Chalkwell is a suburb of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is situated on the north bank of the Thames Estuary and is in traditional[a] terms still part of Westcliff-on-Sea. The ward of Chalkwell is bordered by Woodfield Road, Leigh-on-Sea to the west, London Road to the North and Valkyrie Road, Westcliff-on-Sea to the east.[4][1]
Chalkwell as a suburb started in the early 20th century as a housing development on the former farmland of the Chalkwell Hall estate.[5] The name is believed to be derived from chalk pits dug by farmers to neutralise acid soil.[6] On the second Ordnance Survey map of 1897 it showed the area as open fields and brickworks.[5] The current hall stands on the site of previous halls and was built in 1830, with the site opening as a public park in 1903 after the land and hall were purchased by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council.[7]Nikolaus Pevsner selected several properties for mention in his guide to Essex, including a pair of semi detached houses on the corner of Galton Road and Chalkwell Avenue, and several properties in Imperial Avenue and Seymour Road.[8][4]
The Crow Stone
The Crow Stone (less often called London Stone) stands high on a plinth on the mud[9] on the Thames Estuary foreshore facing the south end of Chalkwell Avenue. The line, known as the Yantlet Line, between the Crow Stone and the London Stone, Yantlet Creek, almost due south on the other shore of the Thames is the eastern limit of the jurisdiction of the Port of London Authority (PLA). This is relevant to local byelaws such as for a locally qualified maritime pilot into and out of port of larger vessels and the PLA's authority to police navigation (which also reserves the right to go in hot pursuit). It was designated as a Grade II listed building in July 2021.[10] This is the third stone erected on the Chalkwell foreshore, the original being placed in 1285, before the replacement from 1755 was found to be cracked and was moved to Priory Park.[11][6]
Chalkwell is an electoral ward of Southend-on-Sea covering Chalkwell. It is represented by three local government councillors, each elected to serve a four-year term.
Chalkwell has a railway station on the c2c line, a few metres from the beach, with regular direct trains to London.
Chalkwell Park has hosted Essex County Cricket Club matches and is the home ground for two local cricket clubs. Metal, the art organisation set up by Jude Kelly OBE has been based in Chalkwell Hall since 2006.[12] The organisation offers residency space for artists and also organises the Village Green Art & Music Festival.[13] The festival ran from 2008 for a weekend every July,[14] but has not run since 2019 due to covid. The park is also home to NetPark, which claims to be the world’s first digital art park.[15] The park is home to the annual fair that accompanies the Southend Carnival.[16]
Chalkwell Beach was awarded a Seaside Award in 2021, an English award for the best beaches.[17] Chalkwell is home to two bowls clubs, Chalkwell Bowls Club which is based on Chalkwell Esplanade, and the Essex County Bowls Club that is based in Imperial Avenue.[18][19] In 2009, an open water swimming club, the "Chalkwell Redcaps" was established.[20]
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council designated the Crowstone area of Chalkwell in 1990. The most prominent building in the conservation area is Crowstone House, built in 1905 and now a nursing home. The area is named after the North Eastern marker, the Crow Stone which marked the extent of power in history of the City of London and the Port of London Authority.[22][23]
The only listed structure in Chalkwell is Chalkwell Hall, which has been Grade II listed since 1974.[24]
Demography
Chalkwell compared
2001 UK Census
Chalkwell ward
Southend-on-Sea UA
England
Population
9,207
160,257
49,138,831
Foreign born
8.9%
6.0%
9.2%
White
94.6%
95.8%
90.9%
Asian
2.7%
2.2%
4.6%
Black
1.1%
0.7%
2.3%
Christian
63.4%
68.7%
71.7%
Muslim
2.0%
1.2%
3.1%
Hindu
0.8%
0.6%
1.1%
No religion
17.6%
18.8%
14.6%
Unemployed
4.2%
3.7%
3.3%
Retired
11.2%
14.8%
13.5%
At the 2001 UK census, the Chalkwell electoral ward had a population of 9,207, increasing to 10,045 at the 2011 Census.[25] The ethnicity was 94.6% White, 1.2% Mixed, 2.7% Asian, 1.1% Black and 0.4% Other. The place of birth of residents was 91.1% United Kingdom, 1.3% Republic of Ireland, 1.6% other Western European countries and 6.0% elsewhere. Religion was recorded as 63.4% Christian, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.8% Hindu, 0% Sikh, 6.7% Jewish, and 2% Muslim. 17.6% were recorded as having no religion, 0.5% had an alternative religion and 8.7% did not state any religion.[26]
The economic activity of residents aged 16 to 74 was 41.5% in full-time employment, 10.2% in part-time employment, 11.4% self-employed, 4.2% unemployed, 2.1% students with jobs, 3.6% students without jobs, 11.2% retired, 6.7% looking after home or family, 5.9% permanently sick or disabled and 3.2% economically inactive for other reasons.
The industry of employment of residents was 13.2% retail, 8.8% manufacturing, 5% construction, 15.8% real estate, 11.3% health and social work, 9.3% education, 6% transport and communications, 5.4% public administration, 4.2% hotels and restaurants, 14.3% finance, 0.3% agriculture and 6.4% other. Compared with national figures, the ward had a relatively high proportion of workers in finance and education. Of the ward's residents aged 16–74, 21.9% had a higher education qualification or the equivalent, compared with 19.9% nationwide. According to Office for National Statistics estimates, during the period of April 2004 to March 2005 the average gross weekly income of households was £670, compared with an average of £650 in South East England.[26]
Romford is a large town in East London, England, 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major metropolitan centres of Greater London identified in the London Plan.
Shoeburyness, or simply Shoebury, is a coastal town in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England; it lies 3 miles (5 km) east of the city centre. It was formerly a separate town until it was absorbed into Southend in 1933.
Southend-on-Sea, commonly referred to as Southend, is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, 40 miles (64 km) east of central London. It is bordered to the north by Rochford and to the west by Castle Point. The city is one of the most densely populated places in the country outside of London. It is home to the longest pleasure pier in the world, Southend Pier, while London Southend Airport is located to the north of the city centre.
Leigh-on-Sea, commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a town and civil parish in the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011 it had a population of 22,509.
Prittlewell is an inner city area and former civil parish in Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Historically, Prittlewell is the original settlement of the city, Southend being the south end of Prittlewell. The village of Prittlewell was originally centered at the joining of three main roads, East Street, West Street, and North Street, which was extended south in the 19th century and renamed Victoria Avenue. The principal administrative buildings in Southend are located along Victoria Avenue, although Prittlewell is served by Prittlewell railway station.
The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain.
Westcliff-on-Sea is a suburb of the city of Southend-on-Sea, located within the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north shore of the lower Thames Estuary, about 37 miles (55 km) east of London. The Westcliff-on-Sea area is described by Southend-on-Sea City Council as having a border in the east with Milton Road, Hamlet Court Road and Gainsborough Drive; Prittlewell Chase to the North and Valkyrie Road/ London Road/ Southbourne Grove in the west. Traditionally Westcliff included Chalkwell.
Westcliff railway station is on the London, Tilbury and Southend line, serving the locality of Westcliff-on-Sea in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. It is 34 miles 66 chains (56.0 km) down the main line from London Fenchurch Street via Basildon and it is situated between Chalkwell to the west and Southend Central to the east. Its three-letter station code is WCF.
Two Tree Island is a small island lying north-east of Canvey Island and south-west of Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, England. It covers 257 hectares and is connected to the mainland at Leigh by a single span bridge.
Southend West and Leigh is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. In the 2024 general election the seat was won by David Burton-Sampson for Labour. It was previously held by Anna Firth who won the 2022 by-election, following the murder of the incumbent MP, David Amess.
Arriva Southern Counties Limited, trading as Arriva Southern Counties, is a bus operator in Kent, Essex, Hemel Hempstead, and Watford in England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.
The Prittle Brook is a 7.2 mile (11.59 km) watercourse in south Essex, England. A tributary of the River Roach, the brook rises in Thundersley and passes through Hadleigh, Leigh-on-Sea, Westcliff, Prittlewell, Rochford and discharges into the Roach and then into the North Sea via the Roach and Crouch estuaries.
Southchurch is a suburb and former civil parish in the city of Southend-on-Sea in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. England. In 2011 the ward had a population of 9,710.
County Borough of Southend-on-Sea was a local government district around the seaside resort of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. South End, as it was originally known was initially some fishermen's huts at the south end of the village of Prittlewell. Due to the growth of the settlement and the arrival of the ecclesiastical parish of St John the Baptist, in 1842, Southend formed a local board. In 1877, the local board merged back with Prittlewell, with the new Southend district also including the settlements of Westcliff-on-Sea and Chalkwell. When Essex County Council was formed in 1889, Southend was within the administrative county of Essex. The town was officially incorporated by charter as a municipal borough in 1892, and the council, known as Southend Corporation, changed the name of the town from Southend to Southend-on-Sea in 1893. Due to the rapid expansion of the town's population, in 1914 the town was made a county borough, divorcing itself from the county council and taking control of all the town's services. In 1974 the county borough was dissolved, and replaced by a non-metropolitan district within the same boundaries. Two new authorities were created, with the powers split between Essex County Council and Southend-on-Sea District Council. The town became a unitary authority area in 1998, which returned the powers from the county council that had been lost in 1974.
London Stone is the name given to a number of boundary stones that stand beside the rivers Thames and Medway, which formerly marked the limits of jurisdiction of the City of London.
Chalkwell Park is a recreational park in Chalkwell, Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, England. It covers 27 hectares and contains several flower gardens, two children's playgrounds, a skateboard/BMX park and football, cricket, basketball and tennis fields. The cricket pitch was formerly used by Essex County Cricket Club.
Milton is an electoral ward of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England, covering the seafront area west of Southend town centre and the eastern side of the inner city area of Westcliff-on-Sea. It is represented by three local government councillors, each elected to serve a four-year term. The ward borders Chalkwell, Kursaal and Victoria and the Castle Point ward of Canvey Island East. In 2021 it had a population of 11,692.
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