Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and
unitary authority area
A unitary authority is a local government, 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 ...
with
borough status
Borough status is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotland, s ...
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 G ...
, 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 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. It is bordered to the north by
Rochford
Rochford is a town in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford, the county town. At the 2011 census, the Civil parishes in England, civil parish, which includes the town and London Southend Airport, had a popu ...
and to the west by
Castle Point. It is home to the longest pleasure pier in the world,
Southend Pier.
London Southend Airport 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. 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 resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, suc ...
grew after a visit from Princess
Caroline of Brunswick, 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, as a memorial to the Member of Parliament for Southend West,
Sir David Amess
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
, 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.
History
Originally the "south end" of the village 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
The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the Hanoverian Kings George I, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Georgian era is often extended to include the relatively short reign of Willi ...
as there was in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
. But after the coming of the railways in the 19th century and the visit of Princess
Caroline of Brunswick, 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 is the world's longest pleasure
pier 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 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 High Street (originally called the Broadway). The business had a national reputation, being recognised in The Fashion Handbo ...
), 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
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Waddington. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial teams ...
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. 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 had agreed to grant Southend-on-Sea with
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 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 and included performers such as
Digby Fairweather,
Lee Mead, 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. 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 ter ...
, 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 Irela ...
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 (Great Britain and Ireland), urban ...
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 parish ...
.
On 1 April 1974, under the
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
, 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 authority ...
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 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 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 popul ...
and the Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...
. 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.
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 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 reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...
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
Southend West is a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The seat is currently held by Anna Firth who won the 2022 Southend West by-e ...
was Sir David Amess
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
( Conservative), 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 Se ...
has served as the MP for the constituency since the following 2022 Southend West by-election
A by-election was held on 3 February 2022 in the parliamentary constituency of Southend West following the killing of the Conservative MP David Amess on 15 October 2021. Amess had been the MP for the constituency since 1997, and previously rep ...
.
Since 2005 the MP for Rochford and Southend East has been James Duddridge (Conservative), who replaced Sir Teddy Taylor. 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, but above the 11% child poverty rate of Essex as a whole.
The Department for Communities and Local Government'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, t ...
of Southend spills outside of the borough boundaries into the neighbouring Castle Point and Rochford
Rochford is a town in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford, the county town. At the 2011 census, the Civil parishes in England, civil parish, which includes the town and London Southend Airport, had a popu ...
districts, including the towns of Hadleigh, Benfleet, Rayleigh and Rochford
Rochford is a town in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford, the county town. At the 2011 census, the Civil parishes in England, civil parish, which includes the town and London Southend Airport, had a popu ...
, as well as the villages of Hockley 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 populatio ...
. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 295,310, making it the largest urban area solely within the East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. This region was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics purposes from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire ...
.
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
Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and t ...
.
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 and ...
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
The Royal Bank of Scotland plc (RBS; gd, Banca Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a major retail and commercial bank in Scotland. It is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of NatWest Group, together with NatWest (in England and Wales) and Ulster Bank ...
card services (now branded NatWest
National Westminster Bank, commonly known as NatWest, is a major retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, it ...
) 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
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
of the electricity industry in 1948 ownership passed to the British Electricity Authority
The British Electricity Authority (BEA) was established as the central British electricity authority in 1948 under the nationalisation of Great Britain's electricity supply industry enacted by the Electricity Act 1947. The BEA was responsible for ...
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 Januar ...
. Electricity connections to the national grid rendered the 5.75 megawatt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units, International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), ...
(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
A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...
of electricity to the borough.
Transport
Airport
London Southend Airport was developed from the military airfield at Rochford
Rochford is a town in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford, the county town. At the 2011 census, the Civil parishes in England, civil parish, which includes the town and London Southend Airport, had a popu ...
; 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
Southend Airport railway station is on the Shenfield to Southend Line in the East of England, serving London Southend Airport, the village of Sutton and northern parts of Southend-on-Sea. It is down the line from London Liverpool Street and i ...
, 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
Arriva Southend is a division of Arriva Southern Counties, a subsidiary of transport group Arriva which operates bus services in and around the Southend-on-Sea, Rochford, Rayleigh areas of Essex. They operate most services east of Southend and ...
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
Stephensons of Essex is a privately owned bus company based in Rochford, Essex. It operates local bus services throughout Essex and West Suffolk, from headquarters at Rochford, near Southend-on-Sea, and depots at Maldon, Boreham, Braintree and ...
.
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 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 (t ...
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
The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and t ...
, operated by Abellio Greater Anglia. 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 ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
's District line'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, whilst the nearby Southend Cliff Railway
The Southend Cliff Railway, or Southend Cliff Lift, is a funicular in the English city of Southend-on-Sea, constructed in 1912. The lift operated for the first time on Bank Holiday Monday, in August of that year.
Technical details
The line i ...
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, Romford ...
, and the A13, via Tilbury and London Docklands
London Docklands is the riverfront and former docks in London. It is located in inner east and southeast London, in the boroughs of London Borough of Southwark, Southwark, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Tower Hamlets, London Borough of ...
. 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
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
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 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. 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
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 it ...
, which is adjacent to Southend in the eastern part of the urban area.
Education
File:P1020316.JPG, University of Essex 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 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 of ...
; 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
Southchurch High School is a coeducational secondary school located in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. It opened on 1 September 2016, replacing the former Futures Community College.
Futures Community College was created in 2006 as a trustee sc ...
; Shoeburyness High School 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
St Thomas More High School is a Roman Catholic bilateral academy school located in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England. It caters for boys between the ages of 11 and 18 but has a mixed sixth form.
The school is larger than the average sized seco ...
(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 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 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
PROCAT is a further education college based in Basildon, Essex, England, with an additional campus in Canvey Island. ''PROCAT'' is an acronym of "Prospect College of Advanced Technology", and the college specialises in engineering and construction ...
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. 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's stadium Roots Hall, provides education for sports scholarships.
Sport
Southend has two football teams, one of professional stature, Southend United. 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
The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...
.
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 its m ...
clubs Southend RFC
Southend Rugby Club (also known as Southend Saxons) is an English rugby union football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The club currently plays in the sixth tier of English club rugby, participating in London 1 North following their releg ...
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
Essex County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Essex. Founded in 1876, the club had minor county status until 1894 when ...
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
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022
Southend-on-Sea Athletic Club is an athletics club based in Essex.
The club has one track, which is based at Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre.
The formation of Southend-on-Sea Athletic Club took place over 100 ...
. 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 bar ...
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
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
.
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
The Southend Cliff Railway, or Southend Cliff Lift, is a funicular in the English city of Southend-on-Sea, constructed in 1912. The lift operated for the first time on Bank Holiday Monday, in August of that year.
Technical details
The line i ...
, 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 en ...
, 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 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
Jason Sean Donovan (born 1 June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap ''Neighbours'', playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 mi ...
, 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 High Street (originally called the Broadway). The business had a national reputation, being recognised in The Fashion Handbo ...
(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 wer ...
(department store), Garons (grocers, caterers and cinema), Owen Wallis (ironmongers and toys), Bermans (sports and toys), J Patience (photographic retailers) & 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 ...
(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 (with stores increasingly dual branded 'Currys PC World'), Dixons Travel and its ser ...
.
The city of Southend has shopping in other areas. Leigh Broadway and Leigh Road in Leigh-on-Sea, 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 m ...
, 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
Southchurch Hall is Grade I listed Medieval moated house located in Southchurch, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The Hall was home to farming families until the 1920s. In 1930 it was extensively restored and presented to the town of Southend by ...
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
Southchurch Hall is Grade I listed Medieval moated house located in Southchurch, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The Hall was home to farming families until the 1920s. In 1930 it was extensively restored and presented to the town of Southend by ...
, 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 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 Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including:
Australia
*Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria
*Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales
Canada
*Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...
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 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
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
and Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...
. 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 culminated ...
'', 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 discus ...
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 unive ...
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 life ...
sequel ''Jurassic World Dominion
''Jurassic World Dominion'' is a 2022 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emily Carmichael from a story by Derek Connolly and Trevorrow. The sequel to '' Jurassic World: Fallen ...
'', 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. 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; 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; 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
In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.”
The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
; Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...
and George Michael
George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...
.
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 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; Scroobius Pip; 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, then Heart Essex moved to studios in Chelmsford. It is now part of Heart East
Heart East is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcasts to the East of England from studios in Milton Keynes.
The station launched on 3 June 2019, following a merger of four Heart statio ...
.
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 sta ...
.
Television
Southend has appeared in several television shows and advertisements. It has been used on numerous occasions by the soap ''EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' 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
Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
, published 1816. The family arrived by stage coach, and strongly preferred it to the choice of the Perry family, Cromer, 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'' by Douglas Adams, 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, 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 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 twinned with:
* Sopot, Poland, since October 1999
Notable people
* David Amess (1952–2021), British politician and local MP who was stabbed to death in 2021; Southend was named a city in his honour.
* Martyn Andrews
Martyn Andrews is a British TV executive producer, television presenter, broadcast journalist, actor and singer. He is currently works at TRT World News in Istanbul. He develops and produces TV formats and documentaries, makes other freelance ...
, TV presenter and broadcaster
* Jasmine Armfield
Jasmine Armfield (born 17 December 1998) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Bex Fowler in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2014 to 2020.
Early life
Armfield was born in Southend, Essex. She attended The King John Sc ...
, actress
* Trevor Bailey
Trevor Edward Bailey (3 December 1923 – 10 February 2011) was an England Test cricketer, cricket writer and broadcaster.
An all-rounder, Bailey was known for his skilful but unspectacular batting. As the BBC reflected in his obituary: "His ...
, cricketer
* John Barber John Barber may refer to:
Politics
*John Barber (Lord Mayor of London) (died 1741), Jacobite printer, Lord Mayor of London in 1732
*John Barber, represented Tryon County in the North Carolina General Assembly of 1777
* John Roaf Barber (1841–1917 ...
(1919–2004), former Finance Director of Ford of Europe & Managing Director of British Leyland
British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...
.
* Mathew Baynton
Mathew John Baynton (born 18 November 1980) is an English actor, writer, comedian, singer, and musician best known as a member of the British Horrible Histories troupe in which he starred in the TV series ''Horrible Histories''; as well as an a ...
, musician, writer, actor
* David Bellos
David Bellos (born 1945) is an English-born translator and biographer. Bellos is Meredith Howland Pyne Professor of French Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature at Princeton University in the United States. He was director of Princeton ...
, professor/translator
*Angie Best
Angela Best (née MacDonald-Janes; born 26 July 1952) is an English model and former Playboy Bunny, known as the first wife of footballer George Best.
Biography
Born in Westminster, London and raised in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Angela MacDonald- ...
, ex-wife of George Best
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United. A highly skilful dribbler, Best is regarded as one of the greatest pla ...
* Brinn Bevan, artistic gymnast
* James Booth
James Booth (born David Noel Geeves; 19 December 1927 – 11 August 2005) was an English film, stage and television actor and screenwriter. Though considered handsome enough to play leading roles, and versatile enough to play a wide variety ...
, actor
* James Bourne, musician, singer Busted
* Tim Bowler
Tim Bowler (born 14 November 1953) is an author of books for teenagers and young adults. He won the 1997 Carnegie Medal from the CILIP, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject, for the novel '' River Boy''.
''The Sunda ...
, children's author
* Kevin Bowyer
Kevin John Bowyer (; born 9 January 1961) is an English organist, known for his prolific recording and recital career and his performances of modern and extremely difficult compositions.
Biography
Bowyer was born on 9 January 1961 in Southend-o ...
, concert organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...
* Gary Brooker, lead singer of Procol Harum
* Dave Brown, comedian and actor
* Dean Chalkley
Dean Chalkley (born 2 April 1968) is a British photographer from Southend-on-Sea.
Early life
Dean Chakley's first years were spent on a farm in Essex where his parents were labourers. At the age of seven the family moved to Southend-on-Sea wh ...
, photographer
* Aidan Chambers, Author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
[
* ]Jeannie Clark
Jeanie Clarke (born 4 April 1959) is an English former professional wrestling manager and author. She is best known for her appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions the United States Wrestling Association and World Champio ...
, former professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
* Brian Cleeve
Brian Brendon Talbot Cleeve (22 November 1921 – 11 March 2003) was a writer, whose published works include twenty-one novels and over a hundred short stories. He was also an award-winning broadcaster on RTÉ television. Son of an Irish fathe ...
, author and broadcaster
* Dick Clement, screenwriter
* Dorothy Coke
Dorothy Josephine Coke (11 April 1897 – 1979) was an English artist notable for her work as a war artist on the British home front during the Second World War. Coke was also an art teacher and as an artist was known for her watercolours, whic ...
, artist
* Eric Kirkham Cole, businessman
* Peter Cook, architect
* Phil Cornwell, actor and impressionist
* Tina Cousins, singer
* Gemma Craven, actress
* Rosalie Cunningham
Rosalie Cunningham (born 25 April 1990) is an English singer-songwriter. After the split of the band Ipso Facto, Cunningham started a new project named Purson. She has performed as a solo artist since 2017.
Career
Cunningham was born in Southend ...
, singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist
* Matthew Cutler
Matthew David Cutler (born 30 October 1973) is an English dancer and former World Amateur Latin-American champion. He was a professional dancer on the BBC dancing show ''Strictly Come Dancing''.
Early life
Cutler was born in Chelmsford, Essex. ...
, ballroom dancer
* Trevor Dawkins
Trevor Dawkins (born 7 October 1945) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a defender or midfielder. He spent seven seasons in the Football League, five in South Africa, and seven in the United States, most in indoor league ...
, 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
George Warwick Deeping (28 May 1877 – 20 April 1950) was an English novelist and short story writer, whose best-known novel was '' Sorrell and Son'' (1925).
Life
Born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, into a family of physicians, Warwick Deeping ...
, author
* Richard de Southchurch
Sir Richard de Southchurch (Suthchirche, Suthcherch) (died 1294) was a knight and part of the landowning aristocracy of Essex in the thirteenth century. He was High Sheriff of Essex and of Hertfordshire in the years 1265–67, and as such became ...
, knight and landowner.
* Andy Ducat
Andrew Ducat (15 February 1886 – 23 July 1942) was an England and Surrey cricketer and an England footballer, being one of an elite group to have represented their country in both sports. He died while batting at Lord's.
Early life
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
Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ( ...
, novelist and comic writer
* Nathalie Emmanuel, actress
* Digby Fairweather, jazz musician, author.
* Mark Foster, swimmer
* John Fowles, author
* Becky Frater
Becky Frater is a helicopter pilot and hockey player. Frayer was educated at Westcliff High School for Girls. Frater trained to be a teacher but in 1997 she joined the Army. She was the first woman to command a naval air squadron in the Royal Navy ...
, first female helicopter commander in the Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
and female member of the Black Cats display team
* John Georgiadis
John Alexander Georgiadis (17 July 1939 – 5 January 2021) was a British violinist and conductor. He was twice Concert Leader with the London Symphony Orchestra during the 1960s and 70s, a member of both the ensembles London Virtuosi and the Ga ...
, violinist and conductor
* Edward Greenfield
Edward Harry Greenfield OBE (3 July 1928 – 1 July 2015) was an English music critic and broadcaster.
Early life
Edward Greenfield was born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. His father, Percy Greenfield, was a manager in a labour exchange, while his ...
(3 July 1928 – 1 July 2015) chief music writer in ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' from 1977 to 1993 and biographer of Andre Previn
* Benjamin Grosvenor
Benjamin Grosvenor (born 8 July 1992) is a British classical pianist.
Education
Grosvenor was born and brought up in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. He is the youngest of five brothers. His father is an English and Drama teacher, an ...
, pianist
* Daniel Hardcastle
Daniel John Hardcastle (born 23 March 1989), known online as Nerd³ or NerdCubed, is a British YouTuber and author. Created in 2011, his YouTube channel primarily consists of video game-related content. As of July 2022, it has approximately 2.5 ...
, author
* Roy Hay, musician
* Joshua Hayward
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 Spurg ...
, guitarist for The Horrors
* John Hodge John Hodge may refer to:
*John R. Hodge (1893–1963), United States Army officer
*John E. Hodge (1914–1996), American chemist
*John Hodge (politician) (1855–1937), British politician
*John Hodge (engineer) (1929–2021), British-born aerospace ...
, aerospace engineer
* John Horsley, actor
* John Hutton, politician[Richard Northedg]
"Hutton dressed as lamb?"
''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'', 22 July 2007
* Wilko Johnson
John Andrew Wilkinson (12 July 1947 – 21 November 2022), better known by the stage name Wilko Johnson, was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter and occasional actor. He was a member of the pub rock/rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in t ...
, singer, guitarist and songwriter; Game of Thrones actor
* Daniel Jones, musician, producer
* 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 ...
, store owner and town benefactor
* Phill Jupitus
Phillip Christopher Jupitus (, ''né'' Swan; born 25 June 1962) is an English stand-up and improv comedian, actor, performance poet, cartoonist and podcaster. Jupitus was a team captain on all but one BBC Two-broadcast episode of music quiz ''N ...
, comedian
* Mickey Jupp, musician
* Russell Kane, comedian
* Dominic Littlewood
Dominic Littlewood (born 29 March 1965), known as Dom Littlewood, is a British journalist and television presenter who specialises in consumer protection. He is best known for his roles with BBC and Channel 5, presenting programmes such as ...
, TV presenter
* John Lloyd John Lloyd may refer to:
Artists, writers, and entertainers
*John J. Lloyd (1922–2014), American art director and production designer
*John Lloyd (graphic designer) (born 1944), co-founder of design consultancy Lloyd Northover
*John Lloyd (journa ...
, tennis player
* Robert Lloyd, opera singer
* Ron Martin, Southend United chairman, 1998–present
* Frank Matcham, English theatre designer, retired and died in Southend
* Lee Mead, musical theatre actor
* Jon Miller, TV presenter
* Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...
, actress
* Jack Monroe
Jack Monroe (born 17 March 1988) is a British food writer, journalist and activist known for campaigning on poverty issues, particularly hunger relief. She initially rose to prominence by writing a blog titled ''A Girl Called Jack'' (now r ...
, blogger, campaigner
* Peggy Mount, actress
* Tris Vonna Michell
Tris Vonna-Michell (born 1982) is a British artist who performs narratives and constructs installations through the layering of these narratives, photographs and mementos, presented using antiquated technologies and slide projection. Vonna-Michel ...
, artist
* Dicky Moore
Dicky Moore (born 1 October 1978 in Rochford, Essex, England) is an English, musician and composer, who plays guitar with Scritti Politti and leads the Bristol-based music collective Bearcraft.
Scritti Politti
Moore joined Scritti Politti on g ...
, singer-songwriter, guitarist
* Maajid Nawaz
Maajid Usman Nawaz (; born 2 November 1977) is a British activist and former radio presenter. He was the founding chairman of Quilliam. Until January 2022, he was the host of an LBC radio show on Saturdays and Sundays.
Born in Southend-on-Sea ...
, former Islamist activist who now campaigns against extremism
* Julian Okai
Julian Ebenezer N. A. Okai (born 26 February 1993) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Isthmian League Division One North club Great Wakering Rovers.
Career
He made his debut on 7 November 2009 for Southend United in their ...
, English footballer
* Michael Osborne, first-class cricketer
* Annabel Port, broadcaster
* Stephen Port
Stephen Port (born 22 February 1975) is a British convicted serial rapist and serial killer. He is responsible for the murder of four men and for committing multiple rapes. Port received a life sentence with a whole life order on 25 November 201 ...
, serial killer
* Spencer Prior
Spencer Justin Prior (born 22 April 1971) is an English football coach and former professional footballer. He is the manager of Papua New Guinea women's national football team.
As a player, he was a central defender who notably played in the ...
, footballer
* Lara Pulver, actress
* Rachel Riley, ''Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
'' co-presenter
* Simon Schama, historian / TV presenter
* Jack Sims
Jack Stephen John Sims (born 10 March 1999) is an English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for National League South club Braintree Town.
Career
Sims started his career with local side, Canvey Island before spending six years at Southend ...
, football goalkeeper
* Anne Stallybrass
Jacqueline Anne Stallybrass (4 December 1938 – 3 July 2021) was an English actress who trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London. The television roles for which she is best known are Jane Seymour in ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' (197 ...
, actress
* Vivian Stanshall
Vivian Stanshall (born Victor Anthony Stanshall; 21 March 1943 – 5 March 1995) was an English singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his exploration of the British upper ...
, musician
* Sam Strike, actor
* Keith Taylor, politician
* Peter Taylor, football manager
* Theoretical Girl
Theoretical Girl (Amy Turnnidge) is a female songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Southend on Sea signed to the Memphis Industries record label. On her Myspace page, she describes her music as "Electro / Folk / Classical".
Discography
...
, singer-songwriter
* Steve Tilson, footballer – voted Southend United's greatest ever player
* Kara Tointon
Kara Louise Tointon (born 5 August 1983) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Dawn Swann in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. In 2010, she won the BBC competition series ''Strictly Come Dancing'', and in 2015, she appeared as ...
, actress
* Hannah Tointon
Hannah Tointon (born 28 December 1987) is an English actress. She is best known for playing Katy Fox in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' and Tara Brown in sitcom ''The Inbetweeners''.
Early life
Tointon was born to parents Ken and Carol. ...
, actress
* Robin Trower
Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band.
Biography
Robin Trowe ...
, rock-blues guitarist
* Gary Vandermolen
Gary Vandermolen (born 2 May 1960) is an English retired Israeli footballer. During his career, Vandermolen played for Wimbledon and Southend United at youth level and for Beitar Jerusalem
Beitar Jerusalem Football Club ( he, מועדון ...
, footballer
* David Webb, football manager
* Paul Webb
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
, musician, bassist for Talk Talk
Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drummer), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles "Talk Talk (Talk Talk s ...
* Rhys "Spider" Webb, bassist of The Horrors
* Michael Wilding, actor
* David Witts, actor
* Ian Yearsley
Ian Yearsley is a local historian and author of books on the history of Essex.
History
Ian Yearsley was born in Ingatestone, Essex in 1965, moving to Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1972. He started out as a journalist with the Leigh Times in 1988 bef ...
, 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
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