Southend-on-sea

 Southend-on-Sea

 Southend-on-Sea was not always called Southend-on-sea the town started its life has a village called Prittlewell. Prittlewell was originally a stone age village and was made more accessible to people by the Romans. The Romans had a lot of influence in the area. The Romans built dwellings like farmhouses, villas and roads that had a major effect on the area. It brought new skills and new ideas to the people of Prittlewell. The Romans also brought new social structures that help Prittlewell become a thriving village. 

 

The town continued to grow at a slow rate over the years and only started to become the Southend we love and know, until the Georgian era. The Georgian era put Southend on the map has it had became very popular with tourists from London. The tourists were attracted to the seven miles of beaches that were ideal for bathing. The art of bathing had become very popular at this time in history. The town also had good railway links, which made it very easy for Londoners to visit the seaside town and return home within a day.

Has the town became more popular, it was thought that a pier would be a good idea. In 1828 work started on the pier and the work was completed in 1830 and the pier opened that year. The first original pier was only reached 600ft and was made of entirely of wood. Building work continued to extend the pier over the years and after 16 years in 1846 the pier reach a grand one and quarter miles. This made the pier the longest in Europe and prove to be a major attraction to the public. In 1888 work started on a new iron pier to replace the wooden one. The new pier was designed by Mr James Brunlees and cost £80,000 with £10,000 on the money being spent on a new electric railway that would travel the whole length of the pier. The new pier opened its doors on 24^th August 1890. In 1890 it was decided to extend the pier again. The pier now reach 7080ft making it the longest pier in the world. A record that has not changed since the pier was built. In 1908 an extension was built creating an upper deck, they also turned the single track railway into a double track. The Prince George steamer extension was add in 1929.

Following the end of world war II the pier started to become very popular with the British public again after the hardships of war. During the season of 1949/1950 the pier trains carried a whooping 4,713,082 passengers and with another million choosing to walk along the pier. This was the hay days of Southend pier. Since the 1950's the seaside resort has being slowly declining. This was especially seen in the 1970's, were it was decided to franchise the entertainments on the pier because of falling trade. In 1976 the there was a huge fire that cause extensive damaged to the pier head leaving a repair bill of 1.4 million. To add salt to the wounds the piers railway had to closed due to safety reasons that was only two years after the fire in October 1978. In 1980 the local council made plans to close the entire pier for good in September that year. These were very sad times for Southend pier.

The council did not really want to close the pier for good, so after much debate within the council cambers. They came up with a rescue package with a local building firm and work stared on the pier in 1984. The work was to include a new 3 foot gauge railway to replace the old out of date one. The work was completed in 1986 but just before the pier was due to open a ship called the “Kings of Abbey” which was 180ft long collided with the pier causing some minor damage and some of the pier being sectioned off. This only delayed the opening for a short time and later that year the newly refurbished pier was opened by Princess Anne.

In 1989 the pier museum opened at the shore end of the pier. The museum showed the history of the pier from its early days has a wooden pier. In June 1995 a fire started at the shore end of the pier. The fire destroyed most of the pier shoreward end and the bowling ally that was adjacent to it. The railway was damaged has well and had to close. The pier shoreward end was rebuilt in 1998 with a grant from the Heritage Lottery fund which was rejected at first. In 2000 the RNLI station and gift shop were opened at the pier head. In October 2005 fire struck again this time damaging the pier head station and 130ft of the pier. This was repaired like all the other disaster before. Southend's pier has had a lot of setbacks, ups and downs throughout its history but it has stood the test of time being around for nearly two hundred years.

Southend his still a great place to visit especially if you live in London taking only an hour to reach there by car. It is and always will be a favourite place for Londoners to visit and it is one of England's great seaside resort. I myself visit southend at lease two to three times a year and enjoy it very much.

The Royal Pavilion

Royal Pavilion

Brighton

The Brighton Royal Pavilion Was built in three stages between 1787 and 1882. Starting life as an old farm house when the Prince of Wales rented it as a seaside retreat. The farmhouse over looked the very fashionable promenade. The Prince's physicians advised him that it would be beneficial for he's health. This was because Brighton had a fortunate climate and the sea water treatments which included “dipping” was very good for your health.

The Prince of Wales had a taste for fine architecture, decorative arts and fashion which he liked to show off at Windsor and his residences in London. The Prince had a very strict childhood and in early adulthood he started to rebel against this, by drinking, womanising and gambling. This kind of lifestyle started to take its toll on the Prince's pocket and he soon found that he was accumulating quiet a large debt. The Prince started to pleaded to the house of commons for a rise in he's income. After the Prince had made many promises to parliament, the house decided to settle the prince's debts and increase he's income this was in 1787.

The architect Henry Holland the designer of CarltonHouse was hired to transform the farmhouse into something a bit more glamours and grand. After the building was finished the prince would refer to the new house as the Marine Pavilion. The Prince lavishly furnished and decorated the residence with Chinese exported furniture and objects and the walls were covered in hand painted Chinese wall paper. The Marine Pavilion had three main rooms all coming off the central rotunda. There was a breakfast room, Dinning room and a library. All the rooms had oil paintings by Biagio Rebecca and were decorative in Holland's French neoclassic style. The prince also decided to buy the land that surround the Marine Pavilion to build more buildings. In 1801-02 the Pavilion was enlarged to incorporate a new dining room and conservatory all designed by Peter FrederickRobinson an architect from Holland's offices.

After the Pavilion was enlarged the Prince employed an architect called William Porden to design some stables that were to be a grand riding school. Porden's design dwarfed the Marine Pavilion and was designed with a Indian influence. The stables took around fives years to complete between 1803-08. A few years after the stables were finished a designer called John Nash was hired to redesign the all ready large pavilion and it is he's work that we can see today as you walk around Brighton. The Royal Pavilion is a great example of exoticism and was an alternative to the Regency style that was very popular at the time. George IV was determined for the pavilion to be extremely comfortable. The architect was given instructions that he should pay special attention to heating, lighting and the sanitation as well as using the latest equipment of the day to fit out the kitchen.

The presence of George IV in Brighton gave the town its prosperity and a very fashionable place to live. The population in Brighton grew after the Prince decided to take up residence. The population went from 3,620 in 1786 to 40,634 in 1831. The rebuilding of The Pavilion also provided work for local tradesmen and the arrival of The Princes guest in the town to attend the Royal court provided valuable income for local businesses. The sea fronts promenade with its many elegant terraced houses, crescents and squares that you can still see today were build as a direct result of royalty taking up residence in Brighton. Many of these large houses were designed in the regency style that was very popular and very fashionable at the time. George IV became king in 1820 and shortly after the Royal Pavilion was finally finished 1823. The king could only visit the Royal Pavilion a further two times this was because he had a lot more responsibilities and he's health was failing him. In 1830 the king who had made Brighton a very fashionable place died and was succeeded by his younger brother William IV.

William IV continued to stay at the Royal Pavilion and visit Brighton throughout he's short rein. He's wife Queen Adelaide household was to big for the Pavilion and extra rooms and further buildings were add. Nearly all these buildings were demolished and only a few survive today. William IV died in 1837 and he's young niece Victoria became queen. Queen Victoria visited The Pavilion in the same year for the first time. Queen Victoria found The Pavilion to be to small for her and the elegant styled rooms made her feel uncomfortable and uneasy. The queen decided to sell The Pavilion in1850 to the town of Brighton for £50,000. As she thought that the building would be demolished she order the Pavilion to be strip of all its furnishing, decorations and fittings for use in other Royal households throughout the country.

Brighton and its people were aware of the Pavilion's importance as an tourist attraction for the town especially as the new railway had just reached Brighton. Towards the end of that year the main ground floor rooms had been completely redecorated in a similar style as before but not so lavish and the Pavilion opened to the public. The fee to enter The Pavilion was sixpence and stay that amount until the 1920's. In 1864 Queen Victoria returned some of the fixtures and fittings including chandeliers and wall paintings. Victoria made further gifts to The Pavilion in1889. During the WW1 the Pavilion was used as an hospital for Indian solders which lead to damage and neglect. In 1920 the government funded a settlement for the damage done during the war.

The Royal Pavilion in Brighton is a magnificence building and totally out of style with all the other buildings in Brighton. As you walk around Brighton this building stands out and brings a bit of charm to the town and it is a monument to George IV and he's Regency dream and Brighton would not have the same charm without it.