Biggin it up with the Essex Massive........

…or not as the case may be. I promise you that I don’t really talk like that, I might come from Essex, but I speak proper me……
Well anyway..err…moving swiftly on, ive had a good 6 weeks of the obligatory pacifying of mother and meeting friends and family before I go away again. I’ve taken my TEFL course and passed and will thankfully soon be heading off for warmer climes.
I was born and raised in and around Southend (Saar- fend) on sea, a town that was once a very popular seaside resort with Londoners during most of the 19th and the early part of the 20th century, and very popular with peroxide blonds in white stilettos dancing round their handbags in the 1980s. Much of the Victorian architecture remains to be seen along the seafront and in the town centre although this is slowly but surely being replaced or covered over using 21st century glass frontages and those wonderful modern building materials known as steel and concrete.
Southend is unfortunately becoming more and more like the archetypical concrete jungle although we do still have 2 claims to fame.
The first was Southend United beating Manchester United 1-0 in the Carling Cup last year.
The second and maybe slightly more interesting fact is that our town has the world longest pedestrian pier, which unceremoniously juts out 2.16km into the Thames Estuary.
The first pier was a wooden construction built around 1830. This was replaced and subsequently extended almost 60 years later using iron piles and timber decking. Further additions and changes were made to the pier’s structure up until 1929 when it was finally completed. Needless to say its frequently being rammed by ships or catching fire, which I suppose adds to its somewhat colourful history.
Initially, electric carriages were used to ferry the public to the end of the pier, these being replaced by electric trains in 1949. After a fire in 1976 that consumed much of the pier head and the end station, the pier remained train less until 1986 when the pier head station was brought back into use and 2 diesel locomotives replaced the electric units that had long since been removed.
There is a pier museum under the pier that contains plenty of historical information and restored examples of the previous 2 trains that have plied their trade up and down the pier over the years.
The pier was actually taken over by the Royal Navy during the Second World War and named HMS Leigh. It was used as an observation point and gun platform, its primary function being a base for the control and protection of shipping and prevention of mine laying in the Thames Estuary.
The pier is generally a good location if you are into fishing. Plaice, Flounders and Dab are the most common year round catches with Mackerel, Mullet, Garfish and the odd Bass turning up in the summer, Whiting and the odd Codling turning up in the winter months. This area of the Thames has one of the highest tidal rises in the country (around 6m) and people are often being pulled off of the mudflats after being surrounded by the incoming tide.
The Thames is full of sunken ships and wrecks. Most cant be seen, however there are 2 wrecks of interest that can be seen at low tide. A large Mulberry Harbour intended for use during the D Day landings can be observed about 2-3 miles out from the coastline. It split in two while being moved during 1944 and remains to this day. It is possible to walk out to it at low tide, but I would advise against it due to the speeds of the incoming tides and the risk of being trapped. This among other things is probably one of the reasons why the Southend RNLI lifeboat is the busiest in the whole of the UK.
Slightly further along the coast the masts of the Richard Montgomery can be seen poking out of the water. This boat was a WW2 liberty freighter that broke its back on a sandbank during a low tide and sank……full of tons of explosives, most of which remain to this day. The local paper frequently reminds us of “the unstable condition of these explosives” and here in Southend, the term “The Big Bang” takes on a whole different meaning!!!
Southend is quite a densely built up town with a population of around 200,000. The Southend borough council area encompasses an area of approx 10 miles by 3 miles along the northern coast of the Thames Estuary. To the far East is Shoebury. This area is mainly industrial and residential although quite a large area facing the coast is owned by DEFRA (or whatever they are called these days) who are frequently testing new guns and generally blowing things up. Whether this is done in the name of research or purely to annoy local residents is still a subject of debate today!
Moving along the coast you come to Thorpe Bay. This area is purely residential and is home to most of Southends rich and “famous”, Hurrah Henries and the local green welly brigade.
Southend itself is the next area you arrive at. Famous for all the wrong reasons, the “Golden Mile” as its called is a mile long drag of nightclubs, seedy arcades, boy racers and what a Channel 4 documentary once called “Slags Alley” (i’ll leave you to work that one out for yourselves). However, if you venture into Southend itself, then you will find more in the way of history and places of local interest.
On the northern edge of town you will find an area called Prittlewell. Located in a park is Priory Rectory, a 12th century monastery that is open to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
I remember spending many hours here with my friends as a youngster. The curator at the time was always encouraging us to take an interest in the history of the area and frequently telling us stories about hauntings and ghosts. Venturing just a mile or so further north you will find the local airport. The airport first came into use prior to WWI and was used mainly for passenger flights. During WW2 Southend airport was known as RAF Rochford and was a satellite station playing a crucial role during the Battle of Britain and along with RAF Manston in Kent, was strategically positioned to protect the approaches to the Thames Estuary and London. Things went quiet again at the airport until 1948 when the airport again played a crucial role during the Berlin Airlift. The heyday of the airport was during the 50s, 60, and 70s, when Southend became a popular airport for getting away to the sun. It was once the second busiest airport in the UK after Heathrow where the handling of freight was concerned. Since the late 80s, the airport has gone somewhat into a decline, catering mostly to cargo flights, aircraft maintenance and the local flying clubs. A runway that is too short and a decade long promise of a new terminal that has failed to materialise have effectively stalled any hopes of the airport being able to handle any decent numbers of passenger flights in the near future.
For the Plane Spotters among you, Southend Airport does offer a large bag of often rare and unusual aircraft that fly in from all parts of the globe either for maintenance, storage or for reduction to spares. It is also home to a retired Avro Vulcan bomber, owned and maintained by the Vulcan Restoration Trust www.avrovulcan.com
Travelling about 2km further north will bring you into an area called Rochford. Rochford is a very old town with narrow streets and a few buildings of historical interest, among them Moot House, a 13th century house where Henry XIII’s wife, Anne Boleyn was rumoured to have sometimes stayed. It is a Grade I listed building that is now owned by the local council. Otherwise, Rochford is great for a pub crawl, having one of the highest densities of pubs I know of in one area.
Moving back to the coast again brings you into Westcliff. Here you will find a beachside casino or two, ice cream parlours and seafront cafes that sell the good old traditional English breakfasts. There are also manicured seafront gardens, a large theatre that looks like its going to eventually come a cropper to a future landside and of course the ubiquitous pensioners with their deckchairs.
Chalkwell comes up next, again this is mostly a residential area. Moving further west will eventually bring you into Leigh on sea. By the seafront you will find a small narrow street with what were once old fishing cottages, a few pubs and a couple of local gift shops. If your into fresh seafood then Leigh on sea is the place for you. All along the seafront you will find dozens of cockle sheds that sell freshly caught produce. They usually open according to the tides.
While technically not part of the borough of Southend, travelling a couple of miles more to the west will bring you to Hadleigh where you will find the remains of an 11th century castle and great views over the Thames Estuary.
Having copious amounts of B+Bs and being only 40 miles from London, makes Southend a good stopping off point. So pop by some time and have a look around, if simply out of curiousity.

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