🏚️ Save Our Endangered Buildings!

Good morning, Southend. I hope you enjoyed your bank holiday weekend, there was a lot of events to attend and a great buzz about the city. Let me know what you got up to.

In today’s Southend Spotlight:

• The BBC reports on The Kursaal’s upsetting disuse.

• Are car cruises good or bad for the area?

• Springtime Festival brings the pier to life.

Don’t forget to check out the upcoming event list at the end of this email to see what happening around Southend this weekend and next week.

— Tom McCloud, Editor

HIGHLIGHTS
Kursaal Amongst UK’s ‘Top 10 Most Endangered Buildings’

The Victorian Society has named The Kursaal as one of the most endangered buildings in the country after being left almost completely unoccupied since 2020.

The Kursaal has been an iconic building in Southend for over 120 years and is believed to have been the worlds first purpose built amusement park, previously containing a circus, ballroom, arcade, dining hall, a zoo, an ice rink and more. This week the building has been recognised by The Victoria Society as one of the most endangered buildings in the country.

Griff Rhys Jones, the president of the charity, said “I love The Kurssal. It was part of my childhood… There are problems but loads of enthusiasm. It’s time for the stakeholders to try a new approach”

Click here to read the BBC article 

What do you think should happen to The Kursaal? Email us and tell us your opinion.

Car Meet Brings Hundreds To Seafront

This Bank Holiday Monday car enthusiasts showed up in their hundreds for an unofficial car meet, cruising along the seafront between Westcliff and Southend.

Although Southend Council have actively brought in measures to prevent events such as this taking place, by introducing a Car Cruise PSPO, many residents are in favour of these events, enjoying the longstanding tradition of car cruises across the seafront.

Car meets and cruises have been a seafront tradition in Southend for decades, with the scene reaching its peak in the 1990’s. Many would argue these events benefit the area, brining a large amount of business to the seafront with local vendors, arcades and bars seeing a boost in footfall.

Should we embrace this local tradition or is it just a nuisance? Have your opinion reply to this email

THIS WEEK
Southend Pier Springtime Festival

Last weekend was the start of the nine day Springtime Festival. Taking place at the end of the pier, the festival brings bumper cars, trampolines, live music and more to Southend’s iconic 1.33 mile pier.

Wristbands are £5 and allow you to take part in as many games and activities as you like, all day long.

The festival is running from 25th May - 2nd June so now is your last time to get a chance to enjoy the activities!

LOCAL HISTORY
Pier Hill, 1936

Southend is rich with interesting pieces of history and every week we dedicate a section of this newsletter to sharing that history with you. If you have suggestions for the next piece, reply to this email.

Pier Hill has always been the vibrant and busy central point of Southend, connecting the seafront and pier to the High Street and Palace Hotel. Although in the present day many of the shops on the hill are closed, the area is still lively with many eateries below and entertainment around.

NEWS
📰 You May Have Missed…

• New Gaming Centre and Cyber Cafe opens in Southend

• Leigh Beach named Essex’s best kept secret

• Southend Airport CEO steps down from role

• American fast food chain Wendy’s comes to Southend

• Last chance to apply for City Jam street art festival

• C2C six weeks of disruption due to engineering works

EVENTS
🗓️ Upcoming Events

• Springtime Festival May 25th - June 2nd

• Drop-in Clay sessions May 31st

• Music In The Park 1st-2nd June

• D-Day Beacon Lighting June 6th

• ‘Ladies That Lunch’ Fundraising Lunch June 7th

• Indian Street Food Festival June 9th