Southend History
Southend began as part of the Prittlewell settlement, which can be traced back to Saxon and Roman times.
The town's name was first documented in a will in 1481, which described it as the south end of Prittlewell.
Following the discovery of oysters in 1700's the fishing community quickly grew in the area but there were very few buildings before the 18th century.
By 1760 the South End of Prittlewell was populated by a row of wooden cottages for fishermen and farm workers.
Attempts to bring visitors into the area began in 1768 when a scheme was started offering accommodation in the local area was introduced.
But the new site was used in the 1790s when a seaside resort was established in New South End with a terrace and hotel.
A visit by Princess Charlotte in 1801 and her mother Queen Caroline in 1803 gave the resort a stylish edge with the population growing to 2,000 by 1811.
The town's pier steadily grew as well from 1,500 ft in 1831 to one and a quarter miles by 1846 including a tramway.
Since it was built in 1830, the Pier has seen both calm and troubled times coupled with many changes as it has evolved to meet the trends of the passing decades of the 20th century.
It is a true survivor, having lived through fires, boat crashes, two world wars and economic decline as well as braving the elements in beating off the effects of the weather and the waves.
But the really big improvement came in 1856 when the London and Tilbury railway reached the resort.
Development in the 1870s led to the town extending further and the Scratton estates were added.
Population numbers increased by nearly four times between 1900 and 1920 from 27,000 to 106,000.
Better transport by rail helped as the town merged with Leigh while the tramway was extended to help Thorpe Bay.
Visitor numbers had grown to 5million by 1946 and an airport had been built as well as the hospital.
The town continues today to attract large numbers of tourists and also hosts an annual air show on the seafront which now also has an amusent park, casino, sealife centre, arcades and clubs.
The town's name was first documented in a will in 1481, which described it as the south end of Prittlewell.
Following the discovery of oysters in 1700's the fishing community quickly grew in the area but there were very few buildings before the 18th century.
By 1760 the South End of Prittlewell was populated by a row of wooden cottages for fishermen and farm workers.
Attempts to bring visitors into the area began in 1768 when a scheme was started offering accommodation in the local area was introduced.
But the new site was used in the 1790s when a seaside resort was established in New South End with a terrace and hotel.
A visit by Princess Charlotte in 1801 and her mother Queen Caroline in 1803 gave the resort a stylish edge with the population growing to 2,000 by 1811.
The town's pier steadily grew as well from 1,500 ft in 1831 to one and a quarter miles by 1846 including a tramway.
Since it was built in 1830, the Pier has seen both calm and troubled times coupled with many changes as it has evolved to meet the trends of the passing decades of the 20th century.
It is a true survivor, having lived through fires, boat crashes, two world wars and economic decline as well as braving the elements in beating off the effects of the weather and the waves.
But the really big improvement came in 1856 when the London and Tilbury railway reached the resort.
Development in the 1870s led to the town extending further and the Scratton estates were added.
Population numbers increased by nearly four times between 1900 and 1920 from 27,000 to 106,000.
Better transport by rail helped as the town merged with Leigh while the tramway was extended to help Thorpe Bay.
Visitor numbers had grown to 5million by 1946 and an airport had been built as well as the hospital.
The town continues today to attract large numbers of tourists and also hosts an annual air show on the seafront which now also has an amusent park, casino, sealife centre, arcades and clubs.
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