Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and
unitary authority area with
borough status in southeastern
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
, England. It lies on the north side of the
Thames Estuary
The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain.
Limits
An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...
, east of central
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. It is bordered to the north by
Rochford and to the west by
Castle Point
Castle Point is a local government district with borough status in south Essex, east of central London. The borough comprises the towns and villages of Canvey Island, Hadleigh, South Benfleet, and Thundersley. The borough council is situated ...
. It is home to the longest pleasure pier in the world,
Southend Pier
Southend Pier is a major landmark in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom. Extending into the Thames Estuary, it is the longest pleasure pier in the world. The bill to build the new pier, to replace a previous timber jetty, received Royal ...
.
London Southend Airport
London Southend Airport is an international airport situated on the outskirts of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England, approximately from the centre of London. The airport straddles the boundaries between the city of Southend-on-Sea and the R ...
is located north of the city centre.
Southend-on-Sea originally consisted of a few poor fishermen's huts and farms at the southern end of the village of
Prittlewell
Prittlewell is an inner city area of Southend-on-Sea in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Historically, Prittlewell is the original settlement of the city, Southend being the ''south end'' of Prittlewell. ...
. 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 of a
seaside resort
A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germ ...
grew after a visit from Princess
Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Caroline Amelia Elizabeth; 17 May 1768 – 7 August 1821) was Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 29 January 1820 until her death in 1821, being the estranged wife of King George IV. She was Pri ...
, and Southend Pier was constructed. From the 1960s onwards, the city declined as a holiday destination. Southend redeveloped itself as the home of the
Access credit card, due to its having one of the UK's first
electronic telephone exchanges. After the 1960s, much of the city centre was developed for commerce and retail, and many original structures were lost to redevelopment. An annual seafront airshow, which started in 1986 and featured a flypast by
Concorde
The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France an ...
, used to take place each May until 2012.
On 18 October 2021, it was announced that Southend would be granted
city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose.
Historically, city status ...
, as a memorial to the Member of Parliament for Southend West,
Sir David Amess, a long-time supporter of city status for the borough, who was
fatally stabbed 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
Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
.
History
Originally the "south end" of the village of
Prittlewell
Prittlewell is an inner city area of Southend-on-Sea in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Historically, Prittlewell is the original settlement of the city, Southend being the ''south end'' of Prittlewell. ...
, Southend was home to a few poor fishermens' huts and farms at the southern extremity of
Prittlewell Priory
Prittlewell Priory is a medieval priory in the Prittlewell area of Southend, Essex, England. It was founded in the 12th century, by monks from the Cluniac Priory of St Pancras in Lewes, East Sussex, and passed into private hands at the time ...
land. In the 1790s, landowner Daniel Scratton sold off land on either side of what was to become the High Street. The Grand Hotel (now Royal Hotel) and Grove Terrace (now Royal Terrace) were completed by 1794, and stagecoaches from London made it accessible. Due to the bad transportation links between Southend and London, there was not rapid development during the
Georgian Era as there was in
Brighton. But after the coming of the railways in the 19th century and the visit of Princess
Caroline of Brunswick
Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (Caroline Amelia Elizabeth; 17 May 1768 – 7 August 1821) was Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 29 January 1820 until her death in 1821, being the estranged wife of King George IV. She was Pri ...
, Southend's status as a seaside resort grew. During the 19th century Southend's pier was first constructed and the Clifftown development built, attracting many summer tourists to its seven miles of beaches and sea bathing. Good rail connections and proximity to London mean that much of the economy has been based on tourism, and that Southend has been a dormitory town for city workers ever since.
Southend Pier
Southend Pier is a major landmark in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom. Extending into the Thames Estuary, it is the longest pleasure pier in the world. The bill to build the new pier, to replace a previous timber jetty, received Royal ...
is the world's longest pleasure
pier
Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...
at .
It has suffered fires and ship collisions, most recently in October 2005, but the basic pier structure has been repaired each time.
As a holiday destination, Southend declined from the 1960s onwards, as holidaying abroad became more affordable. Southend became the home of the
Access credit card, as it had one of the UK's first electronic telephone exchanges (it is still home to RBS Card Services – one of the former members of Access), with offices based in the former
EKCO
EKCO (from Eric Kirkham Cole Limited) was a British electronics company producing radio and television sets from 1924 until 1960. Expanding into plastic production for its own use, Ekco Plastics produced both radio cases and later domestic plasti ...
factory, Maitland House (
Keddies
Keddies was a small chain of department stores in Essex, England, with its flagship store in a prime location in Southend-on-Sea, Southend High Street (originally called the Broadway). The business had a national reputation, being recognised in T ...
), Victoria Circus and Southchurch Road. Since then, much of the city centre has been developed for commerce and retail, and during the 1960s many original structures were lost to redevelopment – such as the Talza Arcade and Victoria Market (replaced by what is now known as The Victoria Shopping Centre) and Southend Technical College (on the site of the ODEON Cinema, now a campus of South Essex College). However, about 6.4 million tourists still visit Southend per year, generating estimated revenues of £200 million a year.
H.M. Revenue & Customs (HMRC), (formerly H.M. Customs and Excise), are major employers in the city, and the central offices for the collection of
VAT
A value-added tax (VAT), known in some countries as a goods and services tax (GST), is a type of tax that is assessed incrementally. It is levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the en ...
are located at Alexander House on Victoria Avenue.
An annual seafront airshow, started in 1986 when it featured a flypast by
Concorde
The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France an ...
whilst on a passenger charter flight, used to take place each May and became one of Europe's largest free airshows. The aircraft flew parallel to the seafront, offset over the sea. The
RAF Falcons
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
parachute display team and RAF
Red Arrows aerobatics team were regular visitors to the show. The last show was held in 2012; an attempt to revive the show for September 2015, as the Southend Airshow and Military Festival, failed.
On 15 October 2021, the Member of Parliament for Southend West, Sir David Amess, was
fatally stabbed during a constituency meeting in
Leigh-on-Sea
Leigh-on-Sea (), commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a town and civil parish in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011, it had a population of 22,509.
Geography
Leigh-on-Sea is on the northern ...
. On 18 October 2021, the Prime Minister,
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
, announced that
the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
had agreed to grant Southend-on-Sea with
city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose.
Historically, city status ...
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
Platinum Jubilee
A platinum jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary. Among monarchies, it usually refers to a 70th anniversary.
The most recent monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the other C ...
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
Cliffs Pavilion
Cliffs Pavilion is a theatre and concert venue on Station Road in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, a town within the city of Southend-on-Sea. It seats 1,630 and offers an assortment of variety acts.
Building
Work began on the original Cliff ...
and included performers such as
Digby Fairweather
Richard John Charles "Digby" Fairweather (born 25 April 1946) is a British jazz cornetist, author and broadcaster.
Biography
Before becoming a professional musician, Fairweather was a librarian and has retained an interest in jazz bibliograph ...
,
Lee Mead
Lee Stephen Mead (born 14 July 1981) is an English musical theatre, television actor and occasional singer, best known for winning the title role in the 2007 West End revival of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' through the BBC T ...
, and
Leanne Jarvis
''The Voice UK'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The second series was hosted by Holly Willoughby and Reggie Yates on BBC One and started on 30 March 2013. On 13 November 2012, it was confirmed that all four ...
. Other events such as a city ceremony and the Southend LuminoCity Festival of Light were held during the week.
Sam Duckworth
Sam Duckworth (born 1986) is an English musician who performs as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. He is also sometimes referred to as ''Get Cape'', ''Cape'', ''GCWCF'' and ''Slam Dunkworth'' (the latter title apparently first coined by Emmy the Great ...
, 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.
Governance
Local government district
Southend-on-Sea was formed as a
municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...
in 1892 with the functions of local government shared with
Essex County Council
Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and is currently controlled by the Conservative Party. The council meets at County Hall ...
. In 1913, the borough was enlarged by the former area of
Leigh on Sea Urban District
Leigh-on-Sea (), commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a town and civil parish in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011, it had a population of 22,509.
Geography
Leigh-on-Sea is on the northern ...
. In 1914 the enlarged Southend gained the status of
county borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...
, exempt from
county council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Ireland
The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irel ...
control and a single-tier of local government. The county borough was enlarged in 1933 by the former area of
Shoeburyness Urban District
Shoeburyness (; also called Shoebury) is a suburb of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. east of the city centre. It was an urban district of Essex from 1894 to 1933, when i ...
and part of
Rochford Rural District
Rochford Rural District was a rural district with an area of 146.01 square kilometres in the county of Essex, England. It was created in 1894, in 1897 the parish of Leigh was removed to create the Leigh-on-Sea Urban District. In 1926 the paris ...
.
On 1 April 1974, under the
Local Government Act 1972, Southend became a district of Essex with borough status and its
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
was abolished. However, in 1998 it again became the single tier of local government when it became a
unitary authority
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...
.
Upon receiving city status on 1 March 2022, the council voted to rename itself '
Southend-on-Sea City Council
Southend-on-Sea City Council is the local authority of the Southend-on-Sea district in Essex, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It is a member of the East of England ...
'.
[
]
Council
Seventeen wards each return three councillors, a total of 51. Councillors serve four years and one third of the council is elected each year, followed by one year without election. Following the 2019 election results, the composition of the council is:
The council was controlled by the Conservative Party after they gained control in the 2000 election. They maintained a minority administration after the 2012 local elections, however the council was run by a coalition of Lib Dems, Labour and Independents after June 2014, with the Conservatives gaining overall control again in 2018. In 2019, the coalition regained control. Most day-to-day decisions are by an eight-member executive headed by the council leader.
The Latin motto, 'Per Mare Per Ecclesiam', emblazoned on the municipal coat of arms, translates as 'By heSea, By heChurch', reflecting Southend's position between the church at Prittlewell
Prittlewell is an inner city area of Southend-on-Sea in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Historically, Prittlewell is the original settlement of the city, Southend being the ''south end'' of Prittlewell. ...
and the sea as in the Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
estuary. The city has been twinned with the resort of Sopot
Sopot is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, and has the status of the county, being the smallest ci ...
in Poland since 1999 and has been developing three-way associations with Lake Worth Beach, Florida
Lake Worth Beach, previously named Lake Worth, is a city in east-central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located about north of Miami. The city's name is derived from the body of water along its eastern border known as the Lake Worth ...
.
Southend Borough Council was criticised as one of the worst financially managed local authorities in England by the Audit Commission report for 2006–07 one of three to gain only one of four stars, the others being Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
and the Isles of Scilly. Areas of criticism were the use of consultants and the spending of £3.5 million on taxis during the 2006–07 financial year.
However, in March 2012, Southend Borough Council was awarded the title of 'Council of the Year 2012' by the Local Government Chronicle
The ''Local Government Chronicle'' (''LGC'') is a British weekly magazine for local government officers, and is published by Metropolis. The magazine was launched in 1855 by bookseller and publisher Charles Knight . It was then published by E ...
.
During the 2015 general and local election there was a turnout of 62.17%, equating to 80,899 votes cast.[https://www.southend.gov.uk/info/200400/elections_and_registering_to_vote/308/election_results Southend-On-Sea Borough Council]
Southend Civic Centre
Southend Civic Centre is a municipal building in Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The structure is the meeting place of Southend-on-Sea City Council.
History
The first municipal building in Southend was the municipal offices in ...
was designed by borough architect, Patrick Burridge, and officially opened by the Queen Mother
A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also u ...
on 31 October 1967.
Members of Parliament
Southend is represented by two Members of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MPs) at Westminster.
The MP for Southend West was Sir David Amess (Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
), who served from 1997 until his murder in 2021. Anna Firth
Annalissa Firth (, born 1965 or 1966) is a British politician and former barrister who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Southend West since the 2022 by-election. A member of the Conservative Party, she was also a councillor on ...
has served as the MP for the constituency since the following 2022 Southend West by-election.
Since 2005 the MP for Rochford and Southend East has been James Duddridge
Sir James Philip Duddridge, (born 26 August 1971) is a British politician and former banker serving as Minister of State for International Trade. He has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochford and Southend East since 2005. He is ...
(Conservative), who replaced Sir Teddy Taylor
Sir Edward MacMillan Taylor (18 April 1937 – 20 September 2017) was a British Conservative Party politician who was a Member of Parliament (MP) for forty years, from 1964 to 1979 for Glasgow Cathcart and from 1980 to 2005 for Southend Eas ...
. Despite its name the majority of the constituency is in Southend, including the centre of the city; Rochford makes up only a small part and the majority of Rochford District Council is represented in the Rayleigh constituency.
Demography
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. By 2006, the majority, or 52% of the Southend population were between the ages of 16–54, 18% were below age 15, 18% were above age 65 and the middle age populace between 55 and 64 accounted for the remaining 12%.
Save the Children
The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
's research data shows that for 2008–09, Southend had 4,000 children living in poverty, a rate of 12%, the same as Thurrock
Thurrock () is a unitary authority area with borough status and unparished area in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The ...
, but above the 11% child poverty rate of Essex as a whole.
The Department for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), formerly the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for housing, communities, local governme ...
's 2010 Indices of Multiple Deprivatio
Deprivation Indices
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 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 benefit (19%) and the third highest percentage of residents receiving council tax benefit in Essex.
The urban area
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...
of Southend spills outside of the borough boundaries into the neighbouring Castle Point
Castle Point is a local government district with borough status in south Essex, east of central London. The borough comprises the towns and villages of Canvey Island, Hadleigh, South Benfleet, and Thundersley. The borough council is situated ...
and Rochford districts, including the towns of Hadleigh, Benfleet, Rayleigh and Rochford, as well as the villages of Hockley
Hockley is a large village and civil parish in Essex in the East of England located between Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea, or, more specifically, between Rayleigh and Rochford. It came to prominence during the coming of the railway in the 189 ...
and Hullbridge
Hullbridge is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Rochford district of Essex in east England. Bordered to the north by the River Crouch, and semi-isolated from the nearby towns of Hockley and Rayleigh, Hullbridge has a populat ...
. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 295,310, making it the largest urban area solely within the East of England.
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Southend-on-Sea at current basic price
published
(pp. 240–253) by ''Office for National Statistics'' with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
In 2006, travel insurance company InsureandGo
InsureandGo (officially known as Insure & Go Insurance Services Limited) is a British travel insurance company which is owned by AllClear Insurance.
As well as the United Kingdom, InsureandGo also has operations in the Republic of Ireland an ...
relocated its offices from Braintree 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 building is now home to Ventrica, a customer service outsourcing company.
Southend has industrial parks located at Progress Road, Comet and Aviation Ways in Eastwood and Stock Road in Sutton. Firms located in Southend include Olympus Keymed, Hi-Tec Sports
Hi-Tec Sports, trading as Hi-Tec, is a privately held producer and distributor of sportswear and accessories, headquartered in the Netherlands.
History
Hi-Tec Sports was founded in 1974, in Shoeburyness, Essex, England, by Frank Van Wezel. ...
and MK Electric
MK Electric is a company that makes electrical accessories. The company's headquarters are in Basildon, Essex, England, from where it sells goods worldwide.
History
In 1912 Charles Arnold and Charles Belling formed Belling and Company making ...
. Southend has declined as a centre for credit card management with only Royal Bank of Scotland card services (now branded NatWest) still operating in the city.
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 pressures on the housing market. It is the 11th most expensive place to live in Britain.
Southend-on-Sea County Borough Corporation had provided the borough with electricity since the early twentieth century from Southend power station. Upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948 ownership passed to the British Electricity Authority and later to the Central Electricity Generating Board
The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s.
It was established on 1 Janua ...
. Electricity connections to the national grid rendered the 5.75 megawatt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...
(MW) power station redundant. Electricity was generated by diesel engines and by steam obtained from the exhaust gases. The power station closed in 1966; in its final year of operation it delivered 2,720 MWh of electricity to the borough.
Transport
Airport
London Southend Airport was developed from the military airfield at Rochford; it was opened as a civil airport in 1935. 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 Southend Airport railway station, on the Shenfield–Southend line
The Shenfield–Southend line is a branch line off the Great Eastern Main Line in Essex, in the east of England. It links in the west to , in Southend-on-Sea, in the east. The vast majority of services connect to or from the Great Eastern Main ...
.
Buses
Local bus services are provided by two main companies. Arriva Southend was formerly the council-owned Southend Corporation Transport and First Essex Buses was formerly Eastern National
Eastern National (also known as EN) is a nonprofit Cooperating Association based in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, that partners with the National Park Service in the United States. It was created by charter in 1948 to "provide quality education ...
/Thamesway. Smaller providers include Stephensons of Essex.
Southend has a bus station in Chichester Road, which was developed from a temporary facility added in the 1970s; 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 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 Hadleigh but, prior to the 1980s, Eastern National had depots on London Road (at the bus station) and Fairfax Drive.
Railway
357036 at Southend Central.jpg, A c2c train at Southend Central station
Southend Victoria railway station.JPG, Southend Victoria station
Southend Cliff Railway in 2008.jpg, Southend Cliff Railway
Southend is served by two lines on the National Rail
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...
network:
* Running from Southend Victoria
Southend Victoria railway station is the eastern terminus of the Shenfield to Southend Line in the East of England, a branch off the Great Eastern Main Line, and is one of the primary stations serving the resort city of Southend-on-Sea, Essex ...
north out of the city is the Shenfield–Southend line
The Shenfield–Southend line is a branch line off the Great Eastern Main Line in Essex, in the east of England. It links in the west to , in Southend-on-Sea, in the east. The vast majority of services connect to or from the Great Eastern Main ...
, a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line, operated by Abellio Greater Anglia
Greater Anglia (legal name Abellio East Anglia Limited) is a train operating company in Great Britain owned as a joint venture by Abellio, the international arm of the state-owned Dutch national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen, and the J ...
. Services operate to London Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is the t ...
, via .
* Running from , in the east of the borough, is the London, Tilbury and Southend line
The London, Tilbury and Southend line, also known as Essex Thameside, is a commuter railway line on the British railway system. It connects Fenchurch Street station, in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex, including , , ...
operated by . It runs west through , , to London Fenchurch Street, either via and or and . Additionally, one service from Southend Central each weekday evening terminates at Liverpool Street.
From 1910 to 1939, the London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The ...
's District line
The District line is a London Underground line running from in the east and Edgware Road in the west to in west London, where it splits into multiple branches. One branch runs to in south-west London and a short branch, with a limited serv ...
's eastbound service ran as far as Southend and Shoeburyness.
Besides its main line railway connections, Southend is also the home of two smaller railways. The Southend Pier Railway
The Southend Pier Railway is a narrow gauge railway in the English city of Southend-on-Sea, Essex. It runs for along the length of Southend Pier, providing public passenger transport from the shore to the pier head.
History 19th century
T ...
provides transport along the length of Southend Pier
Southend Pier is a major landmark in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom. Extending into the Thames Estuary, it is the longest pleasure pier in the world. The bill to build the new pier, to replace a previous timber jetty, received Royal ...
, whilst the nearby Southend Cliff Railway provides a connection from the promenade to the cliff top above.
Roads
Two A-roads connect Southend with London and the rest of the country: the A127
The A127, also known as the Southend Arterial Road, is a major road in Essex, England. It was constructed as a new arterial road project in the 1920s, linking Romford with Southend-on-Sea, replacing the older A13. Formerly classified as a tr ...
(''Southend Arterial Road''), via Basildon and Romford
Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romfo ...
, and the A13, via Tilbury and London Docklands. Both are major routes; however, within the borough, the A13 is now a single carriageway local route, whereas the A127 is entirely dual carriageway. Both connect to the M25 and eventually London.
Climate
Southend-on-Sea is one of the driest places in the UK. It has a marine climate with summer highs of around and winters highs being around . Summer temperatures are generally slightly cooler than those in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. Frosts are occasional. During the 1991–2020 period there was an average of 29.6 days of air frost. Rainfall averaged . Weather station data is available from Shoeburyness, which is adjacent to Southend in the eastern part of the urban area.
Education
File:P1020316.JPG, University of Essex
The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Es ...
accommodation in Southend
File:Cecil Jones College - geograph.org.uk - 307915.jpg, Cecil Jones Academy
File:Westcliff High School for Boys.jpg, Westcliff High School for Boys
Westcliff High School for Boys (WHSB) is an 11–18 selective academy grammar school for boys in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England. In September 2001 the school was awarded ‘Beacon’ status for its breadth of achievements and quality of work. T ...
File:Southend - University of Essex..JPG, South Essex College
South Essex College of Further and Higher Education, also known as South Essex College, is a further education college located over three main sites in Basildon, Southend-on-Sea and Grays in Essex, England. The college provides courses for stude ...
Southend Campus
File:Southend Adult Community College - geograph.org.uk - 700459.jpg, Southend Adult Community College
Secondary schools
All mainstream secondary schools are mixed-sex comprehensives, including Belfairs Academy
Belfairs Academy (formerly Belfairs High School) is a non-selective secondary school with academy status in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.
Inspection judgements
As Belfairs High School, the school was inspected by Ofsted in 2010 and judged Good.
Fol ...
; Cecil Jones Academy
Cecil Jones Academy (formerly Cecil Jones High School and then Cecil Jones College) is a secondary school and sixth form situated in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. Cecil Jones Academy opened on the 1st of September 2015. The academy is part o ...
; Chase High School
Chase High School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form, located in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North ...
; Southchurch High School; Shoeburyness High School
Shoeburyness High School is a coeducational secondary academy school in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The school is larger than the average sized secondary academy, with almost 1800 students on roll. 275 of the enrolled students are in the sixth form. ...
and The Eastwood Academy
The Eastwood Academy (formerly The Eastwood School) is a secondary school in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.
Notable pupils
Celtic F.C., Celtic footballer Cameron Carter-Vickers is a former pupil of the school.
References
External linksThe Eastwood A ...
.
In 2004, Southend retained the grammar school system and has four such schools: Southend High School for Boys
(To the determined, nothing is difficult)
, established = 1895 (founded), 1939 (moved to current premises)
, closed =
, type = Grammar school
, religious_affiliation = Anglican
, president ...
; Southend High School for Girls
Southend High School for Girls is a grammar school with academy status situated on Southchurch Boulevard in the east of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. It caters for students from the age of 11 through to 18 years old.
Academics
As of 2022, ...
; Westcliff High School for Boys
Westcliff High School for Boys (WHSB) is an 11–18 selective academy grammar school for boys in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England. In September 2001 the school was awarded ‘Beacon’ status for its breadth of achievements and quality of work. T ...
and Westcliff High School for Girls
Westcliff High School for Girls, also known by its initialism WHSG, is a selective grammar school and academy for girls in Southend-on-Sea, Essex and surrounding areas. It teaches students from the age of 11 through to 18 years old, and admission ...
.
Additionally there are two single-sex schools assisted by the Roman Catholic Church: St Bernard's High School (girls) and St Thomas More High School (boys). Both, while not grammar schools, contain a grammar stream; entrance is by the same exam as grammar schools.
Further and higher education
The main higher education provider in Southend is the University of Essex
The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Es ...
which has a campus in Elmer Approach on the site of the former Odeon cinema.
In addition to a number of secondary schools that offer further education, the largest provider is South Essex College
South Essex College of Further and Higher Education, also known as South Essex College, is a further education college located over three main sites in Basildon, Southend-on-Sea and Grays in Essex, England. The college provides courses for stude ...
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.
Additionally there is PROCAT that is based at Progress Road, while learners can travel to USP College
USP College (Unified Seevic Palmer's College, previously known as Seevic and Palmer's Colleges Group) is a large general further education college in Essex, England. It was established in August 2017 from the merger of Palmer's College in Gra ...
(formerly SEEVIC College) in Thundersley
Thundersley is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Benfleet, in the Castle Point borough, in southeast Essex, England. It sits on a clay ridge shared with Basildon and Hadleigh, east of Charing Cross, London. In 1951 ...
. The East 15 Acting School
East 15 Acting School (East 15) is a British drama school in Loughton, Essex.Its degrees are awarded by the University of Essex, with which it merged on 1 September 2000. As of 2020, Essex University, where East 15 is located, has been ranked No. ...
, 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 Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
's stadium Roots Hall
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
, provides education for sports scholarships.
Sport
Southend has two football teams, one of professional stature, Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
. The other, Southend Manor, play in the Essex Senior League
The Essex Senior Football League is an English men's football league. It contains clubs from the Essex FA, Hertfordshire FA, London FA, Middlesex FA and the Amateur Football Alliance. It is a feeder league to Division One North of the Isthm ...
. Southend United currently compete in the Vanarama National League.
There are two rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
clubs Southend RFC which play in London 1 North and Westcliff R.F.C.
Westcliff Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Eastwood, a suburb of Southend-on-Sea in Essex. The club was formed in 1922 as Old Westcliffians Rugby Football Club, for ex-pupils of Westcliff High School and took the curre ...
who play in London & South East Premier. Southend was formerly home to the Essex Eels rugby league team. Southend was home to the Essex Pirates
The Essex Pirates were a British Basketball League team from Southend-on-Sea, in the county of Essex. They were founded in 2009 and played their home games at the Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre. Following the loss of a major sponsor, the fran ...
basketball team that played in the British Basketball League
The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...
between 2009 and 2011.
Essex County Cricket Club play in Southend one week a season. Previously the festival was held at Chalkwell Park
Chalkwell Park is a recreational park in Chalkwell, Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, England. It covers and contains several flower gardens, two children's playgrounds, a skateboard/ BMX park and football, cricket, basketball and tennis fields.
The ...
and most recently Southchurch Park
Southchurch Park is a recreational park in the parish of Southchurch, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The park is in area and contains sports pitches, including a cricket ground, formal gardens, a boating lake and a café.
Cricket ground
The ...
, but it has now moved to Garons Park
Garon Park is a recreational park and cricket ground in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England.
It is currently the home of Old Southendian Football Club and Old Southendian & Southcurch Cricket Club.
Cricket ground
The ground was first used by the ...
next to the Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre. The only other cricket is local.
The Old Southendians Hockey Club is based at Warner's Bridge in Southend.
The eight-lane, floodlit, synthetic athletics track at Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre is home to Southend-on-Sea Athletic Club. 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.
Entertainment and culture
Southend Pleasure Pier
Southend-on-Sea is home to the world's longest pleasure pier, built in 1830 and stretching some from shore.
Kursaal
The Kursaal was one of the earliest theme parks, built at the start of the 20th century. It closed in the 1970s and much of the land was developed as housing. The entrance hall, a listed building, used to house a bowling alley arcade operated by Megabowl
Tenpin Ltd (stylized "tenpin"), is one of the largest tenpin bowling brands in the United Kingdom, consisting of 48 bowling centres ranging from 12 to 36 lanes (depending on the width of the centre), which often have on-site restaurants and b ...
and casino, however the bowling alley closed in 2019 and the casino closed in 2020. The building currently stands unused.
Southend Carnival
Southend Carnival has been an annual event since 1906, where it was part of the annual regatta, and was setup to raise funds for the Southend Victoria Cottage Hospital. In 1926 a carnival association was formed, and by 1930 they were raising fund for the building of the new General Hospital with 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.
Cliff Lift
A short funicular railway, constructed in 1912, links the seafront to the High Street level of the town. The lift re-opened to the public in 2010, following a period of refurbishment.
Other seafront attractions
An amusement park Adventure Island, formerly known as Peter Pan's Playground, straddles the pier entrance. The seafront houses the "Sea-Life Adventure" aquarium.
The cliff gardens, which included Never Never Land
Neverland is a fictional island featured in the works of J. M. Barrie and those based on them. It is an imaginary faraway place where Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, and some other imaginary beings and creatures live.
Altho ...
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.
Beaches include Three Shells and Jubilee Beach.
A modern vertical lift links the base of the High Street with the seafront and the new pier entrance. The older Southend Cliff Railway, a short funicular
A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...
, is a few hundred metres away.
The London to Southend Classic Car run takes place each summer. It is run by the South Eastern Vintage and Classic Vehicle Club and features classic cars which line the seafront.
The Southend Shakedown, organised by Ace Cafe
The Ace Cafe is an old transport cafe located near Wembley, North West London, England. Situated next to the North Circular Road, it is historically a notable venue in motorcycle culture. The original cafe opened in 1938 and closed in 1969. It ...
, 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.
Festival events
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. Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew Winstone (; born 19 February 1957) is an English television, stage and film actor with a career spanning five decades. Having worked with many prominent directors, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Winstone is perha ...
attended the opening night gala in both 2010 and 2011, and has become the Festival Patron.
Since 2008 Chalkwell Park becomes home to the Village Green Art & Music Festival for a weekend every July, but has not run since 2019 due to covid.
Shopping
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) and The Royals Shopping Centre (built late 1980s and opened in March 1988 by actor Jason Donovan, replacing the bottom part of High Street, Grove Road, Ritz Cinema and Grand Pier Hotel). Southend High Street has many chain stores, with Boots in the Royals, and Next anchoring the Victoria.
This was not always the case with many independent stores closing in the 1970s and 1980s – Keddies
Keddies was a small chain of department stores in Essex, England, with its flagship store in a prime location in Southend-on-Sea, Southend High Street (originally called the Broadway). The business had a national reputation, being recognised in T ...
(department store), J L Dixons
J L Dixons department store opened in Southend, England, in 1913 and shut its doors in 1973.
Background
The store was located on the corner of London Road and what was called The Broadway, now known as the High Street with its main competitors ...
(department store), Brightwells
Brightwells Department Store was started in the 19th century by John Rumbelow Brightwell in Southend-on-Sea High Street as a drapery. This became a department store which was incorporated in 1909 as J.R. Brightwell Ltd. Its direct competitors we ...
(department store), Garons (grocers, caterers and cinema), Owen Wallis (ironmongers and toys), Bermans (sports and toys), J Patience (photographic retailers) & R. A. Jones (jewellers) being the most notable. One of Southend's most notable business, Schofield and Martin, was purchased by Waitrose
Waitrose & Partners (formally Waitrose Limited) is a brand of British supermarkets, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. It was acquired in 1937 by employee-owned retailer John Lewis Partnership, which still se ...
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. Southend is home to the largest store in the Waitrose portfolio.
The longest surviving independent retail business in Southend was Ravens which operated from 1897 to 2017. A Southend family business started in 1937 that was still active in 2014 was Dixons Retail
Dixons Retail plc was one of the largest consumer electronics retailers in Europe. In the United Kingdom, the company operated Currys, Currys Digital, PC World (retailer), PC World (with stores increasingly dual branded 'Currys PC World'), Dixo ...
.
The city of Southend has shopping in other areas. Leigh Broadway and Leigh Road in Leigh-on-Sea
Leigh-on-Sea (), commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a town and civil parish in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011, it had a population of 22,509.
Geography
Leigh-on-Sea is on the northern ...
, Hamlet Court Road in Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea (often abbreviated to Westcliff) is an inner city area of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north shore of the lower Thames Estuary, about 34 ...
, Southchurch Road and London Road are where many of Southend's independent business now reside. Hamlet Court Road was home to one of Southend's longest-standing business, Havens, which opened in 1901. In May 2017 the store announced they would be closing their store to concentrate as an online retailer.
There are regular vintage fairs and markets in Southend, held at a variety of locations including the Leigh Community Centre, the Kursaal and the Railway Hotel. A record fair is frequently held at West Leigh Schools, Ronald Hill Grove, Leigh on Sea.
Parks
Southend is home to many recreation grounds. Its first formal park to open was Prittlewell Square
Prittlewell Square is a park situated in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England overlooking the Thames Estuary. It is the oldest park in Southend-on-Sea.
The clock at the entrance to the Square was donated by local jeweller and philanthropist R A Jones
...
in the 19th century. Since then Priory Park and Victory Sports Grounds were donated by the town benefactor R A Jones
Robert Arthur Jones (20 November 1849 – 23 May 1925) was born in Liverpool but moved to Southend-on-Sea after working for a clock and watchmaker in Manchester. In 1890 he set up his jewellery business on Southend's High Street. He went on to bec ...
, who also has the sports ground Jones Corner Recreation Ground named after his wife. Other formal parks that have opened since are Chalkwell Park
Chalkwell Park is a recreational park in Chalkwell, Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, England. It covers and contains several flower gardens, two children's playgrounds, a skateboard/ BMX park and football, cricket, basketball and tennis fields.
The ...
and Southchurch Hall along with Southchurch Park
Southchurch Park is a recreational park in the parish of Southchurch, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The park is in area and contains sports pitches, including a cricket ground, formal gardens, a boating lake and a café.
Cricket ground
The ...
, Garon Park
Garon Park is a recreational park and cricket ground in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England.
It is currently the home of Old Southendian Football Club and Old Southendian & Southcurch Cricket Club.
Cricket ground
The ground was first used by the ...
and Gunners Park.
File:Southend Cliff Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 734118.jpg, Southend Cliff Gardens
File:Southend-on-Sea, UK - panoramio - cezma.jpg, Priory Park
File:Prittlewell Square.jpg, Prittlewell Square
Conservation areas
Southend has various Conservation areas
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
across the borough, with the first being designated in 1968.
Art, galleries, museums and libraries
Focal Point Gallery 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 Borough Council and Arts Council England.
Southend Museums Service, part of Southend on Sea City Council, operates a number of historic attractions, an art gallery and a museum in the city. These include: The Beecroft Art Gallery, Southchurch Hall, Prittlewell Priory
Prittlewell Priory is a medieval priory in the Prittlewell area of Southend, Essex, England. It was founded in the 12th century, by monks from the Cluniac Priory of St Pancras in Lewes, East Sussex, and passed into private hands at the time ...
, Southend Pier Museum and the Central Museum on Victoria Avenue.
The Old Waterworks Arts Center operates in North Road, Westcliff in the former Victorian water works building. It holds art exhibitions, talks and workshops.
Metal, the art organisation set up by Jude Kelly
Judith "Jude" Pamela Kelly, (born March 1954), is a British theatre director and producer. She is a director of the WOW Foundation, which organises the annual Women of the World Festival, founded in 2010 by Kelly. From 2006 to 2018, she was Ar ...
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.
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 the Forum 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. This building had replaced the former Carnegie funded free library which is now home to the Southend Central Museum
The Central Museum is a museum in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The museum houses collections of local and natural history and contains a planetarium constructed by astronomer Harry Ford in 1984.
The museum was opened in April 1981 in a G ...
.
File:Southend-on-Sea Museum - geograph.org.uk - 560855.jpg, Southend Central Museum, Victoria Avenue
File:Beecroft art gallery.JPG, Former home of Beecroft Art Gallery
Theatres
There are a number of theatres. The Edwardian Palace Theatre is a Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
dating from 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. Part of the theatre is a smaller venue called The Dixon Studio. The Cliffs Pavilion
Cliffs Pavilion is a theatre and concert venue on Station Road in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, a town within the city of Southend-on-Sea. It seats 1,630 and offers an assortment of variety acts.
Building
Work began on the original Cliff ...
is a large building to host concerts and performances on ice, as well as pantomimes at Christmas opening in 1964. They are both owned by Southend Council and run by Southend Theatres Ltd.
The most recent closed theatre was the New Empire Theatre
The New Empire Theatre was a historic theatre in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. Built in 1896, it closed in 1998 and was demolished in 2017.
History
The New Empire Theatre was built in 1896 by theatre impresario Frederick Marlow. He had owned t ...
. It was, unlike the other two, privately owned. It was used more by amateur groups. The theatre was converted from the old ABC Cinema, which had been the Empire Theatre built in 1896. The New Empire theatre closed in 2009 after a dispute between the trust that run the theatre and its owners. The building was badly damaged by fire on Saturday 1 August 2015 and was demolished in 2017.
The Clifftown Theatre is located in the former Clifftown United Reformed Church and as well as regular performances is part of the East 15 Acting School campus.
File:The Cliffs Pavilion - geograph.org.uk - 734107.jpg, The Cliffs Pavilion
File:New Empire Theatre, Alexandra Street, Southend-On-Sea.jpg, The former New Empire Theatre
File:Cliff Town United Reformed Church - geograph.org.uk - 793477.jpg, Clifftown Theatre - part of East 15's Southend campus
Cinema
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 Beatles and Laurel and Hardy. 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.
Southend has appeared in films over the years, with the New York New York arcade on Marine Parade being used in the British gangsta flick ''Essex Boys
''Essex Boys'' is a 2000 British crime film. It was directed by Terry Winsor and stars Sean Bean, Alex Kingston, Tom Wilkinson, Charlie Creed-Miles and Holly Davidson.
Plot
The film is based loosely around events in December 1995 that culmina ...
'', the premiere of which took place at the Southend Odeon. Southend Airport was used for the filming of the James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film ''Goldfinger''. Part of the 1989 black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...
film Killing Dad
Killing Dad is a 1989 British black comedy film adapted from Berg, a 1964 novel by the British experimental writer Ann Quin. It stars Richard E. Grant as Alistair Berg, a man who travels to a seaside town intending to murder the father who ab ...
was set and filmed in Southend.
Southend and the surrounding areas were heavily used and featured in the Viral Marketing for the Universal Pictures 2022 American science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...
sequel '' Jurassic World Dominion'', 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.
File:New Empire Theatre, Alexandra Street, Southend-On-Sea.jpg, The former ABC Cinema
File:Two buses in Southend-on-Sea - geograph.org.uk - 2756114.jpg, Former Astoria/Odeon cinema - High Street, Southend
File:The ever changing face of Victoria Circus - geograph.org.uk - 533002.jpg, The current Odeon
Music
Southend has three major venues; Chinnerys, the Riga Club (formerly at the Cricketers Pub London Road) at The Dickens, and the Cliffs Pavilion
Cliffs Pavilion is a theatre and concert venue on Station Road in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, a town within the city of Southend-on-Sea. It seats 1,630 and offers an assortment of variety acts.
Building
Work began on the original Cliff ...
. The Railway Hotel is a live music pub, which features a variety of acts, and curates the Southend Pier Festival.
Concerts are also shown at the Plaza, a Christian community centre and concert hall based on Southchurch Road, which was formerly a cinema.
Junk Club, at one time a centre of Southend's music scene, was predominantly held in the basement at the Royal Hotel during the period of 2001–06. Co-run by Oliver "Blitz" Abbott & Rhys Webb, of The Horrors, the underground club night played an eclectic mix from Post Punk to Acid House, 1960s Psychedelia to Electro. It was noted as spearheading what became known as the ''Southend Scene'' and was featured in the NME, Dazed & Confused, ID, Rolling Stone, Guardian and Vogue. Acts associated with the scene included: The Horrors
The Horrors are an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005, consisting of lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spu ...
; These New Puritans
These New Puritans are an English music group/band from Southend-on-Sea, England. It consists mainly of Jack Barnett (principal songwriter, vocalist, producer, multi-instrumentalist) and his twin brother George Barnett (drums, electronics, prod ...
; The Violets
The Violets were an English post punk/indie/ pop band from the New Cross area of London, England. Formed initially as a bassless garage punk trio, The Violets early gigs saw them playing stark, spiky and minimalist punk that evoked early art-sc ...
; Ipso Facto
is a Latin phrase, directly translated as "by the fact itself", which means that a specific phenomenon is a ''direct'' consequence, a resultant ''effect'', of the action in question, instead of being brought about by a previous action. It is a ...
; Neils Children
Neils Children are an English rock band, formed in 1999 in Harlow, Essex, England, by lead singer and guitarist John Linger, drummer Brandon Jacobs and bassist Tom Hawkins.
The band were originally based in their hometown of Cheshunt, Hertfor ...
and The Errorplains.
There have also been a number of popular music videos filmed in Southend, by such music artists as Oasis; Morrissey and George Michael.
Bands and musicians originating from Southend include Busted; Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Sam Duckworth (born 1986) is an English musician who performs as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. He is also sometimes referred to as ''Get Cape'', ''Cape'', ''GCWCF'' and ''Slam Dunkworth'' (the latter title apparently first coined by Emmy the Great ...
; Danielle Dax
Danielle Dax (born 23 September 1958) is an English experimental musician and producer most active from the late-1970s to the mid-1990s.
Early life
She was born Danielle Gardner, in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. Dax's first performance on ...
; Eddie and the Hot Rods; Eight Rounds Rapid
Eight Rounds Rapid are a British four-piece punk/ R&B band from Southend, Essex, England. The band was formed in 2010 by drummer Lee Watkins and vocalist David Alexander (David Burke), with guitarist Simon Johnson; they were joined in 2012 by bas ...
; The Horrors
The Horrors are an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005, consisting of lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spu ...
; The Kursaal Flyers
The Kursaal Flyers were a British pop band, formed in Southend-on-Sea in 1973. They are most famous for their 1976 single "Little Does She Know" (which was a top 20 hit) and were the subject of a BBC documentary following them on tour in 1975.
...
; Nothing But Thieves; Procol Harum
Procol Harum () were an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single " A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have sold over 10 million copies. Although noted for ...
; Scroobius Pip
David Peter Meads (born 3 August 1981), known professionally and personally as Scroobius Pip (Dave), is an English actor and podcaster as well as a former spoken word poet and hip hop recording artist from Stanford-le-Hope, Essex. He first ga ...
; These New Puritans
These New Puritans are an English music group/band from Southend-on-Sea, England. It consists mainly of Jack Barnett (principal songwriter, vocalist, producer, multi-instrumentalist) and his twin brother George Barnett (drums, electronics, prod ...
and Tonight
Tonight may refer to:
Television
* ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC
* ''Tonight'' (1975 TV programme), a 1975–1979 British current ...
.
Southend is mentioned in a number of songs including as the end destination in Billy Bragg's "A13, Trunk Road to the sea" where the final line of the chorus is "Southend's the end".
Radio
In 1981, Southend became the home of Essex Radio
Heart Essex (formerly Essex Radio and then Essex FM) is a British commercial radio station. It was launched on 12 September 1981, broadcasting from Southend-on-Sea and since 27 October 2004 from Chelmsford, both in Essex.
History
Heart began a ...
, 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 Essex FM
Heart Essex (formerly Essex Radio and then Essex FM) is a British commercial radio station. It was launched on 12 September 1981, broadcasting from Southend-on-Sea and since 27 October 2004 from Chelmsford, both in Essex.
History
Heart began a ...
, then Heart Essex
Heart Essex was a local radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to Essex and East Hertfordshire from studios in Chelmsford.
The station launched on Monday 26 July 2010 as a result of a merger ...
moved to studios in Chelmsford. It is now part of Heart East
Heart East is a regional radio broadcasting, radio station owned and operated by Global Group, Global as part of the Heart (radio network), Heart network. It broadcasts to the East of England from studios in Milton Keynes.
The station launched ...
.
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), Southend Radio
Southend Radio was a local adult contemporary radio station broadcasting to Southend on Sea, in Essex, England from studios in The Icon Building on Southend Seafront, owned by the Adventure Radio Group. It merged in 2015 with Chelmsford Radi ...
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 Radio Essex
Radio Essex is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Essex, England via DAB and Mid and South Essex via FM, from studios in The Icon Building on Southend seafront, owned by the Adventure Radio Group.
As of September 2022, the st ...
.
Television
Southend has appeared in several television shows and advertisements. It has been used on numerous occasions by the soap '' EastEnders'' with its most recent visit in 2022. Southend Pier was used by ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
show ''Minder'' for its end credits in season 8, 9 and 10, and since 2014 has been home to '' Jamie & Jimmy's Friday Night Feast''. Advertisements have included Abbey National, CGU Pensions, National Lottery, the 2015 Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
Corsa adverts featuring Electric Avenue, a seafront arcade the 2018 Guide Dogs for the Blind campaign and for the promo for David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...
's Dave Dave may refer to:
Film, television, and theater
* ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver
* ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film
* Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...
programme ''Hoff the Record''.
In fiction
Southend is the seaside vacation place chosen by the John Knightley family in ''Emma'' by Jane Austen, published 1816. The family arrived by stage coach, and strongly preferred it to the choice of the Perry family, Cromer
Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is north of Norwich, north-northeast of London and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline.
The local government authorities are Nor ...
, 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.
In ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...
'' by Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), BBC radio comedy, ''The H ...
, 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 ''Heart of Golds 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.
''Dance on My Grave
''Dance on My Grave'' is a 1982 young adult novel by British author Aidan Chambers. It is the second book in Chamber's six-novel Dance Sequence series. Its full title is ''Dance on My Grave: a life and a death in four parts, one hundred and sevent ...
'', a book by Aidan Chambers
Aidan Chambers (born 27 December 1934) is a British author of children's and young-adult novels. He won both the British Carnegie Medal and the American Printz Award for '' Postcards from No Man's Land'' (1999). For his "lasting contributio ...
, is set in Southend. Chambers had worked as a teacher in the city's Westcliff High School for Boys for three years.
Places of worship
There are churches in the borough catering to different Christian denominations, such as Our Lady Help of Christians and St Helen's Church, Westcliff-on-Sea, Our Lady Help of Christians and St Helen's Church 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.
York Road Market
Demolition of the historic covered market began on 23 April 2010. The site became a car park. A temporary market was 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 is now held in the High Street every Thursday with over 30 stalls.
Twin towns
Southend-on-Sea is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with:
* Sopot
Sopot is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, and has the status of the county, being the smallest ci ...
, Poland, since October 1999
Notable people
* David Amess (1952–2021), British politician and local MP Murder of David Amess, who was stabbed to death in 2021; Southend was City status in the United Kingdom, named a city in his honour.
* Martyn Andrews, TV presenter and broadcaster
* Jasmine Armfield, actress
* Trevor Bailey, cricketer
* John Barber (businessman), John Barber (1919–2004), former Finance Director of Ford of Europe & Managing Director of British Leyland.
* Mathew Baynton, musician, writer, actor
* David Bellos, professor/translator
*Angie Best, ex-wife of George Best
* Brinn Bevan, artistic gymnast
* James Booth, actor
* James Bourne, musician, singer Busted
* Tim Bowler, children's author
* Kevin Bowyer, concert organist
* Gary Brooker, lead singer of Procol Harum
Procol Harum () were an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single " A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have sold over 10 million copies. Although noted for ...
* Dave Brown (comedian), Dave Brown, comedian and actor
* Dean Chalkley, photographer
* Aidan Chambers
Aidan Chambers (born 27 December 1934) is a British author of children's and young-adult novels. He won both the British Carnegie Medal and the American Printz Award for '' Postcards from No Man's Land'' (1999). For his "lasting contributio ...
, Author[
* Jeannie Clark, former professional wrestling manager (professional wrestling), manager
* Brian Cleeve, author and broadcaster
* Dick Clement, screenwriter
* Dorothy Coke, artist]
* EKCO, Eric Kirkham Cole, businessman
* Peter Cook (architect), Peter Cook, architect
* Phil Cornwell, actor and impressionist
* Tina Cousins, singer
* Gemma Craven, actress
* Rosalie Cunningham, singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist
* Matthew Cutler, ballroom dancer
* Trevor Dawkins, footballer
* Danielle Dax
Danielle Dax (born 23 September 1958) is an English experimental musician and producer most active from the late-1970s to the mid-1990s.
Early life
She was born Danielle Gardner, in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. Dax's first performance on ...
, musician, actress and performance artist
* Warwick Deeping, author
* Richard de Southchurch, knight and landowner.
* Andy Ducat, cricketer, footballer.
* Sam Duckworth
Sam Duckworth (born 1986) is an English musician who performs as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. He is also sometimes referred to as ''Get Cape'', ''Cape'', ''GCWCF'' and ''Slam Dunkworth'' (the latter title apparently first coined by Emmy the Great ...
, musician
* Warren Ellis, novelist and comic writer
* Nathalie Emmanuel, actress
* Digby Fairweather
Richard John Charles "Digby" Fairweather (born 25 April 1946) is a British jazz cornetist, author and broadcaster.
Biography
Before becoming a professional musician, Fairweather was a librarian and has retained an interest in jazz bibliograph ...
, jazz musician, author.
* Mark Foster (swimmer), Mark Foster, swimmer
* John Fowles, author
* Becky Frater, first female helicopter commander in the Royal Navy and female member of the Black Cats (Royal Navy), Black Cats display team
* John Georgiadis, violinist and conductor
* Edward Greenfield (3 July 1928 – 1 July 2015) chief music writer in ''The Guardian'' from 1977 to 1993 and biographer of Andre Previn
* Benjamin Grosvenor, pianist
* Daniel Hardcastle, author
* Roy Hay (musician), Roy Hay, musician
* Joshua Hayward, guitarist for The Horrors
* John Hodge (engineer), John Hodge, aerospace engineer
* John Horsley (actor), John Horsley, actor
* John Hutton (Labour MP), John Hutton, politician[Richard Northedg]
"Hutton dressed as lamb?"
''The Daily Telegraph'', 22 July 2007
* Wilko Johnson, singer, guitarist and songwriter; Game of Thrones actor
* Daniel Jones (musician), Daniel Jones, musician, producer
* R. A. Jones, store owner and town benefactor
* Phill Jupitus, comedian
* Mickey Jupp, musician
* Russell Kane, comedian
* Dominic Littlewood, TV presenter
* John Lloyd (tennis), John Lloyd, tennis player
* Robert Lloyd (singer), Robert Lloyd, opera singer
* Ron Martin (businessman), Ron Martin, Southend United chairman, 1998–present
* Frank Matcham, English theatre designer, retired and died in Southend
* Lee Mead
Lee Stephen Mead (born 14 July 1981) is an English musical theatre, television actor and occasional singer, best known for winning the title role in the 2007 West End revival of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' through the BBC T ...
, musical theatre actor
* Jon Miller (TV presenter), Jon Miller, TV presenter
* Helen Mirren, actress
* Jack Monroe, blogger, campaigner
* Peggy Mount, actress
* Tris Vonna Michell, artist
* Dicky Moore, singer-songwriter, guitarist
* Maajid Nawaz, former Islamist activist who now campaigns against extremism
* Julian Okai, English footballer
* Michael Osborne (cricketer), Michael Osborne, first-class cricketer
* Annabel Port, broadcaster
* Stephen Port, serial killer
* Spencer Prior, footballer
* Lara Pulver, actress
* Rachel Riley, ''Countdown (game show), Countdown'' co-presenter
* Simon Schama, historian / TV presenter
* Jack Sims, football goalkeeper
* Anne Stallybrass, actress
* Vivian Stanshall, musician
* Sam Strike, actor
* Keith Taylor (British politician), Keith Taylor, politician
* Peter John Taylor, Peter Taylor, football manager
* Theoretical Girl, singer-songwriter
* Steve Tilson, footballer – voted Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
's greatest ever player
* Kara Tointon, actress
* Hannah Tointon, actress
* Robin Trower, rock-blues guitarist
* Gary Vandermolen, footballer
* David Webb (footballer), David Webb, football manager
* Paul Webb, musician, bassist for Talk Talk
* Rhys Webb (musician), Rhys "Spider" Webb, bassist of The Horrors
* Michael Wilding (actor), Michael Wilding, actor
* David Witts, actor
* Ian Yearsley, local historian and author
* Nothing But Thieves, musicians
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
Southend Punk Rock History 1976 – 1986, a detailed site containing information on the Punk Rock explosion as experienced by Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK
{{Authority control
Southend-on-Sea (town),
Southend-on-Sea (district),
Towns in Essex
Beaches of Essex
Local government districts of the East of England
Local government in Essex
Populated coastal places in Essex
Port cities and towns of the North Sea
Seaside resorts in Essex
Unitary authority districts of England
Former civil parishes in Essex
Cities in the East of England
Boroughs in England