Around Southend

Fun and entertainment for the Wright family at the Kursaal amusements and boating lake in Southend. Glorious colour footage by Westcliffe Cine Club member John Wright.

Westcliffe Cine Club member John Wright, with wife, son and daughter, enjoy Southend's attractions - at the funfair (likely to be the Kursaal), feeding the gulls, and a round of mini-golf 'pitch and putt'. Then Wright Junior takes the helm, steering the family around the boating lake. This colour film captures Southend in its heyday, a popular family holiday destination during the mid-1950s with an exciting variety of amusements to entertain the young and less young.

Southend was so popular at this time, that often there was not enough accommodation for those staying for the weekend, and crowds chose to sleep out on the beach! Southend attracted swathes of tourists (many from nearby London) for its famous pier, extending 1.34 miles it is the longest pleasure pier in the world, as well as its seven miles of beaches. Sadly, as holidays abroad became more affordable in the coming decades, Southend’s allure largely diminished.