Southend-on-Sea | |
|---|---|
 Southend-on-Sea City Council (Civic arms of Southend-on-Sea) | |
| Motto(s): Per Mare Per Ecclesiam (By Sea, By Church) | |
 Shown within Essex | |
| Coordinates: 51°33′N 0°43′E / 51.55°N 0.71°E | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | East of England |
| Ceremonial county | Essex |
| Admin HQ | Southend-on-Sea |
| Areas of the city | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary authority |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Labour) |
| • Governing Body | Southend-on-Sea City Council |
| • Executive | No overall control |
| • MPs | Bayo Alaba (L) David Burton-Sampson (L) |
| Area | |
• Total | 16.12 sq mi (41.76 km2) |
| Population | |
• Total | Ranked by District 116th 180,915 |
| • Density | 11,240/sq mi (4,341/km2) |
| Ethnicity (2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion (2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| Postcode | |
| Post town | southend-on-sea |
| Dialling code | 01702 |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-SOS |
| Grid reference | TQ883856 |
| ONS code | 00KF (ONS) E06000033 (GSS) |
| Website | southend |
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Southend-on-Sea (/ˌsaʊθɛndɒnˈsiː/ ), commonly referred to as Southend (/saʊˈθɛnd/), 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,[2] while London Southend Airport is located to the north of the city centre.
Southend-on-Sea originally consisted of a few fishermen's huts and farm at the southern end of the village of Prittlewell. In the 1790s, the first buildings around what was to become the High Street of Southend were completed. In the 19th century, Southend's status as a seaside resort grew after a visit from the Princess of Wales, Caroline of Brunswick, and the construction of both the pier and railway, allowing easier access from London. From the 1960s onwards, the city declined as a holiday destination. After the 1960s, much of the city centre was developed for commerce and retail, and many original structures were lost to redevelopment. As part of its reinvention, Southend became the home of the Access credit card, due to its having one of the UK's first electronic telephone exchanges. An annual seafront airshow, which started in 1986 and featured a flypast by Concorde, used to take place each May until 2012.
On 18 October 2021, it was announced that Southend would be granted city status, in memorial to the Conservative Member of Parliament for Southend West, Sir David Amess, a long-time supporter of city status for the borough, who was murdered on 15 October 2021.[3][4] Southend was granted city status by letters patent dated 26 January 2022. On 1 March 2022, the letters patent were presented to Southend Borough Council by Charles, Prince of Wales.[5][6]
- ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Southend-on-Sea Local Authority (E06000033)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ Else, David, ed. (2009). England. Lonely Planet travel guide (5th ed.). Lonely Planet. p. 445. ISBN 978-1-74104-590-1.
- ^ "Sir David Amess: Southend to become a city in honour of MP". BBC News. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Southend to become city in honour of Sir David Amess". The Guardian. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Southend: Prince Charles presents city status document". BBC News. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ "Warrant to prepare Letters Patent for conferring city status on Southend-on-Sea". Crown Office. Retrieved 17 August 2022.