkwell Park in 1909. The local board was dissolved by the

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was a furniture and electrical store based in Sutton Road, which was started in 1946 by Linton Wellfare. The business closed in 2010 after the retirement of Linton's son Richard.

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Southend-on-Sea County Borough Corporation provided the borough with electricity from the early twentieth century up to 1966 from the Southend power station in London Road. Upon

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on 15 October 2021. Southend was granted city status by letters patent dated 26 January 2022. On 1 March 2022, the letters patent were presented to Southend Borough Council by

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Southend has several small libraries located in Leigh, Westcliff, Kent Elms and Southchurch. The central library has moved from its traditional location on Victoria Avenue to

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with summer highs of around 22 °C (72 °F) and winters highs being around 7.8 °C (46.0 °F). Summer temperatures are generally slightly cooler than those in

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Southend is the seventh most densely populated area in the United Kingdom outside of the London Boroughs, with 38.8 people per hectare compared to a national average of 3.77.

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The Latin motto, 'Per Mare Per Ecclesiam', emblazoned on the municipal coat of arms, translates as 'By Sea, By Church', reflecting Southend's position between the church at

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was released to improve the town's ability to attract holidaymakers, including bastions with facilities at Chalkwell and Westcliff, but they never got off the drawing board.

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Southend would use the Kursaal and Pier as nodal attractions to promote the town to tourists during the 50s and 60s. On 31 January 1953, Southend seafront was affected by the

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was released to celebrate the roots of the genre in the town. Later in the decade, Southend had a big punk rock scene producing notable bands The Machines, The Sinyx and

13170: 1157: 21132: 18356: 17055: 13329: 12080: 25999: 17098: 5017: 2102:, son of Henry replaced his father as the MP for Southend West from 1959 until he stepped down in 1997. He was replaced by Sir David Amess, who served from 1997 until 1435:. In 1972, Southend Air Museum opened its doors for the first time at Aviation Way. This was against the backdrop of the government planning to build a new airport on 14372: 11297: 5791:, after being saved from death in the vacuum of space, Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect find themselves in a distorted version of Southend (a consequence of the starship 10195: 4460:

and a Victorian bandstand were an attraction until slippage in 2003 made parts of the cliffs unstable. The bandstand has been removed and re-erected in Priory Park.

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started broadcasting on 105.1FM from purpose-built studios adjacent to the Adventure Island theme park. The station merged with Chelmsford Radio in 2015 and became

24200: 22154: 21815: 13872:/786): Regrouping Order: transfer of the water undertakings of certain local authorities and the Southend Waterworks Company to the South Essex Waterworks Company. 13397: 5339:

at Outrage nights. In October 1999, the club night Rage controversially held a Halloween party with act Nightmare, with Southend East MP, Sir Teddy Taylor, saying,

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Between 2008 and 2019, Chalkwell Park became home to the Village Green Art & Music Festival for a weekend every July, but has not run since 2019 due to covid.

22509: 19293: 18758: 934:"Southend is likely to become a place of fashionable resort, and that there are a greater number of genteel families there this season than was ever known before" 20686: 2016: 2679:

was a specialist air haulage company working in the motorsport industry and based at London Southend Airport since 2009. The company ceased operations in 2022.

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The Old Waterworks Arts Center operates on North Road, Westcliff in the former Victorian water works building. It holds art exhibitions, talks and workshops.

1443:, which the council purchased a share in the consortium of developers hoping to shape the benefits for the town, but the airport plans were pulled by the new 24904: 17833: 15277: 1153: 22459: 17855: 16635: 16070: 13424: 23636: 11919: 2471:'s 10 bases in the UK. In addition to flights, Southend has several aircraft maintenance firms including Inflite MRO Services, and in Ipeco, have a former 2020: 20326: 19701: 19636: 13231: 12487: 4340:, English poet and broadcaster, once said that "the Pier is Southend, Southend is the Pier". The pier has been home to a narrow gauge railway since 1846. 1344:. This included an air race at the airport featuring aerobatic displays by supersonic jets, a military tattoo, a coronation ball at the Kursaal featuring 18928: 4918:

to use the theatre. A smaller venue called The Dixon Studio was added in the early 1980s after a fundraising campaign by the Palace Theatre Trust led by

4763: 3897: 2836:. The centre replaced the south end of High Street and Grove Road, and saw the demolition of the Ritz Cinema and Grand Pier Hotel. Prior to the opening, 21902: 21006: 20021: 19103:"Sam Duckworth interview: 'I love making music and without sounding corny it feels like this is what I'm meant to do' – The Independent 12 October 2016" 16379: 15008: 12855: 3961: 2509:

Southend has industrial parks located at Progress Road, Comet and Aviation Way in Eastwood and Stock Road in Sutton. Firms located in Southend include

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Southend Punk Rock History 1976 – 1986, a detailed site containing information on the Punk Rock explosion as experienced by Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK

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The city of Southend has shopping in other areas. The Broadway in Leigh-on-Sea is known for its independent boutiques and coffee shops. Leigh Road in

831:. In the 1790s, the first buildings around what was to become the High Street of Southend were completed. In the 19th century, Southend's status as a 20043: 7805: 5423:"a whole range of heterogeneous youth styles: glitter rock, American proto-punk, London pub-rock, Southend R & B bands, Northern soul and reggae" 4883: 4733: 4706:

and was to be part of a modernist development that failed to materialise beyond the two buildings. The building is now home to the Sunshine Nursery.

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purchased an existing ironmongers store located in the High Street in around 1882. The store expanded into selling toys, before closing in the 1980s.

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In the 2021 census, it was reported that 69.1% of the working population work in full-time employment, with 10.9% working more than 48 hours a week.

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replaced her in 1935, serving until his death in 1958. Because of the Guinness connection, the seat became known in the media as "Guinness-on-Sea".

25184: 13940: 12404: 10141: 9282: 5156:, a Christian community centre and concert hall based on Southchurch Road that had previously been a cinema, regularly hosts concert performances. 4373:

and casino in 1998. However the bowling alley closed in 2019 and the casino closed in 2020. The building currently stands unused, and in May 2024,

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As of May 2024, The Office of National Statistics have recorded the following employment, unemployment and economic inactivity in Southend-on-Sea.

17333: 16067:"Leisure Centres Directory - Southend Swimming & Diving Centre at Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre | Southend-on-Sea Borough Council" 26024: 26014: 24894: 11361: 6776: 5029: 2991:

was a jewellers that was opened by Robert Arthur Jones in 1890. Jones would go on and become a benefactor for the town. The store closed in 1979.

2528: 2198: 1080: 19545: 17466: 4655:(originally called the Terrace), built between 1791 and 1793, is one of the few examples of 18th century urban housing in Essex, and was called 4408:, but soon proved noisy and unreliable due its exposed location. The lift re-opened to the public in 2010, following a period of refurbishment. 25227: 25089: 24884: 19058: 18374: 17385: 17315: 4617: 22066: 22012: 21742: 16853: 11009: 10468: 652: 22686: 21460: 19395: 15869: 15841: 15759: 15692: 15621: 15591: 15564: 15537: 15510: 15483: 15456: 9839: 8149: 8122: 8041: 8014: 7984: 7954: 5167: 4597: 4028: 2656:

was an airline, maintenance and aircraft sales company that operated out of London Southend Airport, which went into administration in 2008.

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album which was also recorded on film. A photograph of the performance of AC/DC at The Kursaal in 1977 was used on the front cover of their

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On this day in Essex : a diary of day by day events many of which shaped the nations history with national and international timelines

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Southend has appeared in films over the years, with the New York New York arcade on Marine Parade being used in the British gangster flick

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is located in the former Clifftown United Reformed Church and as well as regular performances is part of the East 15 Acting School campus.

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previously played in Southend one week a season until the club withdrew in 2011 after 105 years. The Southend Cricket Festival was held at

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in 1944 with the name being used until the 1960s. The Alexandra Street branch was the first Waitrose store in 1951 to be made self-service.

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across the city, with the first being designated in 1968. Nationally Historic England have 124 recorded listed buildings within the city.

24939: 24578: 22396: 20108: 18186: 14483:"SOUTHEND-ON-SEA Essex, 1937-1938 OFFICIAL GUIDE by Jennings, George (Publicity Officer): Good Soft cover (1937) 1st Edition,SEVERNBOOKS" 8489: 6468: 2662:

was an aircraft maintenance company based out of both Southend and Southampton airports. It collapsed in 2015 with the loss of 144 jobs.

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credit card. It was the second credit card company launched in the UK, becoming available during 1972. The company purchased the former

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of the Conservatives had replaced Amess at the by-election in January 2022 with 86% of the vote but lost her seat at the 2024 election.

1026:. The visit of Princess Caroline boosted Southend's popularity with tourists. Travellers would often arrive by sailing boat or later by 188: 26009: 25129: 24974: 24909: 21496: 19239: 14826: 14153: 13988: 13616: 11057: 10087: 10022: 8726: 8070: 6863: 2088: 2030:

Due to boundary changes, the seats in Southend changed at the 2024 election to Southend East and Rochford and Southend West and Leigh.

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on 10 May 1915 with the death of one woman, while a second attack happened on the 26 May again with one death. Another bombing raid by

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is a Grade I listed church that has existed since Saxon times and is the oldest building in the city. Professor Stephen Rippon of the

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As of the 2021 census, the population was recorded as 180,686, with 51.3% of the population being female, and 48.7% recorded as male.

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was a nationally recognised department store opened in 1892. The store, located in the High Street, went into administration in 1996.

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hosted many of the big dance bands of the 20s and 40s. During the 1970s it became a renowned rock music venue, hosting acts such as

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had been started by the council as a Tram service in 1901, before moving into Trolleybuses and Motorbuses, before being sold off to

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in 1901 for the new Day Technical School, School of Art and Evening Class Institute with the completed building being opened by the

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won 38.8% of the vote to win the seat of Southend East and Rochford, with a 57% turnout. The new MP for Southend West and Leigh is

21478: 20828: 20492: 18338: 17235: 16494: 13774: 13752: 13681: 13152: 13065: 11683: 11111: 10545: 10185: 9079: 8695: 5355:. Chameleon hosted various club nights, but was known for its alternative Panic night on Fridays, which hosted DJs like Radio 1's 5092:

Southend and the surrounding areas were heavily used and featured in the Viral Marketing for the Universal Pictures 2022 American

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Maitland Keddie, from the Keddies department store organised day trips for wounded soldiers from the Queen Mary Naval Hospital to

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The London to Southend Classic Car Run takes place each summer. It is run by the South Eastern Vintage and Classic Vehicle Club.

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There are regular vintage fairs and markets in Southend, held at a variety of locations including the Leigh Community Centre and

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After Southend became a separate ecclesiastical district in 1842, the church of St. John's the Baptist founded the subscription

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Southend has a mixture of secondary school offerings. The mainstream secondary schools are mixed-sex comprehensives, including

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in 1943. The well known jeweller R.A. Jones store was damaged by bombing in October 1942. An amusing moment during the war was

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listed international aircraft seat and airframe manufacturer headquartered in the city since 1960. In 2024, Ipeco was awarded

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Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and Southend Meenatshe Suntharasar Temple, while there is one Buddhist temple, Amita Buddha Centre.

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Corsa adverts featuring Electric Avenue, a seafront arcade the 2018 Guide Dogs for the Blind campaign and for the promo for

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Southend was not always full of chain stores, with many historical independent stores closing during the 70s, 80s and 90s.

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the theatre and its owners. The building was badly damaged by fire on Saturday 1 August 2015 and was demolished in 2017.

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Southend has appeared in several television shows and advertisements. It has been used on numerous occasions by the soap

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compare the Southend music scene to punk rock meccas New York, LA, Seattle and Washington DC. Between 2001 and 2006, the

4577: 4109: 2476: 2063: 1128: 1023: 503: 465: 22144: 21384: 21270: 15789: 14373:"End of an era as Havens store prepares to close after almost 100 years on the high street – Evening Echo p.12 May 2017" 12670: 11155: 9193: 8975: 3932: 2904: 26004: 25220: 25114: 20708: 20681: 20091: 19924: 19351: 18881: 18536: 17807: 17687: 16735: 16165: 15905: 15397: 8241: 7763: 5712: 4675:"stone buildings in this period were extremely rare, suggesting Prittlewell was a "minister" church of some importance" 4641: 4155:

The Technical Instruction Act of 1889 and 1891 allowed councils to provide evening classes for technical subjects. The

907:. In March 1665, the British naval ship, The London, blew up while moored just of South-end on its was to fight in the 479: 22414: 21212: 20899:"Sam Duckworth interview: 'I love making music and without sounding corny it feels like this is what I'm meant to do'" 14258: 11853: 9168: 4434:, formerly known as Peter Pan's Playground, straddles the pier entrance. The seafront houses the "Sea-Life Adventure" 3327: 1088: 26019: 25139: 25109: 25084: 25079: 25064: 25054: 24924: 24889: 24613: 23644: 22327: 22300: 22210: 21948: 21574: 20929: 20811: 20638: 20118: 19711: 19464: 19334: 19276: 19249: 19179: 19152: 19068: 18891: 18823: 18776: 18742: 18713: 18680: 18655: 17476: 17440: 17424: 17197: 17170: 17116: 17021: 16952: 16889: 16794: 16415: 16212: 15851: 15769: 15736: 15702: 15631: 15601: 15574: 15547: 15520: 15493: 15466: 15255: 15072: 14525: 14349: 13950: 13665: 12654: 11693: 10942: 10654: 10581: 10529: 10504: 10452: 10298: 10255: 10228: 10003: 9874: 9849: 9780: 9723: 9681: 9638: 9604: 9577: 9532: 9505: 9457: 9382: 9338: 9311: 9245: 9152: 9125: 9033: 8985: 8958: 8948: 8931: 8886: 8859: 8832: 8822: 8785: 8758: 8705: 8580: 8535: 8456: 8429: 8404: 8362: 8337: 8284: 8159: 8132: 8051: 8024: 7994: 7964: 7815: 7788: 7609: 7552: 7525: 7253: 7226: 7196: 7152: 7122: 7076: 7031: 6991: 6953: 6522: 5893: 5807:, is set in Southend. Chambers had worked as a teacher in the city's Westcliff High School for Boys for three years. 4431: 4156: 3390: 3359: 1929: 1896: 1589:

The British Geological Survey provided a summary in 1986 of the geology of the country around Southend and Foulness:

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is the only professional club in the city. The club was formed in 1906 and has played as high as English football's

2773:, with a first of its kind lime recovery plant. During 1896, the water supply was tested due to a rising issue with 25164: 25104: 25094: 25049: 25009: 24979: 24803: 24648: 20980: 19571: 16143: 14543: 10806: 7542: 6219: 6067: 4955: 4910: 4666: 4566: 3410: 3406: 3270: 3234: 2190:'s research data shows that for 2008–09, Southend had 4,000 children living in poverty, a rate of 12%, the same as 1951: 1537: 1483: 1468: 1303: 1047: 1043: 827:

Southend-on-Sea originally consisted of a few poor fishermen's huts and farm at the southern end of the village of

812:. The city is one of the most densely populated places in the country outside of London. It is home to the longest 536: 113: 35: 21248: 18910: 16249: 14789: 12138: 11398:"Geology of the country around Southend and Foulness. Memoir for 1:50 000 sheets 258 and 259, (England and Wales)" 11279: 8570: 8473: 5774:, published 1816. The family arrived by stage coach, and strongly preferred it to the choice of the Perry family, 4813:

Independent museums and archives include the Jazz Centre UK, a jazz cultural centre, that has operated out of the

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is a Grade II* listed obelisk situated in Clifftown, Southend. The structure was completed in 1921 to designs by

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we want in Southend at all. How does it add to people's enjoyment to see people being dismembered and beheaded?

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Yellow-brown sandy silts, locally calcareous in the lower part and sandy gravels with seams of silt and clay

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Book of Prospectuses. Statements for Information and Circulars to Shareholders of Public Companies. Issue 23

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