| Southend Civic Centre | |
|---|---|
 Southend Civic Centre | |
| Location | Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea |
| Coordinates | 51°32′41″N0°42′32″E / 51.5448°N 0.7089°E Coordinates: 51°32′41″N0°42′32″E / 51.5448°N 0.7089°E |
| Built | 1967 |
| Architect | Patrick Burridge |
| Architectural style(s) | International Style |
  Shown in Essex | |
Southend Civic Centre is a municipal building in Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The structure is the meeting place of Southend-on-Sea City Council.
The first municipal building in Southend was the municipal offices in Clarence Road completed in 1883. [1] [2] [3] Following significant population growth, largely associated with the status of Southend as a seaside resort, the area became a municipal borough in 1892 and a county borough in 1914. [4] As the responsibilities of the council increased, it secured additional office accommodation around Southend, but in the 1940s, the civic leaders decided to co-locate all its staff in one location: [5] the site they selected on the east side of Victoria Avenue was occupied by three large private houses and by a school. [6]
The new building was designed by the borough architect, Patrick Burridge, in the International Style, built in concrete and glass and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on 31 October 1967. [7] [8] The design involved a 16-storey rectangular tower block with 20 bays facing onto Victoria Avenue and 10 bays at either end; the council chamber was contained in a separate two-storey structure built to the south west of the main building. [9]
A fountain, which took the form of three stone slabs located around a stone trough, was designed by William Mitchell and placed in the civic square adjacent to the civic centre at the time of its opening. [10] The three slabs evoked local history by displaying carvings of the borough coat of arms, a local fisherman and a monk from Prittlewell Priory. [10]
The council also commissioned a bronze sculpture entitled "Leda and the Swan" which was designed by Lucette Cartwright. [11] It was initially placed outside the Court House further south along Victoria Avenue but when councillors decided to relocate the sculpture to the civic square there was a backlash from protestors who objected to the sexual nature of the artist's work which depicted the thunder god, Zeus, in the form of a swan, raping a woman. [12] The sculpture was initially moved to the courtyard of the Palace Theatre in Westcliff-on-Sea and but it was later relocated to the mayor's residence where it was placed safely out of view. [13]
The civic centre remained the local seat of power following the formation of the enlarged Southend-on-Sea Borough Council in 1974. [14] A Union Flag, which had been raised at the civic centre on special occasions, including the death of the Queen Mother, was stolen from the civic centre, to much dismay, in April 2002. [15]
Southend-on-Sea, commonly referred to as Southend, is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern 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. It is home to the longest pleasure pier in the world, Southend Pier. London Southend Airport is located north of the city centre.
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Canvey Island is a town, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of 7.12 square miles (18.44 km2) and a population of 38,170. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks. Lying only just above sea level, it is prone to flooding at exceptional tides and has been inhabited since the Roman conquest of Britain.
The Borough of Basildon is a local government district in south Essex in the East of England, centred on the town of Basildon. It was formed as the Basildon District on 1 April 1974 from the former area of Basildon Urban District and the part of Thurrock Urban District that was within the Basildon New Town. The population of the district as of 2010 is about 172,000. The local authority is Basildon Borough Council. The council made an application for borough status in February 2010 and this was given approval that year, with Mo Larkin becoming the first mayor in October.
The Borough of Brentwood is a local government district and borough in Essex in the East of England.
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The A127, also known as the Southend Arterial Road, is a major road in Essex, England. It was constructed as a new arterial road project in the 1920s, linking Romford with Southend-on-Sea, replacing the older A13. Formerly classified as a trunk road, it was "de-trunked" in 1997. It is known as the Southend Arterial Road except for part of its length in Southend-on-Sea. It is also streetlit for its whole length despite its majority coverage through rural land.
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.
Stephen Brian Tilson is an English football manager and former player, he is currently the manager of Heybridge Swifts.
The Central Museum is a museum in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The museum houses collections of local and natural history and contains a planetarium constructed by astronomer Harry Ford in 1984.
Pitsea is a small town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Basildon, in south Essex, England. It comprises five sub-districts: Eversley, Northlands Park Neighbourhood, Chalvedon, Pitsea Mount and Burnt Mills. It is part of the new town of Basildon. In 1931 the parish had a population of 3414.
South Benfleet is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Benfleet, in the Castle Point district of Essex, England, 30 miles east of London. It is adjacent to the village of North Benfleet. The Benfleet SS7 post town includes South Benfleet, Thundersley, New Thundersley and Hadleigh. The Battle of Benfleet took place here between the Vikings and Saxons in 894. In 1951 the parish had a population of 8191.
Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and is currently controlled by the Conservative Party. The council meets at County Hall in the centre of Chelmsford. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.
The Southend Pier Railway is a 3 ft narrow gauge railway in the English city of Southend-on-Sea, Essex. It runs for 1.25 miles (2.01 km) along the 1.34 miles (2.16 km) length of Southend Pier, providing public passenger transport from the shore to the pier head.
South Essex College of Further and Higher Education, also known as South Essex College, is a further education college located over three main sites in Basildon, Southend-on-Sea and Grays in Essex, England. The college provides courses for students of all ages, from 14 to 19-year-olds to undergraduates, adults and businesses.
PROCAT is a further education college based in Basildon, Essex, England, with an additional campus in Canvey Island. PROCAT is an acronym of "Prospect College of Advanced Technology", and the college specialises in engineering and construction training.
The People's Independent Party (PIP) is a political party based in Castle Point, England. Formed in 2020 by Independent councillor Steven Cole and registered in 2022, PIP's aim is to give a voice to local people and take control of the council from the ruling Conservatives. At formation, the party was joined by 4 councillors, all originally elected as Independents. The party's other focuses are on stopping a Conservative-led plan to build 5,000 homes in the borough, expand activities for children, and push for streetlights to be turned back on between 1am and 5am.