David C. Rayment

On 1 March 2022, Prince Charles attended the official ceremony in Southend-on-Sea to mark the town becoming a city. Southend’s city status had been tirelessly campaigned for by Southend West’s MP Sir David Amess before his tragic death. He sought recognition for the important role Southend has played through history, both within Essex and the country as a whole. Southend developed from a small fishing village on the Thames Estuary into a popular and fashionable resort in the nineteenth century following the visit of Princess Caroline of Brunswick and Lady Hamilton. Later that century Southend’s first pier opened. It was later rebuilt and is the longest pleasure pier in the world at 1.34 miles. The pier has its own railway but there is much more to Southend than its pier, with its range of seaside attractions drawing many to its rich calendar of events, regenerated shopping centres, entertainment and cultural venues, conservation areas and local airport. Celebrating the City of Southend chronicles the proud heritage of Southend, its important moments and what draws so many to this dynamic city today. Illustrated throughout, this fascinating book offers a marvellous and refreshingly positive insight into Southend’s rich heritage, its special events and important moments. Celebrating the City of Southend will be a valuable contribution to the history of the city and will provide a source of many memories to those who have known it well over the years.

A–Z of Southend delves into the history of the Essex coastal town of Southend-on-Sea. Originally Southend was a small collection of buildings at the south end of the village of Prittlewell, but in the late eighteenth century the area became popular as a resort. Famous visitors followed in the next century, including Lady Hamilton and Princess Caroline, wife of George IV, and Southend is mentioned in the writings of Jane Austen and, later, H. G. Wells in The War of the Worlds. The town grew rapidly as a popular seaside resort, benefitting from its proximity to London, and is particularly famed for having the longest leisure pier in the world. Today it is a busy town, and the nearby Southend Airport is one of the major airports serving London. This fascinating A–Z tour of Southend’s history is fully illustrated and will appeal to all those with an interest in this Essex town.

Southend History Tour offers an insight into the fascinating history of this coastal town in Essex. Author David C. Rayment guides us around its well-known streets and buildings, showing how its famous landmarks used to look and how they have changed over the years, as well as exploring its lesser-known sights and hidden corners. With the help of a handy location map, and location maps of Shoebury and Leigh-on-Sea, readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and discover for themselves the changing face of Southend and around.

The name Wickford is of Saxon origin, Wick meaning a winding river and Ford being a shallow river crossing. For many years this sleepy market town lay dormant, like a seed waiting spring. Spring arrived in the 1970s with the building of the Willows, establishing itself during the following decade with the opening of Ladygate, the Wickford bypass and the rebuilding of the east side of the High Street opposite Halls Corner. Such development has perhaps eroded some of Wickford's character as seen in old photographs, but this has been replaced by a sense of dynamism afforded by a growing commuter town. Its surrounding area has changed too, but less so in comparison, remaining in the most part rural. This lavishly illustrated book gives the reader the opportunity to travel through time, drawing comparisons between how it is now, and how it used to be.