Southend History |
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The Second World War Back to Top |
Owing to the position of Southend, at the mouth of the river Thames, and with its pier, the EKCO radio factory and Garrison at Shoebury, it was considered to be a major target for the enemy during the Second World War. From the mid 1930s the town had been preparing for possible invasion, with the formation of defence groups and the organisation of practice black out and invasion exercises. On the morning of 3rd September, 1939, at 11.15am, it all became reality after Neville Chamberlain's historic Speech to the Nation: Britain was at war with Germany. Click here to listen to the speech by Neville Chamberlain. |
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At the outbreak of war, the most pressing need on the Home Front was rationing and preparations to produce and store your own food. 'Digging For Victory' had begun. |
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Appeals were found in magazines and newspapers with instructions on how to proceed. People were encouraged to obtain an allotment, but if unlucky then how to make the most of your own garden. By growing enough food for itself, Britain could save valuable shipping space that would be needed for essential imports. At the time war started, there was still a plentiful supply of free food to be found in the hedgerows ready to be eaten or preserved. Everything that was edible, such as rosehips ad elderberries, was experimented with. Animal husbandry was ventured into by some who had the garden space to allow the keeping of chickens, or even a goat! A normal goat could give six pints of rich milk a day for nearly a year. Places of Entertainent such as Cinemas were closed as a safety measure: |
Click here to listen to the radio announcement made on 3rd September 1939.
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In the first year of War, all road signposts, and railway station name boards were removed. In fact anything that was considered to be helpful to an invading army. Even a well known poster advertising The Times Furnishing Company was censored since it read “You are now in….your nearest Times Furnishing store is….” A great swathe of England, designated a no-go area, running for hundreds of miles, studded with check points and road blocks, with prosecution and stringent penalties for unauthorised entry. Blackout enforcement began on 1st September 1939 (the day on which the ultimatum was delivered to the Hitler government), and continued until 17th September 1944. |
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ARP Wardens would be on the look-out for chinks in the dark curtains, or shutters, through which a light might show, to be seen by enemy aircraft. The headlamps of cars were initially equipped with masks to ensure that no light could be seen above eye level for a distance of twenty-five feet in front of the car. This proved not to be efficient enough, and a head-lamp hood was produced which had a three-eighths of an inch slit in width to allow light out, although the reflector had to be blackened. Side lights were masked so the light emission did not exceed seven watts. Fines of up to £100 were imposed for failure to comply with the ruling, and, in extreme cases, up to three months imprisonment. Defence posts and pill boxes went up in fields and trenches were dug. Check points manned by police both civil and military were set up on all roads leading into the zone. Check points closes to London were located at Gallows Corner on the A12 at Ardleigh Green Road at its junction with the A127, on Hornchurch Road (A124) at the Hornchurch bus garage, and on the A13 near Rainham at the junction with A125. At these points, police stopped traffic and pedestrians to inspect identity cards which every civilian was obliged to carry at all times. Any person who was non-resident or who had no official business in the area was turned back. |
Police boarded buses to carry out their inspection, and there was a police presence at the ticket barrier on all railway stations east of Gidea Park and all stations east of Dagenham on the two lines to Southend. So the town of Southend along with other coastal towns in the South East became virtually inaccessible to outsiders. The Westcliff-on-Sea Motor Services and the City Coach Company whose vehicles passed through the check points on their services between Southend and Romford and Southend and Wood Green respectively carried warning notices to passengers inside their vehicles as follows: “The County Borough of Southend on Sea, together with the districts of Rochford, Rayleigh, Eastwood and Benfleet are included in the restricted coastal zone. Passengers travelling to these areas must be residents or hold an official permit.” There was also a footnote to the effect that no refund of fares would be available to any passenger whose journey was terminated by the police or military authorities. |
The Borough Engineer’s Department had been hard at work sandbagging the public buildings in the town. Over a million and a quarter sandbags had been used for this work, and the protection of various buildings such as the Council Offices and Departments, Fire Stations, decontamination depots, air raid shelters, the Municipal Hospital, Rochford House, the Public Assistance Offices, the Waterworks and Sewage Works, first-aid posts and wardens’ posts. Cleansing stations were also constructed at Shoebury, Leigh and Southend for decontamination work. The call went out for ex-servicemen aged between 45 and 55 years of age to enlist in the National Defence Company attached to the Essex Regiment. |
In 1939 the National Fire Service was created, with Southend becoming headquarters of No. 11 Fire Area, of which Southend and district was Sub-Area "A". During the coming war years the force consisted of 8,000 men and women. Personnel and equipment from Southend went as far as Tilbury to deal with big dock fires, and oil fires at Canvey island, during the blitz. |
The 444th Company of the T.A. and the 2nd/6th Battalion of the 65th Searchlight Regiment occupied the Drill Hall in East Street, Prittlewell. The Stationmaster's House opposite was used as headquarters for the regiment. |
Public air raid trenches, started during the September 1938 crisis were completed. These trenches provided accommodation for 2,000 people, who may have been in the streets during an air raid. One of the first tasks to be undertaken when the crisis became acute was the hooding and restricting of the lights in the street signs. Where refuges did not carry lights, special red lamps were installed. Traffic lights were dealt with in accordance with Government instructions, and the light was restricted to small slits in the form of crosses. White lines were painted down the centre of the main arteries of the town, and kerbs at corners painted white as a guidance for traffic in the event of a black-out. In addition to the shelters at the various senior schools, trenches were also completed for the use of the Pier staff in the Sunken Gardens, and for the Hospital and Rochford House staff in the grounds at Rochford. |
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Three cleansing stations were also being constructed at Shoebury, Leigh and Southend for decontamination work. Anderson shelters began to be delivered to householders in Southend via the Railway Company's delivery service. The January of 1940 was a cold one - so cold in Southend that straw was provided at Victoria Circus for the traffic control policemen to stand on and try to prevent their feet from freezing. |
From the Southend Standard 30th May 1940: The Government have decided that in light of the fact that Holland and parts of Belgium and Northern France are now in enemy occupation the following town’s on the South East Coast are to be declared evacuation areas: Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Felixstowe, Harwich, Clacton, Frinton and Walton, Southend, Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Sandwich, Dover, Deal and Folkestone. The movement will start by special trains leaving next Sunday. With only just over forty eight hours to work the Education department at Southend has registered roughly 8,500 children about 62 per cent of the child population of the town. With teachers and helpers it means that when the evacuation begins some 9,300 adults and children will embark for the reception areas. |
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In the June of that year, some 90,000 people had been evacuated away from the town. The majority of local school children were evacuated to places of safety (away from the areas most likely to be invaded). Most Southend schoolchildren were sent to Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. In the same month, 300,000 Allied troops were evacuated from Dunkirk. Many of local fishing and pleasure boats were used in this evacuation, including the Royal Sovereign, Crested Eagle, Golden Eagle and Medway Queen, Princess Maud, Skylark II, Southend Britannia, and the lifeboat Greater London. |
Among the smaller craft were many cockle boats, dredgers and sailing barges. One cockle boat, the Renown, of Leigh, was lost with all of its four hands at Dunkirk on 1st June. Following Dunkirk the threat of invasion was increased, and Southend was declared a restricted area. Southend airport had been a Home Defence Station in the First World War, and several squadrons were stationed there. After the war the land reverted to farm land. In the early 1930s the site was purchased by Southend Council for the building of a permanent airfield. It was operated by Southend Flying Club from 1935, but was requisitioned in 1939 to become a satellite of Hornchurch and 11 Group as RAF Rochford. |
In September 1940, a Fire Watchers Order was issued. Men could now be compelled to fire watch for a maximum of forty-eight hours per month. Local fireman also trained new Supplementary Fire Parties (SFP). In some cases local authorities provided the men with steel helmets and armbands marked SFP. |
From the
Southend Standard 17th October 1940: It was definitely stated at the meeting of Southend Town Council that there is no intention of bringing the evacuated school-children back to the Borough and no possibility that any schools will be opened at Southend for the education of the children still in the town. |
At the outbreak of war, EKCO, who by this time had become the largest employer in the town, switched production to war work and began manufacturing 'Tank Radio's'. |
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However, following the German invasion of the low countries in May/June 1940, the order was given by the government to disperse production away from threatened areas, so, almost overnight production was stopped and the radio work dispersed to Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. The only part of the Ekco organisation then remaining being the 'Plastics' where the large moulding presses were too large to move. In 1942, once the threat of invasion had passed, production recommenced with Tank Radio's, Valves and Wiring Looms, the latter being for the Lancaster bomber. By the end of the war, approximately 7,000 people were working for EKCO in and around the town. |
After the war, it was discovered that the Ekco works had been targeted by the Luftwaffe although no raid was ever mounted. |
The Pier and the Lloyds Signal Station had been taken over by the Navy, and had become HMS Leigh. The “toast rack” pier trains plied back and forth servicing the base out at the pier head. The seafront was quiet and desolate, and the shops, kiosks and beach cafes were closed and shuttered. Many of the houses and buildings including the Palace Hotel housed troops. |
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In July 1942 the Southend Home Guard rifle range was opened in Prittlewell, and many of the town’s larger houses in the town were used as Air Raid Warden posts. Many schools (many did keep open) had air raid shelters and trenches in their playgrounds, and shop basements were also used as air raid shelters. Southend suffered many direct hits from enemy aircraft, some of the most notable casualties being in Southend High Street. |
The London Hotel at the corner of Tylers Avenue (Pictured, right) was in ruins after a direct hit, and a number of shops including the jewellers R.A. Jones and its famous clock had suffered blast damage. There were few people in the High Street and it was quiet. Strangely the most noise came from the swish of trolleybus pantograph arms.
Of the shops still open, the most notable were Garons (then Southend’s most foremost trader) and Woolworths. Grass grew in places in the street, and there was a strong military presence in the town. In 1941, with the initial invasion scare receding, the restricted area was reduced to a band ten miles inland. |
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Check points were then established on the A13 at Bowers Gifford; at Pound Lane on the A127, and at the Carpenters Arms on the A129 approach road to Rayleigh, leaving Southend and district still in isolation. It wasn’t until the end of 1942 that the restriction on travel was finally lifted. Initially this was on a temporary basis, and the War Department reserved the right to re-impose it at any time. |
Southend, in common with other coast towns in the south east, suffered from frequent hit and run attacks from enemy aircraft. |
The Focke-Wulf 190 Fighter/bomber was usually deployed for this purpose. Many barrage balloons were moored on the mud flats off shore, their stout cables providing a deterrent to low flying aircraft. |
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Three of the six D-Day convoys sailed from Southend, among them the first to reach the Normandy beaches that fateful day, and relics exist to this day to mark the event. One of the Mulberry Harbour pieces being towed to Normandy from the Royal Docks jammed on a mud-bank, and the American munitions ship Richard Montgomery sank with a full cargo of explosives in mid-Thames, and has been deemed too dangerous to move ever since. |
In 1941, the foyer of the Astoria cinema displayed photographs of all the Southend boys who were serving in the war. It was called ‘War Effort’ by National Savings, which appealed for people who passed the foyer to stick a 6d saving stamp under the photos. It raised a lot of money for arms and ammunition. |
During 1944, four V1 flying bombs fell in the Borough; one near Kent Elms Corner, Eastwood, killing nine people; and three at Bournes Green, Thorpe Bay, without the loss of life. The flying bombs, or doodle-bugs as they were often referred to, could be instantly recognised by the droning sounds they made as they flew across the sky. When the propulsion ceased, and no flames extended from the rear, it would be only a matter of minutes before they would drop down and crash, exploding on impact. However terrifying and devastating the effect these flying bombs were, they were not as frightening as the rockets that had been developed and would soon follow. They appeared from nowhere with no warning at all. |
Southend was one of the first towns to experience the V2 rockets - starting in October, 1944, when one exploded in the mud of the foreshore, 70 yards west of the Pier, showering fragments of white-hot metal all over the centre of the town. |
During the war, the district had endured 1,216 air raid warnings, 754 high explosive bombs, 12,454 incendiary bombs, 22 phosphorous bombs, 11 paramines and 5 oil bombs. These figures do not include bombs dropped on War Department land. During 1944-45 four V1 flying bombs and five V2 rockets fell on the town. Between May 10, 1940 and March 5, 1945, casualty figures were: 60 killed (29 men, 24 women, 4 girls and 3 boys) and 294 injured (205 women, 148 men, 23 girls and 18 boys). |
After VE-Day, the black-out was lifted. It was like fairy-land. Life throbbed in the evening streets, especially in the town centre. After a short time, the old, ordinary street lamps were replaced by sodium lights, not the bright yellow of today, but a weird blue light, that made everybody look anemic. |
Post War Back to Top |
After the war there was a desperate need for housing, for the returning troops and for people whose houses had been destroyed by bombs. The housing shortage was more acute than some areas because of the cessation of building during the war years and the influx of homeless families from London. These new families occupied many of the 15,000 local houses which were then empty, causing displacement when their original tenants returned to seek accommodation. All Councils put in place emergency measures to build houses very quickly, and Southend was no exception. A series of cleverly designed "prefabricated" houses were built; some of these were bungalows, such as those at Manners Way, while others were of two storeys, such as those in Hornby Avenue (behind Prince Avenue School). The "prefabs’, such as those in Manners Way, were built with fully fitted kitchens and heating systems. These have been demolished, but many of the two-storey types still remain. |
Tourism initially boomed after the war, and crowds flocked back to the Golden Mile. The cinemas flourished once again, but there was a cry for culture. The Astoria cinema put on concerts of top operatic singers, performing in shows like Carmen, Rigoletto, La Traviatta, etc, and they were complete sell-outs, with the queues stretching out of the building, into the High Street, and up Elmer Approach - sometimes even as far as the Middleton Pub. |
At EKCO, the re-conversion to peacetime production in 1945 started with domestic radio concentrated at Southend and television output commenced soon after. The Malmesbury factory continued with the development and production of telecommunications, radar, electronic and nucleonic equipment. |
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In August 1952, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were delighted to meet their fans during a three-point tour in the UK. Southend was a part of the tour, and was their only ever appearance in Essex. Stan and Oliver were accompanied by their wives when they stayed at the Palace Hotel for a week, where the local Odeon managers arranged a buffet lunch in their honour. Mr. Pike of the Southend Odeon was presented a service medal from the comedy duo, and usherette Eileen Winfield was given a special award for her services to the Odeon. |
A blue plaque was unveiled on the pier by Sir John Mills in 2002 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their visit. The plaque was donated by the Saps at Sea, the Southend Laurel & Hardy Appreciation Society (Sons of the Desert), and it now hangs in the reception area of the Park Inn Palace Hotel. |
A major flood occurred on 31st January and 1st February 1953, affecting
the whole of the east coast of England and the Low Countries. Extensive flooding occurred throughout the area including Dengie, North Fambridge, South Fambridge to Lion Creek, Wallasea Island, Paglesham, Foulness Island, Potton Island and Great Wakering.
The most severe consequences were on Canvey Island where 58 people drowned and many others had to be rescued by boat and evacuated to high ground.
Businesses, factories and farms were destroyed. 12,356 homes throughout Essex were flooded, and at least 119 people lost their lives. |
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Southend escaped fairly lightly: the low-lying area around the Gasworks and Southchurch Park was flooded up to a depth of five feet. The Thorpedene area was also flooded, as was the Kursaal, which lies across an old stream basin. In Adventure Island, the Crooked House bears a mark indicating the level the tide reached . |
The flooding was caused by a major storm surge which coincided with a naturally high spring tide. Storm surges are caused when air pressure and strong winds push a volume of water across large distances. The result is an elevated body or 'hump' of seawater which can move towards the coast and overtop sea defences. Small changes in atmospheric pressure can result in large volumes of water being displaced. The storm surge that caused the 1953 floods resulted in sea levels rising almost 3 metres above normal high water marks. Most sea defences along the east coast of England were not designed for such events and most could not prevent the oncoming wave of water. |
In 1955, the main EKCO factory was extended to provide an additional 30,000 sq.ft. of floor space to cope with the increasing demand for EKCO television and radio receivers. At the same time, the Plastics Division, by now one of the largest organisations producing industrial mouldings and plastics domestic ware, installed vacuum sheet forming presses. In 1955 also, a controlling interest was acquired in Dynatron Radio Ltd., manufacturers of high-grade radio, radiograms, television and electronic equipment, and 1956 saw the formation of a new, wholly owned subsidiary company, EKCO Plastics Ltd. In December, 1957, the millionth television receiver left the EKCO factory. Over the next three years, EKCO Domestic appliances included mains and portable TV's, mains and portable radios, radiograms, tape recorders, car radios, and various plastic utensils and fittings). By 1961 E.K. Cole had a factory in Rochford, the Ekco Electronics Works on the Sweynes Industrial Estate off Ashingdon Road, but this closed down around 1969 (the old Ekco building becoming the Lesney toy factory). |
Southend was so popular in the 1950s that quite often there was not enough accommodation for those staying the weekend, and crowds slept out on the beach. "Those trains came into Southend Central, and walking down the high street you could have walked on their heads. I mean, it was a proper road in those days with trams and cars, and you could have walked on the people’s heads. They were packed so tight walking down from the train. And as one train came in and emptied, the next one followed it down. And they were doing this from about 6 o’clock at night ‘til about 8 o’clock. The crowds were fabulous. And these people stayed until Sunday, and Sunday night, it was the same going back. They’d be catching the trains about 8 o’clock at night to go back to London. And that’s the sort of place it was." (The late Ken Sadler speaking in April 2008) |
However, by the early 1960s the numbers of visitors began to decline. This was due to a number of factors, chief among them being the introduction of holidays to the Mediterranean. As holidaymakers declined, so the Council decided to redevelop Southend as a more commercial town less reliant on visitors. The town centre was almost completely demolished and rebuilt. Many fine old buildings were demolished to make way for the characterless "1960s" architecture that town planners of the time thought was 'progress'. Among the buildings demolished were the Hotel Victoria and the Technical Schools (Municipal College). |
The Victoria (Talza) Arcade was also demolished, and on its site was built the Hammerson development (later called the Victoria Plaza shopping centre). |
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The Hippodrome Variety Theatre (later the Gaumont cinema) was one of the first buildings to be demolished, in 1958, to make way for the redevelopment of Victoria Circus. Along the west side of Victoria Avenue were built new government office blocks, for VAT and Customs and Excise. Southend’s original police station in Alexandra Street was replaced by a new building in Victoria Avenue. Also, the original Municipal Buildings (the first Town Hall) in Clarence Road were demolished (now a car park) and the new Civic Centre was opened on 31st October 1967 by the Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. |
It was also this time, in the mid 1960s to early 1970s, that many of the old family firms began to close, among them R.A. Jones, Brightwells, Owen Wallis and Dixons (all in Southend High Street). Tastes in shopping were changing, and branches of multiple stores began to appear. Southend pioneered the supermarket, opening the first of its kind in Britain in 1960. This was a Supa-Save, a venture by David Keddie, on the site previously occupied by the Strand cinema in Warrior Square. |
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The 1980s were a period of reflection in Southend, a time when the future of Southend development was under consideration. The seafront still attracted trippers, but the commercial focus of the town was the office blocks of Victoria Avenue, which included the giant Customs & Excise VAT headquarters, and the Access Credit card headquarters, operating from the old EKCO building in Priory Crescent. One of the most notable events was the Royals Shopping Centre, which opened in 1988, and involved the demolition (despite muted protests) of numerous buildings with historical associations above Pier Hill, including Prospect House, the Royal Stores, and the Pier Hotel. In 1992, Southend enjoyed the Borough Centenary Celebrations. The Lord Mayor of London took part in Civic Procession and opened the Centenary Garden (behind the Old World Garden) in Priory Park. |
When G. J. Keddie's department store (built 1892-3), the biggest department store in the town finally closed in 1996, the High Street virtually closed down. It had seen years of prosperity and expansion, including taking over the land that was once the Strand cinema and arcade. The most memorable feature were the huge windows with often animated retail displays, and always set the standard with its Christmas decorations. It was also the last place the town could boast that allowed people to shop 'under one roof.' It was no surprise therefore, that people began to migrate to the newly expanded Eastgate Centre at Basildon for their shopping expeditions. Another round of local government reorganisation saw Southend created as a Unitary Authority in 1998. |
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Excavations carried out in 2003 revealed the totally unexpected find of a Saxon burial chamber. The chamber contained many artefacts indicating the occupant had been a Prince or King of around 600-625AD. The site is on the open land opposite Priory Park, next to the railway bridge. All the artefacts have now been excavated and the site has been restored to its previous level. It is interesting to speculate what other archaeological evidence was lost when the railway cutting was constructed in 1887. |
The Demolition of the Ekco buildings and factory units in Priory Crescent was under way in April 2008. The site had been vacated in 2003 when RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) relocated to a purpose built office block and FDR (First Data Resources) who manufactured the cards relocated to Basildon. |
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Watch a short video of the site taken in October 2008 here |
On 18th September 2008, the last ever moulding (a car bumper) came off the presses at Ecomold, thus ending 76 years of plastic moulding at the Priory Crescent site. |
War Memorials Back to Top |
Southend’s first War Memorial was erected on the Cliffs above the Western Esplanade, at a cost of £5.500, in the memory of local men who fell during the war of 1914-1918. |
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Later an inscription commemorating the Second World War, 1939-1945, was added and in September, 1952, the east and west walls were altered to provide facilities for room and several other flags, including those of the R.A.F. and Merchant Navy. |
The Fallen in the Second World War are commemorated, too, by a Garden of Remembrance in Chalkwell Park, dedicated in April 1952. The gates to the garden were presented by Mr. Percy Raven in memory of his son, Warrant Officer Ronald Raven, R.A.O.C., and of his comrades who fell with him. |
For further information, along with photographs and details from the War Memorials and graves in the cemeteries of the Southend area, look at the 'In Memory of' page. |
Chronological Data: |
c10,000 B.C. |
Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) inhabited sites at Rochford, Prittlewell and Shoebury. |
c10,000 B. C. - 50 A. D. |
Neolithic (New Stone Age) settlements at Canewdon, Leigh, Prittlewell and Shoebury. |
1st-5th Cent A.D. |
Roman occupation area north of the Thames. |
500-650 |
Settlement in district of pagan Saxons. |
824 |
Southchurch Church founded. |
894 |
Battle of Benfleet. Danes defeated and driven across site of modern Southend to Shoebury by King Alfred's men. |
916-919 |
Reconquest of district by Saxons |
1016 |
Battle of Ashingdon. Edmund Ironside defeated by Canute. |
1066-87 |
Rayleigh Castle built. |
1110 |
Prittlewell Priory established. |
1220-30 |
Hadleigh Castle built. |
c1240 |
Southchurch Hall built. |
13th Cent. |
Market established at Prittlewell. |
1381 |
The Peasants' Revolt led by John Syrat of Shoebury and local peasants against the Poll tax. |
1477 |
First known school in district founded. |
1478 |
Edward IV granted the Licence for the Jesus Guild, Prittlewell. |
1530 |
Anne Boleyn resident at Rochford. |
1536 |
Suppression of the Priory at Prittlewell. |
1588 |
The Armada. Leigh was an important Naval Base, and an armed force was established to protect the seaport. |
16th Cent. |
Rise of Leigh as a Port and as a Naval Base. |
1604-16 |
Rev. Samuel Purchas, author of "Purchas: his Pilgrims", Vicar of Eastwood, records Battell's Travels. |
1610 |
Andrew Battell, a Leigh seaman, was the first European to travel in Central Africa, and returned to Leigh after 21 years' absence in Africa and America. |
1620-30 |
Canvey Island drained by the Dutch. |
1652 |
During the Dutch Wars, Admiral Blake's fleet was refitted at Leigh. |
1653 |
In February, Blake sailed from the Thames with sixty warships and defeated the Dutch Admiral, Van Tromp, in the English Channel. |
17th and 18th Centuries. |
Prominence of Leigh and Leigh seamen in Naval history and Dutch Wars. Among these were members of the Salmon, Haddock and Goodlad families. Captain William Haddock (1607-1667) served with distinction against the Dutch, and was awarded a gold medal by the Commonwealth Govt. (1649-1660) for his services. His son, Admiral Sir William addock (1629-1715), became Controller of the Navy. Robert Salmon and William Goodlad, both masters of Trinity House, took prominent parts in the Greenland Whale Fisheries, the latter commanding the Greenland Company's fleet for twenty years. |
1727 |
Existing school at Prittlewell founded. |
1735 |
Bad Floods. |
1750 |
Last local witchcraft trial . |
1768 |
First mention of Southend for sea-bathing. Syndicate formed. |
1791 |
Royal Terrace and Royal Hotel built. |
1793 |
Erection of Royal Hotel and terrace. |
1797 |
Mutiny of seamen at the Nore. |
1801 |
Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of George IV, visited Southend for sea-bathing, as advised by her physicians. She stayed at The Lawn, Southchurch, and attended service at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch. |
1803 |
Princess Caroline of Brunswick (wife of the Prince Regent, afterwards George IV) visited Southend. During the Napoleonic Wars it was thought that the French might attempt a landing on the north bank of the Thames Estuary. Jonas Asplin of wakering and John Lodwick of Southend raised and commanded a troop of volunteer cavalry, and a company of infantry repectively, to resist any attempted invasion. |
1804 |
First theatre built. |
1819 |
First steamboat service. |
1829 |
May. The Act (Geo.IV. Cap. xlix) authorising the construction of the first Pier, received Royal Assent, and Alderman Sir William Heygate , Bart., Lord Mayor of London in 1822-23, who resided at "Porters", Southend, was the chief promoter, and was instrumental in securing the erection of the Pier. |
1830 |
Pier completed. |
1833 and 1834 |
Benjamin Disraeli visited Southend, and resided at "Porters", Southchurch Road, now the Civic House and Mayor's Parlour. |
1842 |
Southend created a separate parish from Prittlewell. |
1854 |
First railway to Southend (L.M.S.) |
1856 |
First piped water supply. |
1866 |
Southend Local Board set up. |
1875 |
Southend Fire Brigade founded. |
1877 |
Prittlewell incorporated into Southend. School Board set up. |
1878 |
Marine Parade constructed. |
1882 |
First public secondary education in the town. |
1883 |
First bank opened in Southend. First court house erected in Southend. |
1888 |
Serious floods. |
1889 |
Second railway (L.N.E.R.) completed. New Pier opened. |
1890 |
Southend Co-operative Society founded. |
1892 |
Southend created a Municipal Borough. |
1897 |
Southchurch included in the Borough of Southend. |
1901 |
First tramway opened. |
1902 |
Kursaal opened. First municipal housing estate. |
1908 |
Municipal College founded. |
1909 |
Visit of Home and Atlantic Fleets. |
1913 |
Leigh-on-Sea included in the Borough of Southend. |
1914 |
1st April. Southend-on-Sea attained status of County Borough. |
1915 |
Visit of H.M. Queen Mary to Queen Mary's Naval Hospital in June. |
1917 |
Visit of H.R.H. Princess Mary to Queen Mary's Naval Hospital in July. |
1919 |
Peace celebrations. Visit of H.M. Grand Fleet in July. |
1920 |
Opening of Priory Park and the R.A. Jones Children's Memorial Ground by H.R.H. The Duke of York, K.G. in March. |
1921 & 1923 |
Visits by H.M. King George V during 'Yachting Week' in July. |
1923 |
Municipal Hospital opened. |
1925 |
Opening of London-Southend arterial road by H.R.H. Prince Henry, K.G. in March. |
1926 |
Opening of Municipal Golf Course at Belfairs Park in July. |
1929 |
Opening of eastern arm of Pier Extension by H.R.H. Prince George, K.G. in July. |
1929 |
Laying of New Hospital Foundation Stone by H.R.H. the Duchess of York in November. |
1931 |
Southend East station opened. |
1932 |
Opening of General Hospital in July. Cost £200,000. |
1933 |
Inclusion of Shoebury and Eastwood to the Borough of Southend in October. |
1935 |
Visit of Home Fleet in May. H.M. King George V Silver Jubilee Celebrations. Centenary of the Pier and opening of the new Lifeboat House in July. Opening of Municipal Aerodrome in September. |
1937 |
Visit of Home Fleet. H.M. King George VI Coronation Celebrations in May. |
1938 |
Laying of Foundation Stone of Municipal Hospital Extension at Rochford by H.R.H. The Duchess of Kent., C.I. |