Southend is one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations, mostly with day-trippers from within the UK. The seaside town developed from a tiny fishing village to become a large town with the coming of the railway in the mid-eighteenth century, when Londoners began shuttling down the estuary coast in their thousands. Due to this history, Southend offers classic British seaside charms, including the longest pleasure pier in the world, beaches, and amusement arcades and parks. It’s not just candy floss and kiss-me-quick hats though; Southend is fast developing as a business and retail centre, and has a thriving nightlife and gay scene too.
Culture
For classic, cheesy seaside fun, Southend has it all. There are beaches, attractions on the pier, a seafront strip of casinos and amusement arcades, and the Kursaal, a restored early twentieth century amusement centre with bowling alley, bar and addictive fluffy-grab machines. A visit to Adventure Island, Southend’s large amusement park on the seafront, is a must for rollercoaster fans, and the Sealife Centre, just a little further along the beach, affords plently of exotic fish. Southend’s newly-renovated high street offers a variety of clubs and bars, from the cheap-as-chips Wetherspoons, The Last Post, to the trendy Varsity. Southend is also the area with the greatest restaurant-to-population ratio in the UK (outside of London). As well as the chains such as Nandos and La Tasca, Southend is home to fantastic local one-offs. The Pipe of Port is a great cellar wine bar, where the gourmet pies are to die for, whilst Toulouse on the seafront and Stefanos off the high street boast impressive cuisine and sophisticated décor.
Southend’s gay scene has grown quickly in the past five years. A recent renovation of the Cliff pub in the centre of town has boosted the place’s already wild popularity with an equal mix of gays and lesbians. Originally a hotel, the intimate gay pub retains its odd layout inside and some of its original Victorian charm (check out the patterned mirrors behind the bar; they’re original and listed), whilst the new décor, with its plush red walls and camp white leather furniture gives the place a distinct and modern vibe. Aside from this, new gay venue Hush offers hot food all day, attracting a mixed gay, lesbian and straight crowd, and runs a variety of different entertainments, from karaoke Thursdays to live jazz family days on Sundays. On Friday nights, there is a great gay night at seafront club Zinc, with an anything-goes attitude, well-known commercial dance DJs, and live drag dancers. Popular gay club Colours is a short train ride away in Basildon, which attracts a rough-and-ready young mixed gay clientele.
Equality
As a UK destination, discrimination against LGBT people is illegal in all areas of life. Southend is a tolerant community, and the large gay and lesbian population is widely accepted, aside from the very occasional late-night heckling when heading home after a night out.
Travel Information
From outside the UK, you can fly to all London airports and easily reach Southend. For Heathrow arrivals, you can take the tube from the airport to Fenchurch or Liverpool Street, and from there, it is an hour’s train ride to central Southend. The town is easily reached by train from the surrounding areas via one of its five train stations. Regular buses run between London and Southend and surrounding Essex towns. By car, you can reach Southend via the M25, the A13 and the A127.
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