Kursaal (amusement park)

This article is about the amusement park. For other uses, see Kursaal.

The Kursaal
View of the front of the Kursaal
LocationSouthend-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom
Coordinates51°31′59″N 0°43′29″E / 51.5331°N 0.7247°E / 51.5331; 0.7247
StatusOperating
Opened1901

The Kursaal (/ˈkɜːrzəl/[1]) is a former amusement park and a Grade II listed building[2] in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The building, originally known as the Kursaal Palace was opened in 1901 as part of one of the world's first purpose-built amusement parks.[3] The venue is noted for the main building with distinctive dome, designed by George Campbell Sherrin, which featured on a Royal Mail special stamp in 2011.[4] The amusement park was home to Southend United F.C. between 1919 and 1934.[5] The majority of the park was closed in 1973, with the rest of the site closing in 1986. The building remained derelict until it was redeveloped in the late 1990s, opening again in 1998. Since 2020, the building again remains empty except for a small Tesco convenience store.

  1. ^ British Movietone (21 July 2015). "KURSAAL DEMOLITION - COLOUR". YouTube. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  2. ^ "THE KURSAAL, Non Civil Parish - 1236532 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Kursaal memories kept alive". 25 March 2010.
  4. ^ "Royal Mail's alphabetical landmark stamps". BBC News. 11 October 2011.
  5. ^ Mason, Peter (2007). Southend United: The Official History of the Blues. Shrimper Publishing, Limited. pp. 90–94. ISBN 978-0955597602.