Southend Pier Railway

Southend Pier is a major landmark in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom. Extending 2.16 kilometres (1.34 mi) into the Thames Estuary, it is the longest pleasure pier in the world. The bill to build the new pier, to replace a previous timber jetty, received Royal Assent in May 1829 with construction starting in July 1829. The timber pier was replaced by an iron pier that opened to the public in August 1889. The Southend Pier Railway, opened in the early 1890s, was the first pier railway in the country. The pier played a role through both of the world wars, such as during World War I when ships housing German prisoners of war were moored off the pierhead. In the Second World War, the pier was taken over by the Royal Navy and was renamed HMS Leigh, closing to the public in September 1939. Following the war, around 6 million people visited the pier in 1949, exceeding pre-war visitor numbers, with new attractions opening during the 1950s. A period of decline began during the 1970s, with structural deterioration that led the council to announce closure plans in 1980. Following protests, the pier remained open and a grant in 1983 allowed renovation work to take place, including for a new pier railway that was opened in May 1986 by Princess Anne. The pier has experienced several fires, notably in 1959, 1976, 1995 and 2005. The fire in 1976 was followed by another a year later, during a period when the pier was already in decline and resulted in the closure of the railway. In 1995, the fire caused significant damage requiring reconstruction of the deck. Just ten years later in 2005, another fire destroyed much of the wooden planking and caused significant damage to the old pierhead and surrounding structures. Sir John Betjeman, English poet and broadcaster, once said that "the Pier is Southend, Southend is the Pier". The pier is a Grade II listed building.

Pier Head railway station is a small railway station on the Southend Pier Railway, which serves Southend Pier in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. It is served by the shuttle train to and from Shore railway station. The train that serves the station is not part of National Rail. The station has two platforms, with two narrow gauge tracks running the 1.34 mile (2.16 km) long route.

Rage is a steel roller coaster situated at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. Rage is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter model roller coaster (the 6th overall to be built). At 97 degrees, it is steeper-than-vertical and tied for the third steepest roller coaster in the United Kingdom. it is also tied six ways between itself, Fahrenheit, Speed: No Limits, SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, Typhoon, and Vild-Svinet.

Adventure Island is a theme park in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The site of the theme park flanks the north end of Southend Pier and has been a theme park since 1976 when the land now forming the west side of the park was purchased by the Miller family. The park used to be known as Peter Pan’s Playground and later Peter Pan’s Adventure Island before becoming Adventure Island. The site is owned and managed by Stockvale Limited. The park contains thirty six rides, retail outlets, and numerous catering outlets.

Shore railway station is a small railway station on the Southend Pier Railway, which serves Southend Pier in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. It is served by the shuttle train to and from Pier Head railway station. The train that serves the station is not part of National Rail. The station has two platforms, with two narrow gauge tracks running the 1.34 mile (2.16 km) long route.

Radio Essex is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Essex, England via DAB and Mid and South Essex via FM, from studios in The Icon Building on Southend seafront, owned by the Adventure Radio Group. As of September 2023, the station broadcasts to a weekly audience of 85,000, according to RAJAR.

The Southend-on-Sea lifeboat station is a lifeboat station at Southend-on-Sea in the English county of Essex, operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).Because of the large tidal range and extensive drying foreshore at Southend, the lifeboat station uses two boathouses. One of these is situated at the head (outer end) of the 1.34 miles (2.16 km) long Southend Pier, and houses an Atlantic 85 class lifeboat and a smaller D class lifeboat, both of which are launched by davit into the deep water adjoining the pier. The other boathouse is situated adjacent to the inshore end of the pier, and houses a second D class lifeboat together with a H class hovercraft, both of which are launched down an adjacent slipway.The pier-head lifeboat house is a modern structure, which incorporates crew accommodation and offices, an RNLI shop, and a viewing gallery from which visitors can view the lifeboats. It is topped by a sun deck to which the public have access. Lifeboat crews use an electric buggy, complete with sirens and blue flashing lights, to access this boathouse along the pier from the shore.

The Kursaal () is a Grade II listed building in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which opened in 1901 as part of one of the world's first purpose-built amusement parks. The venue is noted for the main building with distinctive dome, designed by George Campbell Sherrin, which featured on a Royal Mail special stamp in 2011.

Brightwells Department Store was started in the 19th century by John Rumbelow Brightwell in Southend-on-Sea High Street as a drapery. This became a department store which was incorporated in 1909 as J.R. Brightwell Ltd. Its direct competitors were Keddies, J F Dixons and Thomas Brothers. John Brightwell had been an alderman of the county borough of Southend-on-Sea and twice the Mayor of Southend. The business was sold to Percy & Francis Barnes in 1925. A year later John Brightwell died at the age of 78.The store closed in the late 1970s and the building, which had 12,200 square foot of space over four floors, was purchased for £250,000 by Ketts Electrical in 1979. Ketts Electrical closed in the 1980s after it was purchased by Rumberlows. The Store remained empty in 1980s, however a Gym opened on the 2nd floor. The Store was home to the British Heart Foundation until 2015, when both the Gym and store were vacated to make way for a flats development called the Drapery in reference to Brightwells.

The New Empire Theatre was a historic theatre in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. Built in 1896, it closed in 1998 and was demolished in 2017.

The Cliff Town Congregational Church is a Grade II listed church in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. It was designed by W. Allen Dixon in around 1865. The Church is now deconsecrated, and is now the Clifftown Theatre, and hosts the East 15 theatre school run by the University of Essex.

Southend Central railway station is on the London, Tilbury and Southend line and is one of two primary stations serving the city of Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The city's other main station is called Southend Victoria which is the terminus of a branch line off the Great Eastern Main Line. Southend Central is 35 miles 55 chains (57.43 km) down the line from London Fenchurch Street via Basildon and it is situated between Westcliff and Southend East stations. Its three-letter station code is SOC. It was opened in 1856 by the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway and was the eastern terminus of the line until 1888, after which the line was later extended to Shoeburyness. The station and all trains serving it are currently operated by c2c.