The Labworth Restaurant & Café is a modernist

International style International style may refer to: * International Style (architecture), the early 20th century modern movement in architecture *International style (art), the International Gothic style in medieval art *International Style (dancing), a term used in ...

reinforced concrete building overlooking 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 ...

at Labworth beach on

Canvey Island Canvey Island is a town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office ...

, Essex. Built in 1932–1933 by Ove Arup to resemble the bridge of the Queen Mary,Hallman, 2006. (p. 99) it exists as the only building solely designed by the distinguished engineer.

History

The café and shelter were designed while Arup worked as the architect, engineer and contractor to the London firm

Christiani & Nielsen Christiani & Nielsen (Thai) Public Company Limited is a construction contractor with major operations in Thailand and Southeast Asia. Originally a Danish company, it is today a listed company majority owned by the GP Group. The company provides ...

. He noted that his "place was in the office" during the project, and in retrospect deplored the cheapness and shoddiness of the materials and workmanship implemented by the firm. The building had been designed in 1932 for the tourists visiting the fast-growing island resort. The cafe was opened in 1933 as the ''Canvey Island Cafe'' but came to be known as the "Labworth Cafe" due to the large "Labworth" text – in reference to the "Labworth estate" within which the building is situated – painted around the inland facing third storey. The name "Labworth" is derived from the "Labworth farm" which the estate replaced in the early 20th century and has its origins in the

Old english Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

''lobwerde'': a compound of ''lobb''; used as nickname for a spider, or meaning of heavy, clumsy mass, referring to soil, and ''werda'' meaning a low-lying marsh in the south east of England. The decline in popularity of the English seaside holiday led to the Cafe's neglect, and the building narrowly escaped demolition during the major redevelopments of the island's sea defences 1973–1982. By the 1990s the cafe was in a state of disrepair, but it was awarded the status of a Grade II listing in 1996 by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

and then bought in 1998 by local businessman and lottery winner Chris Topping.The Labworth Restaurant, 2007. The ''Labworth'' was consequently refurbished, and reopened in the late 1990s with the first floor functioning as the ''Labworth Restaurant''. In 2001, a cafe was added to the ground floor and the building reopened as the ''Labworth Restaurant and Beach Bistro''.Castle Point Borough Council, 2001.English Heritage. National Monuments Records, 2007.

Modifications

The first significant alterations to the building occurred in reaction to the flooding of Canvey Island in 1953 which claimed 58 lives. The flood prompted a succession of improvements to the

sea defence Coastal management is defence against flooding and erosion, and techniques that stop erosion to claim lands. Protection against rising sea levels in the 21st century is crucial, as sea level rise accelerates due to climate change. Changes in s ...

s around the perimeter of the island. The path of the new "second" seawall in 1953 followed the line of the

promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

on the south side (beach side) of the cafe,Dave Bullock. (2008). Postcards: Labworth Cafe
Looking east – Labworth Cafe behind the second sea wall.
canvey.org Retrieved: 17 February 2008. but the larger replacement – completed in 1983 – was built around the cafe's north side (inland). The construction necessarily raised the ground on the north side to an equal level with the promenade on the south side (beach side) subsequently burying the cafe's supporting

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Dave Bullock. (2008). Postcards: Labworth Cafe
Promenade and Cafe, Canvey Island
canvey.org. Retrieved: 17 February 2008. and essentially reducing the building's height to two storeys. The placement of the wall, its proximity and large scale also obscured the effect of the first floor over-hang, and the view of the central ground floor when seen from the north. However, the general appearance remained intact when viewed from the south until the building's second major alteration with the addition of the new cafe in 2001. The two arms that extend from the circular drum of the first floor originally enclosed two shelters on the ground floor but were transformed into an indoor serving and seating area.

Canopies

The construction of the original café included a group of thin steel columns which supported canopies on the access areas of the roofs of the shelters. At some point in the building's history these were removed.

Typography

In the refurbishment of the late 1990s, the large black condensed text of ''Labworth'' painted around the north side of the first floor was removed and replaced with a collection of metallic signs.

Notes

References

* Castle Point Borough Council. (2001-01-09). Town and country planning general development order 1988
Application No. CPT/778/00/LBC
Retrieved: 2008-02-17. * Bettley, James. (2008)
Essex Explored: Essex Architecture.
Essex County Council. Retrieved 2008-06-17. * Dowd, D. M. (2008). Canvey Cyclopaedia

(RootsWeb.com). Retrieved: 2008-05-19. * * English Heritage. (March 2007)
Commercial Buildings Selection Guide: Heritage Protection Department. Eating, drinking and accommodation: Restaurants and Cafes.
(p. 8). * Hallman, Robert. (2006). Canvey Island, A History. Phillimore. . * Jones, Peter. (2006). Ove Arup: Masterbuilder of the Twentieth Century. Yale University Press. . * The Labworth Restaurant. (2007)

thelabworth.com. Retrieved: 2008-02-17. * Stanton, Matthew. (2008-05-08). Prince Edward prepares for grand tour of Canvey. Yellow Advertiser. Tindle Newspapers Ltd.

External links

Homepage of the Labworth Restaurant.Historical archive of Canvey Island including drawings, photographs and postcards of the Labworth Cafe.Aerial Video of the Labworth Restaurant & Café.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Labworth Restaurant & Cafe Buildings and structures completed in 1933 International style architecture in England Ove Arup buildings and structures Restaurants in Essex Grade II listed buildings in Essex Canvey Island