Southend History
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The work of extending the Pier was probably hastened by the knowledge that within the next few years the railway would probably come and compete for popular patronage with the steamboat service.
In 1845 four companies were provisionally registered with ambitious projects - the most ambitious being the intention by the Eastern Counties Railway to establish direct communication between England and Belgium, Holland and the Rhine by way of Southend and Tilbury Fort.
The only proposal which survived was the extension of the Blackwall line, which ran from Gas Factory Junction, near Bow, via Tilbury to Southend.
Southend Railway Station in 1882
The single track from Tilbury to Southend was built by the contractors, Brassey, Betts and Peto, who were granted a twenty-one year lease in July 1854. By 1855 the line from Fenchurch Street had reached South Benfleet (which opened in 1855), and working towards Leigh. At that time there were three train workings per day. Southend was in sight. Passengers living in the surrounding countryside could now be connected by road vehicles with country stations, as at Rayleigh where Carriers' carts took travellers and freight to join trains at Benfleet.
Chalkwell is where the railway line comes closest to the beach, with just a narrow footpath between the track and the sea. The final few miles were intended to run along Southend Seafront into a station next to the pier entrance but was rejected due to complaints about noise and the station was sited further up the High Street.
The original station at South Benfleet burnt down on 3rd March 1903 - and was replaced by the current, more westerly structure, which opened on 9th December 1911.
Southend Station (now Southend Central Station) was opened for its first travellers in 1856.
Click to enlarge
A new company, the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway Company was incorporated in 1862 and it took over the management of the line in 1875, when the contractor's lease expired, furnishing it with fourteen stations. By the late 1880s the LT&SR was taking nearly 400,000 to Southend in the summer season.
The fares were 3s 6d (17½p) for a single and 5s 10d (29p) for a return. The daytrippers liked to start early and return late, and regarded the journey as part of the day's fun (and for this reason the steamers retained much of their popularity despite being a longer journey). It was only the changing attitudes to daytripping that saw the demise of the steamer traffic.
Chalkwell station was the last to be built on the line, and opened on 11th September 1933. It is worth noting that the footbridge over the track was in use more than twenty years earlier.
The Great Eastern Railway (GER) received Parliamentary permission to build a line from Shenfield to Southend on 16th July 1883.
On 1st October that year the line opened right through to Southend. The single line was doubled in 1901 to meet traffic demands, with the excursion trains in the forefront.
Stations were provided at Billericay, Rayleigh and Hockley to cater for the increase in the local population. There was great controversy on the LT&SR line as to whether a level-crossing or a bridge should be constructed to take the railway extension to Shoebury across the High Street. The line opened in 1888 for goods trains to Wickford, then passengers from 1889.
Westcliff Station, with a main entrance in Station Road, opened in 1894 (which finally confirmed the death of Milton, which, in 1869 had become one of the first estates in the Prittlewell Parish to be sold for housing.
Prittlewell Sidings and coal wagons

The Government took control of the railways from 4th August 1914 in accordance with the 1871 Act, which gave them power over all tracks, engines and rolling stock in the event of a national emergency. The advertising gimmicks and special offers to attract public custom was gone overnight as the need for transporting soldiers, supplies and equipment was given priority. The 'Call to Arms' and 'Your King and Country Need You' posters and placards appeared everywhere.

Four years later the restrictions on wartime travelling were lifted and the excursion traffic slowly reverted to normal. 1923 saw the formation of the four main operators of Britain's railways, the GWR, SR, LNER and LMS.
This reorganisation gave Southend two distinct railway approaches worked by separate companies: the LMS (the former LT&SR) and the more inland route into Southend Victoria, which was part of the LNER. Chalkwell Station was opened in 1933.
A 1933 Third Class LMS Rail Ticket
In 1944, a train collided with a car at a level-crossing between Southend (East) and Thorpe Bay stations, killing the motorist.
Ticket prices, sold as Cheap Monthly Returns from London to Southend in 1939, both on the LNER and the LMS, were rated at about 1d. a mile (subject to a minimum fare of 2/6) for Third Class travel. First Class fares were approximately 50% above the 3rd Class rate (with a minimum fare of 3/9 applying). Breaks in the journey were allowed at any intermediate station.
Cheap Day Return tickets cost 3/8 3rd Class, and 5/6 for 1st Class.
Monthly Return tickets cost 5/- for 3rd Class, and 7/6 for 1st Class.
Immediately after the war the railway became very rundown due to lack of maintenance during the conflict and so in 1948, the four main railway companies were nationalised to form British Railways.
On 11th June 1956, the overhead electrification scheme included the Shenfield to Southend line, and in 1962, the conversion from the DC system to AC running at 25,000 volts was completed on the Fenchurch line. However, the final section of the line between Prittlewell and Southend Victoria continued on 6,250 volts until the late seventies. On November 6th 1961 the first electric train entered service and the last steam trains ran in June 1962. Class 302, 304 and 307 EMU's (Electrical Multiple Units) were used on the Liverpool Street line. These 'slam-door' passenger trains ran in four, eight and, in the rush hours, twelve-car sets.
Following their refurbishment in the early 1980s, the Class 307 was used on the LTS line, repainted with the Network SouthEast livery until they were phased out by 1990 and replaced by the Class 310, and later, when it became C2C, the brand new Class 321 units.
For a list of important dates in British Railways click here

The site was founded in the autumn of 1914 when farmland between Westbarrow Hall and the Great Eastern railway line at Warners Bridge 2½ miles north of Southend Pier was acquired for RFC training purposes. Several squadrons were based there to defend against attacks on London and the Eastern Counties during World War One. 61 (RFC) Squadron was formed at Rochford as a Home Defence unit, equipped with Sopwith Pups, and towards the end of the war, Sopwith Camels. After the Armistice was signed, the running-down of the unit activities began, and Rochford Airfield was reverted back to agricultural farm land.

The land was later puchased by Southend Council in 1933 for the building of a permanent airfield. The surfacing of the area, then measuring about 1200 by 1000 yards (the landing area was confined to a space roughly 450 yards square at the northern end), was completed during 1935, a combined clubhouse and hangar was built, all at a cost of £25,000, and a ceremony took place for its official opening on 19th September. It was operated by the Southend Flying Club (which was busy with air taxi work with many trips being made to Gravesend, Maidstone and Loughton), and Southend-on-Sea Flying Services in conjunction with Short Brothers. It was hoped at the time that a railway station or a halt on the L.N.E.R. line would be erected to serve the aerodrome.
On 26th September 1935, after £25,000 had been spent on it, the ceremony took place for the official opening of the aerodrome. The control and clubhouse was arranged as a part of a single hangar building, with plans to erect a separate administrative block later on.
During August 1939 the Air Ministry requisitioned all such commercial airfields. The Flying club and some private aircraft were put into storage at Southend, eventually being broken up and dumped in 1941-42. The Reserve Flying School moved out. The airfield was to become known as RAF Rochford and placed in No 11 Group of Fighter Command as a satellite field to RAF Hornchurch. The first squadron to arrive was 54 Squadron with its Spitfires. In 1946 the airfield was de-requisitioned and a CAA License (No. P893) was issued to Southend Corporation on 31st December 1946. Gliding took place for ATC Cadets. On 1st January 1947 civil flying was returned once again.
Wartime pilots at rest at Rochford
A local firm, British & Continental Airways Ltd, operated a passenger and freight service to South Africa in 1946-47. East Anglian Flying Services Ltd. was started in 1947 by Squadron Leader R. Jack Jones, and with an Aerovan, Courier, Puss Moth and an Auster, operated services to the Continent, as well as air taxis, tours, haulage and air photography. The Municipal Flying School also started up.
Despite flying activities having been going on for some time, the airport officially opened on 9th August, opened by Mr. Lindgren at the invitation of Alderman W. Miles, C B.E., who was deputizing for the Mayor. Air races and a display followed, with the intention to make the International Rally and races an annual event.
The enclosure was open to the public free of charge, there was already a restaurant, limited residential accommodation and a swimming pool, and tennis courts are to be constructed.
Other planned amenities would be provided to make the airport a centre of aviation in the area, and a general sports centre. Passenger handling facilities were poor at the time, but plans had been drawn up for the provision of buildings for administration and to accommodate Customs, immigration, and offices for other charter companies, and perhaps scheduled airlines. The airfield had a 1,500-yard take-off run in each direction and full night-flying equipment was going in.

In 1948, Customs facilities were set up to cover the new services to Ostend and the Channel Islands by East Anglian Flying Services with the enlarged fleet of five De Havilland Dragon Rapides and a Miles Aerovan (G-AJK).

In early 1949, Mr. Bernard F. Collins, who had been the Airport Manager since November 1946, realised that in order to offer 'all weather' capability of the airport, they would need a talkdown system. The GCA radar that had been used during the Berlin Airlift would fit the bill, but it was hugely expensive (estimated to cost around £50,000) and only the military and large international airports could really afford it. So he arranged a meeting with Eric Cole (EKCO) to discuss a talkdown radar system and the issue of its high price. Eric was reputed to have said , 'I'm sure we can', and tasked his Chief Engineer, Tony Martin, and his team with developing a system that was as good as the GCA, but at a fraction of the cost (Despite the system being dubbed 'the poor man's GCA, it is believed to have eventually cost £4,000, and proved to be a very long-lasting and reliable system, remaining in use at Southend until about 1982).
It was found that the ARI-5820 (the Hawker Hunter Radar Ranging System) could be adapted for the purpose.
The finished design was a structure, which has been likened to a periscope in a submarine in that the operator stood at a console, which was about 3ft square the front of which had a 5 inch diameter 'A' scope and an illuminated compass above together an illuminated series of lights, which told the approach controller if the aircraft was 'on track', or off to the left or right.
He was able to follow the aircraft by literally rotating the entire radar-receiving unit by turning it on its axis.
Behind the front panel was the equipment rack containing the transmitter/receiver and the waveguide assembly.
The equipment gave a range of 16 miles and had two scales these being 0-16Nm for general acquisition and guidance and 0-4Nm for final precision talkdown. While no height information was given, these two scales did allow accurate distance information to be passed to the approaching aircraft via a graticule overlay on the screen, which compensated for the fact that the radar was not on the runway centre line. At Southend, the control tower was about 800 yards offset from the main 06/24 runway.

Once the parameters were decided on, development proceeded rapidly so that by June 1949, the first tests were taking place at the airport using a Percival Proctor owned by the airport as the target aircraft.

By June 1950, these radar tests were complete resulting in the system gaining CAA approval and certification in December 1951, thus allowing the system to be used operationally and it was demonstrated to the press in January 1952.
In the early fifties, the airfield was coming out of a depressed period since the end of the war, mostly only having light aircraft and club flying to handle. The runway was grass, illuminated at night by the placing and igniting of numerous 'Gooseneck' (paraffin) lamps. The landing ‘T’ (Runway in Use Director) was also Gooseneck illuminated hence the name “Flare Path”. N.E. Airlines (a subsidiary of B.E.A.) began operating cargo flights using DC-3s, Ansons, Vikings, Ambassador and Britannia 100s. 1954 saw the start of real development when Channel Air Bridge began flights for people and cars to France.
B.K.S. Air Transport formed at the airport in 1952 and operated aircraft mainly on cargo services, such as Ansons, Airspeed Consuls, DC3s, Vikings, Ambassadors and the Britannia 100 series.
In 1955-56, two runways were laid using the method of soil stabilisation; the 06/24 Main Runway and 15/33 Secondary Runway.
ATEL (Aviation Traders Engineering Limited, founded by the late Sir Freddie Laker of Skytrain fame) purchased all the 252 Percival Prentice trainers from the R.A.F at the end of their service life; these were parked in the centre of the airfield. They began design and construction work on the ATL-90 "Accountant", and its flight testing began on 9th July 1959.
East Anglian started a link to Rotterdam, and Easter of 1955 saw the start of regular scheduled flights to Calais, followed by Ostend, Guernsey and Paris.
To see a list of Airport Ground Staff and vehicles click here.
The photos above are of some of the Ground Crew and Maintenance Staff between 1955 -1960s
Click images for larger views (Photos courtesy of Barry Cole)
The 1960s were times of significant change. Silver City and Channel Air Bridge became British United Air Ferries. Carvair entered service and schedules were extended to include Geneva, Basle and Strasbourg. East Anglian Flying Service became Channel Airways on 29th October 1961. The airport provided work for over 2,000 people, and was one of Southend's biggest industries.
An average of half a million passengers were using the terminal, and the airport was becoming increasingly important for freight traffic. Using Bristol Freighters and the Carvair - the car ferry plane developed from DC-4 and DC-7 aircraft by Southend-based Aviation Traders (All nose fabrication & DC-7 tail modifications were executed at Southend). BUAF flew regularly to Ostend, Rotterdam, Strasbourg, Bremen, Basle, Calais and Geneva. By the mid-1960s, over 600,000 passengers were moving through the terminal. At that time there could be up to 22 return flights to the Channel Isles alone per day. With freight flights added, Southend was busier than Heathrow!
The old control tower was replaced in the mid-1960s with the current one. CCTV was also introduced to allow the controllers to see the end of runway 06 following the building of the Aviation Traders end hangar.

The normal staffing in the tower were three people and a telephonist downstairs in 'flight planning'. There were two assistant controllers and three ATCs upstairs, and these numbers were sometimes added to during peak traffic periods.
All the tower staff worked a 'split shift' pattern, one shift was 8am to 1pm and 6pm to 11pm followed by time off. The next shift was 1pm to 6pm and 11pm to 8am followed by time off.
The only staff who worked a normal days were the radar technicians who also had an office in the tower.
Southend Municipal Airport was the first airport to have a complete twin-channel two-way radio control system for weather reports and homing directions up to sixty miles.
In 1970, B.K.S. Air Transport was acquired by British European Airways.
In February 1972, Channel Airways, who flew to Paris, the Channel Islands, Rotterdam and Le Touquet, with their fleet of turbo-prop Viscount aircraft, ceased to operate and the company was liquidated. The demise of Channel Airways saw the loss of one of Britain's pioneering airlines and a drop in revenue for the Airport. The lucrative routes to the Channel Islands were immediately assured by British Midland Airways.
In February 1972, Channel Airways, who flew to Paris, the Channel Islands, Rotterdam and Le Touquet, with their fleet of turbo-prop Viscount aircraft, ceased to operate and the company was liquidated. The demise of Channel Airways saw the loss of one of Britain's pioneering airlines and a drop in revenue for the Airport. The lucrative routes to the Channel Islands were immediately assured by British Midland Airways.
Bristol 170 Freighter
In 1974 the British Historic Aircraft Museum opened on the Western Boundary, quickly building one of the UK's largest Vintage Aircraft collections. In 1979, the last Carvair was retired from service. TAC/Heavylift, which later became Heavylift Cargo Airlines, moved into the former Atel hangar. An extensive engineering programme was undertaken to convert their fleet of Belfast freighters from military to civilian specifications. BAF withdrew from scheduled service operations to concentrate on other activities, such as leasing. British Island Airways took over the scheduled routes.
Southend Airport handled more traffic than Stansted until well into the 1970s, making it London's "de facto" third airport.
In the eighties holiday flight companies set up at the airport bringing a change of fortune to the airport, having had a steady decline in the number of passengers. Tradair brought Vickers Vikings into Southend, ex-King's Flight aircraft and one being King's personal aircraft. British United Airways formed by amalgamating Airwork Ltd, Transair Ltd, Hunting Clan Airways and Air Charter Ltd. Christmas Eve saw approximately 50 diversions into Southend Airport.
In 1981, BAF acquired British Airways entire fleet of Viscount aircraft. With up to 18 Viscounts, BAF became the world's largest operator.
In 1984, Routair Flying Services were now firmly established as one of the UK's largest air taxi/charter companies with a fleet of seven aircraft. The 1984 dock strike made Southend the centre for a massive airlift operation involving extra flights and 1,500 tonnes of freight. Heavylift Cargo Airlines set up a new company, Heavylift Engineering, to perform contract maintenance at Southend.
Sir Freddie Laker
Sir Freddie Laker, who pioneered the idea of cheap air travel with his Skytrain to America in 1977, passed away on 9th February 2006.
Click to enlarge
The Avro Delta-Wing Vulcan Bomber XL-426 arrived at Southend in December 1987 for vital engineering work, but the enormous costs prevented it from being carried out.
The aircraft is still at the airport (2010) - parked close to the perimeter fence that runs alongside Rochford Road, just north of the Flying Clubs.
It has been carefully restored by the Vulcan Restoration Trust and there are periodic engine tests, but no signs that it might fly again.
In 1988 Southend Airport was rated the fourth busiest in the UK in terms of aircraft movements.
In July 1989, the Airport Duty Crew Firemen discovered a retractable gun turret, buried beneath the airfield. Officially known as the Pickett-Hamilton Fort (Click the image on the right for a larger view), the 'pop up' pill box, despite being under the earth for 50 years, was in perfect working order.
Research subsequently showed that three Forts were placed alongside the runway on the airfield in the late 1940s. The object of the Fort was to pop up out of the ground and surprise enemy paratroopers. After action the Fort, which was manned by three gunners, would sink back into the ground with the gunners still inside, ready for the next attack. The Firemen also unearthed an underground operations room and shelter.
There are also a number of workshops, type 24 pillboxes, Ammunition bunkers, two very rare Mushroom pillboxes (one of which still had its 360dg machine gun mount up to a few years ago) surviving around the outskirts of the aerodrome.
In the 1990s, Heavylift begin a £1 million refurbishment of their hangar. Southend Airport ordered its new Instrument Landing System (ILS) for installation in April 1992 and Refurbishair opened their new facility.
In 1990, Jack ‘Laurie’ Rowe, who was a Fleet Captain on the Carvair with British Air Ferries for some eight years and campaigned to preserve the last ATL-98 aircraft, G-AOFW, after it was taken out of service and put up for scrapping at Southend. He was unsuccessful, and could only save a propellor assembly and some cylinder heads to grace his garden in Barling Road, where Carvair wheel hubs also served as garden furniture.
ATC Lasham is the major engineering company at the airport, in previous times known as ATEL and Heavylift Engineering. Other companies include Air Livery (aircraft re-finishing), Avionicare, BAC Engineering, Flightline Aircraft Engineering, IAVNA (airport visual aids), Inflite Engineering (previously 'World Aviation Support' and 'BAF Engineering'), IPECO/Benson-Lund and JRB Aviation.
In early 1994 Southend Borough Council were proposing to either privatise the Airport or to close it down, the latter of which would have had a detrimental effect on Southend and indeed, this part of Essex. However, in March, SBC sold the Airport to its present owners as a subsidiary of Regional Airports Ltd and traded under the new name of London Southend Airport Company Ltd in order to highlight its importance and accessibility to London and the City. A year later, RAL completely refurbished the Airport's Terminal building, resurfaced the runway, demolished many of the old decrepit buildings and redecorated many others. The Airport was transformed, and on 26th May 1995, the Official Terminal Reopening took place.
In 1998, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott gave the go-ahead for London Southend Airport to build a new Passenger Terminal and Railway Station offering air passengers faster links to London. As it stands today, the Airport is one of the largest employment sites in Southend in terms of jobs with around fifty tenant companies employing some 1,300 people between them. Generally, the Airport with its new Railway Station and integrated Passenger Terminal, when complete, will encourage greater use of the Airport and railway in accordance with the Government’s objectives for better facilities in London and the South East within the Thames Gateway. With the railway station built, the travel time by train to London will be only 49 minutes.
In 2006 the famous Boeing B-17 "Sally B" came to Southend for restoration to her former glory, having been grounded for over a year by EU insurance laws that it had failed to comply with because of funding issues.
On 17th September she arrived at Air Liveries after an offer by its Manging Director Adrian Rucker to have her stripped back to bare metal, primed and resprayed in the same colour scheme as before, complete with Sally B and ”Memphis Belle” nose art. Within four days of the negotiations over cost, she was flown in. She is the flagship of the American Air Museum at Duxford and has performed at airshows over the UK for over 30 years.
B-17 'Sally B' (Photo courtesy of Steve Jones)

Southend Airport mainly operates ad-hoc passenger charter and business flights, cargo flights, pilot training (in both aircraft and helicopters), and recreational flying. Maintenance services for aircraft up to Boeing 757 and Airbus A321 size are available. The airport is run by London Southend Airport Co Ltd , which employs over 90 people.

Planning approval for a new terminal and railway station was granted and a public inquiry closed at the end of May 2005.
On 28th January 2008, it was announced by the airport that it is up for sale, in order that the investment needed to fulfil the potential of the airport is available.
The airport was purchased by the Stobart Group for £21million. Construction on the new railway station began in 2009 after discussions with Network Rail, National Express and the Department for Transport, with expectation that it will be open by the summer of 2010.
Work also began on the new control tower, close to the new railway station.

Flying Clubs
The Airport has been, and still is, home to several Flying Clubs:
Flight Centre Flying Club, Thames Estuary Flying Club, Municipal Flying School, Seawing Flying Club, Southend Flying Club, Willowair Flying Club, The Rochford Hundred Flying Group.
A preserved Avro Vulcan (ex-RAF Delta-Wing V-Bomber Avro Vulcan XL426) parked for a long time opposite the control tower, may be seen from the road into Rochford by the Anne Boleyn pub. The Vulcan usually undertakes fast taxi runs along the runway once or twice a year and the Vulcan Restoration Trust hold open days four times a year where visitors can see the aircraft close-up and have a tour the cockpit.
The Southend Airshow has been Europe's largest free airshow since it began in 1986 as part of the Southend Spring Festival. The two-day event began in 1991, and has taken place every year since over the Spring Bank Holiday – Sunday 27th and Bank Holiday Monday 28th May. It draws more than half a million visitors to the aerobatic and ground displays. BBC Essex have provided on-site coverage of it since 1988. The Westcliff Casino have been sponsoring the event since 2001, and have agreed to secure it until 2008, in recognititon of the fact that it raises the profle of Southend.
The BBMF (Battle of Britain Memorial Flight), was formed at Biggin Hill to commemorate the RAF's major battle honour and is a living tribute to its finest hour. The Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane wow the crowds every year with their magnificent display. Other warbirds have included the Boeing B-17 "Sally B" Flying Fortress, the Fairey Swordfish, the Mustang and Thunderbolt. Modern jet fighters such as the Harrier, Hawk, Tornado, and Jaguar challenge the eardrums as they flash along the coast line past the crowds and carry out extremely complexed acrobatic displays. As always, the feature of the show remains the spectacular performed by the Red Arrows.
The BBMF over Southend

The Hercules C-130 transporter has thrilled people with it's extraordinary manoeuvres, as has the Nimrod MR2 and the KC-135R Stratotanker. An RAF Sea King Helicopter often enacts a sea rescue just off the shoreline to show its capabilities and the skills of the Air Sea rescue crew. The Army Air Corps Blue Eagles' Gazelle and Lynx Helicopters give a unique and popular display too. The RAF Falcons Free Fall Parachute Team drop from the sky, their precision timing and accuracy emphasised with blue, red and white smoke trails from cannisters fitted to their boots, and there is an awesome display of wingwalking on bi-planes. There are often rarities in the programme, such as the 1917 Vickers Vimy or the PBY-5A Catalina.

Ground displays include flight simulators, unarmed combat display teams, souvenirs and marching bands. The Air Pageant of 1986 drew an estimated crowd of 300,000 watching the event which was organised to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the airport.
In 1988, Concorde flew at the event when it was sponsored by Budweiser. In the 1994 show, one of the last remaining De Havilland Mosquitos (which, incidentally, could carry the same bomb load as the B-17 Flying Fortress) took part. There have been several sponsors including LTS and Network SouthEast. The event itself gives spectators eight hours of flying over the two days.

Southend Airport often provides the overnight base for many of the aircraft and access is organised for the public so that they may see them close up.
It is often a hit-and-miss event regarding the weather as it is held over the May Bank Holiday weekend, and the programme has been disrupted more than once due to adverse weather or very low cloud.
Re-branded as the Southend Air Festival in 2010, the aerial displays were supported by R.E. (BDU) and R.E.M.E. vehicles on display along the Western Esplanade, and other attractions included an RAF flight simulator and a paratower.
The Airport Museum         Back to Top
The Historic Aircraft Museum was originally formed at Biggin Hill and subsequently moved to Southend around 1967. It was officially opened on 26th May 1972 by Air Marshal Sir Harry Burton, KCB, CBE, DSO, RAF, then Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Air Support Command, RAF.
At that time the museum was owned by Tony Osborne. The museum directors acquired various aircraft, some of which were registered to the directors rather than to the museum which may account for some of the confusion over exhibits.

Roy Budge owned a Coupe Stampe (G-AYLK) which was present at the museum at times. It was destroyed in a flying accident and the remains were behind the museum building for a long time. The replacement was G-AYWT (also displayed at times) which eventually landed up with Brian Lecomber. Roy Budge also owned a Tiger Moth (G-ANPE) which eventually landed up dismatled under the wing of the Lincoln.
The Flying Flea (G-ADXS) was built by Chris Storey who displayed it in his garage in Alexandra Street and was loaned to the museum by the Storey family.

A Mitchell (HD368/N9089Z) was camera ship for 'The War Lover' and '633 Squadron'. The spar was cut by an Aviation Traders crew to move her to Southend because they couldn't move the spar bolts. This effectively sealed her fate forever as it made any future flying impossible.
The museum was home to many aircraft for varying durations: a Sea Fury (WJ288) on display, and three Ansons, including EK Cole's G-AGPG.
Photo courtesy of Howard J. Curtis
Unfortunately, this became derelict after a vandal slashed the underside fuselage fabric and the wind got inside and ballooned the rest of the fabric which tore off.
The museum also housed the Haig-Thomas Moth Collection; at one time comprising: Hornet Moth G-ADLY, ex-East Anglian Flying Services Puss Moth G-AEOA, Fox Moth G-ACEJ, Gipsy Moth G-ATBL, Moth Minor G-AFNG and a Tiger Moth (DE208/G-AGYU).
Replicas of an ME109 and Hawker Hurricane were from the Battle of Britain Museum. There were also two Rothmans Stampes displayed as well as an ex A & AEE Blackburn Beverley (XB261) (pictured left).
The museum had suffered management problems from the start, resulting in the Museum Curator resigning soon after the opening.
This was followed by years of neglect when the volunteer staff were made less and less welcome. By the time Bill Gent became curator of the museum around 1980/81, there was little money and few volunteers to take on the huge task of rectifying the neglect and it was decided to close and sell the exhibits. Some of the members of the original museum society tried to do a deal to exhibit the aircraft and were on the verge of an agreement but in the meantime the aircraft had been bought by a consortium who planned a museum in a purpose built exhibition hall in Aviation Way which was also to contain a function suite for dinners, weddings etc with a night club and hotel/ motel on the opposite side of the road.
SAAB J29 Tunnan (Sweden)

Road Passenger Transport      Back to Top
A map of 1594 shows the route from Southend to Prittlewell and Rochford as via the High Street (then a lane), Southchurch Road to Porter's Grange, then up Sutton Road. There were no pre-Roman roads in the Southend district; the only road the Romans constructed nearby was a link to the London-Colchester arterial road by way of a bridge over the River Crouch at Hullbridge.
There was little change during the 17th and 19th centuries. Up until 1820, the best roads were surfaced with gravel, flint and broken brick. The remainder were mere cart tracks.
The gravel for the roads came from a pit near Porter's Grange and from the foreshore around Pier Hill. Street lighting was introduced, albeit reluctantly, in 1857 with the erection of 20 gas-lamps, mainly in old Southend (Electricity was substituted in 1897).

In 1821 there were three coach firms - the "Despatch", the "Rival", and the "Wonder" - in Southend that each had two daily coaches to and from London. The "Dart" coach left the Royal Hotel for Cambridge three times a week. Hackney Carriages were first licensed by the Local Board in 1871-72, with First Class carriages charging 1s a mile, and Second Class charging 9d.

The daily coaches that ran from London to Southend used to start from Whitechapel Church, thence by Mile End to Stratford, Ilford, Chadwell Heath, Romford, Warley, Brentwood, Shenfield, Billericay, Wickford, Rayleigh, Hadleigh, Leigh, Milton Hall to the Royal Hotel – a journey of forty-one and a quarter miles. The coach occasionally turned to the Rochford Road from Rayleigh instead of going via Hadleigh.
In 1820-70 the roads were roughly coated with tar and flints, and sidewalks were adopted for pedestrians, yet in 1880, shopkeepers in High Street still had to clear a path to their doors, such were the conditions of mud and potholes. The sidewalks in turn were tarred in 1887, but granite slab pavements were not provided until 1895-1900, when most streets and all main roads had been given a tar macadam surface. A distinctive feature of Southend is that almost every street was lined with trees, the planting of which started in 1884.
On the introduction of motor-vehicle registration, Southend was allotted the letters "HJ"; and later "JN" were added. Once the numbers in these series were completed, they were then allotted three-letter series, e.g., "AHJ" and "CJN".

In 1900-20, the old London-Southend road (now the A13 - taking in Pitsea) was improved. The London-Southend arterial road (A127) was constructed in 1923-24, with the Greater London Plan scheduling it for motor traffic only.

Horse-omnibuses appeared in 1870-80, mostly belonging to one-man firms, and they were not cheap - the fare from Pier Hill to Shoebury was 6d.
Two brothers, Charles and George Holmes, came to Southend in the 1890s to take over the business of jobmasters, carriage hirers and coach brake proprietors at Royal Mews and Alexandra Mews.
Their horses and equipages were of the highest standard for private driving, hiring or weddings or to the local undertakers for funerals, complete with hearse. Around 1908, having joined with another horse-bus service operator, formed a new company entitled Charles and George Holmes and Sydney Smith Ltd, and introduced some Thornycroft torpedo Charabancs. About 1914, there were proposals for a large London-financed consortium to commence services in the Southend district, so they joined with the rival ‘Royal Blue Cars’ of the Southend-on-Sea Charabanc Co. Ltd (which changed its name in 1921 to the more familiar Westcliff Motor Services Ltd).
The success of the electric railway on the pier led Southend Council to consider building an electric tramway to serve the rapidly growing town, and various routes were discussed at the end of the nineteenth century. Rather than obtaining the necessary authority by promoting an Act of Parliament, Southend took the unusual step of making an application for powers under the Light Railways Act of 1896. Following a public enquiry held in the Council Chambers in January 1899, a Light Railway Order was granted, and work began on the system in 1900 with all the lines being laid as single tracks (3-foot 6-inch gauge) with passing loops (Work on doubling the tracks took 6 years from 1907 - 1913).
All the routes radiated from the High Street terminus, just north of the railway bridge (the LT&SR line had been extended to Shoebury in 1884), running to Leigh, Southchurch, the Beach and Prittlewell, so the dedicated tram ticket offices were constructed near the Technical School at Victoria Circus. On the turret of this fine structure was a striking clock given to the Corporation by Southend jeweller R. A. Jones. The system was opened on 19th July 1901, and within a year ran a compliment of 17 trams to cope with demand. The main tramway office was in Warrior Square; Keddies later occupied the site. The initial routes were successful and led to expansion and the trams were extended from the Kursaal along the seafront to Bryant Avenue.
Tram number 24 in Southend
This was as far as the promenade extended at this time and further construction had to await the completion of the road - thus the trams did not reach the Halfway House until 1909, being extended finally to Thorpe Bay Corner in 1912.
Initially the Corporation generated its own electricity for the tramways at its generating station adjacent to the tram depot, and specially built trams consisting of two hoppers and a cab at each end were used for transporting the coal that was required. When the Corporation built the loading pier (jetty) opposite the gasworks it enabled coal to be brought in by sea and taken over the tracks to the depot, but this fell into disuse when the Corporation turned to diesel fuel for electricity generation.
Click here to see a diagram of a Southend Corporation (Bush-Electric Engineering Co.) tram.
Work had begun in 1911 on what has proved to be the most lasting memorial to the trams - the Southchurch and Thorpe Hall Boulevards; wide dual carriageway roads with the trams running down the tree lined central reservations. Southchurch Boulevard (pictured right) was opened to the trams in 1913, with the cars running as far as Bournes Green. The tracks joined up with the existing sea front line, giving a circular route which was to be exploited for tours. The system was now almost complete, with the only additions being the track onto the Corporation loading pier and a loop around Warrior Square, which was eventually to replace the High Street terminus, cars working around the square instead.
Tramways in Southchurch Boulevard
In the early 1930's the trolleybus network was expanded, and serious thoughts were given to replacement of all routes by either trolley or motor buses. The final extension of the trolley system prior to the tramway abandonment programme came in 1935, when from 24th July alternate vehicles on the Prittlewell route were diverted away from the turning circle at Eastwood Boulevard, being extended instead up Nelson Road to a new terminus at Wellington Avenue, just a few yards away from the tramway at Chalkwell Park.
Southend Tram Depot
Only the Prittlewell route was not converted and instead, in order to increase the service frequency, the High Street to Blue Boar tram service was augmented October, 1925 by trolleybuses running from Victoria Circus to the Blue Boar.
The poor condition of the track in Victoria Avenue and the success of the trolleys led to the complete closure of the Prittlewell route on 18th December, 1928.
The tramway also suffered from often having insufficient cars to cope with the traffic on offer and from the failure to modernise the trams quickly enough to match the new standards of comfort offered by the competing buses.
The first double decker with a covered top deck did not enter service until 1921 and driver's windscreens were not fitted until 1928; open toppers still ran until 1939.
The only public transport in the Borough at the time was the Corporation trams working on the four routes. It had started running some buses in 1914 which ceased in 1916 as they were unremunerative.
However, no move was made to resume the service after the war in spite of public demands. Consequently, Westcliff Motor Services Ltd decided to fill the gap by starting a service in the spring of 1920 between Pier Hill and Westcliff (Plough Hotel), via Clifftown, using a Daimler saloon carried on pneumatic tyres all round (as, indeed, was the entire fleet, excepting the double-decks). This was an advanced feature at this early date. 'Westcliff' also had the benefit of friends in the right places! It had the ability to secure for itself as many licences from the Watch Committee as it could use. In 1922, a new competitor appeared when H. R. Bridge, an estate developer at Eastwood, started his Edwards Hall Motors (better known as the ‘Blue Buses)’.
First World War
Tram Ticket
This was an advanced feature at this early date. In 1922, a new competitor appeared when H. R. Bridge, an estate developer at Eastwood, started his Edwards Hall Motors (better known as the ‘Blue Buses)’. Competition of a new kind appeared in 1927 when the ‘New Empress’ Saloons appeared in Southend, having travelled all the way from Harringay picking up at almost all points and offering several departures daily in smart new Dennis saloons on pneumatic tyres, and without the need to pre-book. ‘Westcliff’ and ‘Blue Buses’ decided the time had come to sink their differences and devote their energies to defeating the opposition rather than themselves. The ‘Blue Buses’ now became a wholly-owned subsidiary of ‘Westcliff’ and Messrs H. R. and H. A. Bridge occupied places on the board.

The status quo in Southend was disturbed in 1929 when the Corporation finally made up its mind to play a greater part in the provision of public transport when it secured powers to operate trolley buses and motor buses. The Corporation, which had previously enjoyed the ability to grant or refuse licenses to other applicants, realised that when the new 1930 Traffic Act had become law, they were in exactly the same position as any other newcomer seeking to start a service, and would have to apply to the Traffic Commissioners for a license. After being refused, the Corporation was forced to negotiate with the objectors and eventually agreed to buy five services, three from ‘Blue Buses’, one from ‘Westcliff’ and one from

A Southend Corporation trolleybus

‘Borough Services Ltd'. (probably the most successful of the independent omnibus businesses in the Southend area at that time). In 1934, Tillings acquired sufficient shares to secure control of the company in December of that year. Tillings next made overtures to Southend Corporation, with whom it was anxious to reach a much closer working arrangement.

When the tramway closed and the trolleys were projected back into Southend via the London Road the Wellington Avenue reverser was retained for short workings. The final extensions of the trolleybus system came in response to the closure of the tramway when trolleys were projected along the seafront from the Kursaal to Thorpe Bay Corner from 4th June, 1939 as an extension of the Prittlewell route. This extension to Thorpe Bay came at a most unfortunate time - the trolleys were cut back to the Kursaal upon the outbreak of war and when peace returned the route was only ever served during the summer and then not on a regular basis.

Little of any great importance occurred to Westcliff Motor Services Ltd during the next five years, beyond the steady intake of standard vehicles of Bristol/ECW manufacture until the outbreak of war on 3rd September 1939, which brought the usual problems common to all bus businesses such as call up of staff, coping with black-out conditions and the requisitioning of vehicles. With the onset of the second war Southend soon found itself with a surplus of buses and some buses and trolleys were loaned to other towns.

Snapshot: To see the Fares and Stages of 1940 click here
In 1940, ‘Westcliff’ was able to acquire the licenses of Multiways Ltd., a Southend operator with several valuable coastal express services, together with its smaller subsidiary Hardings Coaches Ltd., both of whom had ceased operations for the duration of the hostilities.
Click to enlarge

A single set of wires was erected around Warrior Square for the trolleybuses but despite the complexity of services being operated, it was not until March 1944 that a decision was taken to adopt route numbers. It was not until about 1949 however that the numbers began to appear on vehicles and in the timetable leaflets. The greatest uncertainty however arose from the various attempts to co-ordinate the services of the Corporation and Westcliff-on-Sea Motor Services. When in 1945/6 an agreement was reached with Westcliff and Eastern National for a co-ordination scheme, Southend were to grant running rights over the trolleybus wires to the company operators. Opposition from the other local bus operators - Benfleet & District, Canvey & District and the City Coach Company - killed this scheme and it was established that Southend did not in fact have any legal powers to permit others to use its wires. When, later, the objecting companies had all been taken over by Westcliff and an acceptable coordination scheme was finally agreed in 1953 the writing was clearly on the wall for the trolleys.

In 1951, ‘Westcliff’ had taken over the modern ‘Benfleet’ garage at Hadleigh and the ‘Canvey’ garage at Leigh Beck, but at the same time, Bridge acquired the former TH & DMS garage at Hadleigh, which ‘Westcliff’ still used to house the Bridges’ coaching interests which were retained and still flourish under the 'Supreme’ banner with later generations of the Bridge family in command. In February 1952 the Mallender family sold its 'City Coach Company' of over a hundred units to the BTC.
This brought ‘Westcliff’ three new depots, at Tylers Avenue, Southend, at Lordship Lane, Wood Green, and at North Road, Brentwood, the former ‘City’ headquarters. It was realised, however, that the days of ‘Westcliff’ were numbered and that another well-known fleetname would soon be passing into oblivion. The long-needed nationalisation of services handed down from the above-named operators which were, to all intents and purposes, still working their individual networks, was settled in 1954, and the final day of the old regime was fixed for 2nd January 1955.
Victoria Station forecourt c1955-58
The following day, there was only Eastern National left and the newly-constituted partnership with Southend Corporation entitled 'Southend & District Joint Services', as the only other operator in the area.
Southend Transport Fleetliner MRJ232W
leaves the Eastern National garage in London Road (1986)
In 1974, Southend dropped the word 'Corporation' from its title and became Southend Transport (ST). Around this time fares began to increase to combat inflation and to combat the steady decline in passenger numbers since more people owned their own cars. This was not localised to Southend; the problem of patronage and escalating running costs and overheads were nationwide. By the time deregulation came about, bringing with it disruption to routes, predatory timing policies and fares, independent companies began to run services in direct competition, sparking a price war. It came to conclusion when both Southend Transport and Eastern National flooded the London Road with buses, slashing fares to a minimum on all routes (even some new and hastily registered ones) to drive the opposition out.

Southend Transport Bus Garage, London Road (Click images for larger views)
Click here for a detailed index of Local Bus Transport

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