Southend

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Southend-on-Sea is a seaside resort about 40 miles east of London based at the mouth of the River Thames Estuary.

	southend Travel Guide : 1 Understand 2 Get in 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Buy 7 Eat 8 Drink 9 Sleep 10 Get out 11 External links

Understand

Around the late 1800's there were two main villages: Prittlewell which is famous for its Priory (still standing today in Priory Park) and Leigh-on-Sea, a mile or so along the coast, famous for its cockles and seafood - which also still exists. The town coat of arms for Southend contains the monk and fisherman from monks of the Prittlewell Priory and the fishermen of Leigh-on-Sea. Southend was built up as the south end of Prittlewell and expanded into a large resort with its most famous landmark of all - Southend Pier. Southend's heyday was in the 1950's and 60's when daytrippers from the east-end of London would come down on the train to spend the day at the famous Kursaal Amusement park and play the fruit machines in the seafront arcades, or sit on the beach ( I use the term "beach" lightly as it is mainly pebbles and shingle) although these days you will find imported sand along the Westcliff stretch (west of the Pier) and at the Leigh-on-Sea Old Town. Today, Southend is trying hard to bring itself kicking and screaming into the 21st century, but somewhere along the line it seems to have got into a bit of a muddle. South East Essex College, now a part of Essex University, has an impressive new campus building directly adjacent to Southend Central Railway Station.

Get in

Get around

See

• Southend Pier - at 1 1/3 miles (2158 metres) long it is the longest pleasure pier in the world. Although damaged a couple of times during its life by boat collisions and fires, the Pier, which has recently undergone a major revamp, can be accessed on foot or by the pier train which will take you to the far end where there is constant deep water, although the waters are tidal. At the "dry end" you can visit the Pier museum. A fire severely damaged the peir head on 9th October 2005, destroying a large part of it. Currently this part is off limits, but the 1.1 section from the shore to the cordoned off head is still open to the public.
• The seafront still houses the many amusement arcades, although the Kursaal is only a shadow of its former self. There are 2 adventure playgrounds either side of the Pier head.
• The Sealife Center is well worth a visit.
• West of the pier (Westcliff-on-Sea) there are the cliffs, and a stroll along the top of the cliffs from the Royal Mews will take you past the beautiful Prittlewell Square gardens and further along to the Beecroft Art Gallery and the famous Cliffs Pavilion with its variety acts.
• Along the London Road at Westcliff is the Palace Theatre.
• Continuing along the seafront from Westcliff you will come to Leigh-on-Sea. Stroll along the sea wall past Chalkwell Railway Station and you come to the sandy beach by the Bell Wharf in Leigh "Old Town". Visit the Lynn Tait Gallery Stroll on past the cockle sheds and take a walk round the bird sanctuary on Two-Tree Island (at the rear of Leigh Railway Station).

Do

Visit the Pier!

Buy

• The High Street, which is mostly pedestrianised, has the large Royals Shopping center at one end (opposite the pier) and the other end by Victoria Railway Station houses another shopping center as well as a new cinema complex nearby. The High Street itself seems to be a mix of travel agents, banks, building societies, telephone shops, stationers, shoe shops and a distinct lack of the larger department stores that fizzled out when Keddies disappeared a few years ago to be replaced by Tescos Central. There is still good old Marks and Spencers, British Home Stores and Woolworths near the Royals end but not much else
• The main shopping area in Westcliff is Hamlet Court Road and well worth a visit, with some pretty decent eateries along it.
• In Leigh-on-Sea, visit the shops along Leigh Road, Leigh Broadway and Rectory Grove, where you will be spoilt for choice. For evening entertainment there are a couple of nightclubs and some casinos as well as numerous pubs and restaurants, cinemas and theaters, not to mention the Mecca Bingo.

Eat

• Tomassis, probably the nicest place to eat on the High Street and certainly with the best selection of Italian ice-cream for miles around. Try their "Italian Black Magic" - scrumptious!
• Along the London Road at Westcliff is a wide range of restaurants from Thai to Italian, Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese.. too many to mention.
• In Leigh-on-Sea, stop off for a drink at one of the 3 pubs and sit on the sea wall eating a plate of cockles or prawns whilst taking in the old town atmosphere.
• In Leigh-on-Sea, visit the restaurants along Leigh Road, Leigh Broadway and Rectory Grove, where you will be spoilt for choice.

Drink

• There are a small number of pubic houses along the front

Sleep

Get out

A 10 minute car ride from Southend will bring you to Rochford, a small but historic market town famous for Rochford Hall (by the golf course) where Anne Boleyn and Henry 8th met on a few occasions!

External links

• Southend Borough Council (http://www.southend.gov.uk/)
• Gallery of photographs from Southend (http://home.clara.net/giaco/southend/gallery/)
• southendpier.co.uk - Southend Pier & Foreshore (http://www.southendpier.co.uk/)
• southendpiermuseum.com - Pier Museum (http://www.southendpiermuseum.com/)

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