Southend-on-Sea Town Centre Walk | Let's Walk 2020

[@bloodgod8291]

Thanks for Upload :D I love Southend-On-Sea

[@anneboorder240]

I just saw this today , Aug 4, 2024, for the first time. Oh my, that was quite a walk. It brought back so many memories, You mentioned Hadleigh, where I was born, Before I was even a year old Mum and Dad and me, moved to Prittlewell., I went to St Mary's C of E school, went to St Marys Church and was confirmed there, Went to Southend High School for Girls, which during my tenure moved to Shoebury. Lots of changes in Southend, much I wouldn't even recognize now. The High St totally different ,,and even London Rd, I could literally go on and on ..but will say thank you for this walkabout. I'd love to see a similar video walkabout in Prittlewell.

[@rgreen1961]

Well done 👍🇦🇺

[@davidsheriff8989]

Great days out there in the 80s and 90s...

[@stevenrawlings4663]

Great video ! Very informative ! Southend has always been & always will be very special to me ! Thank you very, very much !

[@LetsWalkUK]

I'm so glad to hear it! Southend is a great seaside town full of captivating history - I do hope this video brought back some nice memories for you :) Thank you so much for watching!

[@davidmurphy4233]

It's great to see Southend again, I lived there for over 8 years back in the1960s - Thank you.

[@LetsWalkUK]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video and that it brought back some memories, I'm sure Southend has changed a lot since the 1960s :) Thank you very much for watching!

[@laurenagg1282]

That was absolutely wonderful, my late parents lived in West-Cliff-on-Sea watching this with tears in my eyes so many happy memories of visiting them with my children walking along the pier, walking through the Town Centre I remember the Woolworths there I loved going in there we all did it was a really big one, thank you so much for putting this up and all the information you gave to go along with your video was brilliant

[@LetsWalkUK]

I'm so glad to hear it! Southend is a wonderful place particularly on a sunny day like this - and I'm really glad that this video brought back some nice memories of the town. Stay tuned for a walk in Westcliff later in the year too - I'll be filming there at some point in the near future :) Thank you so much for watching and for your wonderful comments!

[@laurenagg1282]

@@LetsWalkUK Oh that will be wonderful if you do the WestCliff one also would there be any chance of you doing a Leigh on Sea one as well, myself, my children and my late parents would walk into Leigh from Westcliff along the sea front this would be such a joy to watch.

[@michellebruce5092]

Excellent walk in today. I enjoyed it very much the history and the beauty. Can't wait to see more tomorrow have a great day 😀

[@LetsWalkUK]

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video - Southend has a great story behind it and it's a great seaside town today :)

[@taksaornpetcharatmoloney5844]

It’s great, I enjoying to watch the video of Southend. Thank you very much and sharing this on Facebook for friends.

[@LetsWalkUK]

Thank you so much! I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed the video - Southend is a really wonderful place :) And please do share the walk with friends, I hope they enjoy seeing the town and its history on screen too!

[@dazpoz]

Brilliant knowledge of the history of the town!

[@LetsWalkUK]

Thank you so much! I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed the video - I put a lot of research into the history of Southend, of which there are so many fascinating things to know :) This video just about scratches the surface, but I hope it gave you a good flavour for the heritage of this great seaside town!

[@yipwaynewaion9802]

I studied at Southend College of Technology in 1986 and did my O & A level as Overseas Student from Hong Kong. Why chosen Southend because of my sister married to my brother in law and he had been running a chinese restaurant at that time. The walk path of Westcliff on sea is the exact where I had been hanging around alone without knowing any friends when I first came to Southend the feeling was not very good as a teenage left all the friends and all the way from Hong Kong.!! Even so I enjoy the video and it brings me a presious memories

[@LetsWalkUK]

Thank you so much! I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed the video - I bet you have some great memories of Southend back in the day, especially with gorgeous sunny days by the seaside :)

[@lorraine5494]

Oh, this was wonderful! Thanks so much for this extensive walk around Southend. I used to live in Wickford and every Saturday my mum and I would take the train and go to Southend to get our hair done and go shopping! There used to be a C&A in the Victoria shopping centre at the top near the Liverpool Street railway station, as well as a Wimpy's. It was very different back then - now it is MUCH nicer! Many fond memories of swimming in the sea as a kid, and even spending my lunchtimes on the beach when I worked in The Royals for a bit. Now I live in the States. I loved reading all the history you added as we were walking along. My mum lived in Leigh-on-Sea for many years - a stroll along the London Road from Highland Boulevaard down to Marine Parade and on down the cliff to Old Leigh would be lovely, if you are ever able to do that.

[@LetsWalkUK]

Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video - I always like to hear how seeing towns today bring back memories for so many people! Thank you so much for watching and your kind comments - I'll make sure to visit Leigh-on-Sea and make a video along the roads you'd like to see (perhaps towards the summer though when the sun will definitely be shining). So stay tuned :)

[@asw7696]

The Wimpy is still there in the shopping centre.

[@whispers8650]

@@LetsWalkUK I believe the longest High Street is in Long Melford which is in Suffolk. I've lived in Southend sine I was 5 or 6, am 66 now, I have seen so many changes, it did use to be a lovely town with all the things you mentioned and many more but it's lost its atmosphere now and the guts have been taken out of it, sadly. Thanks for the walkabout though as I don't get out much these days so though the High St and surroundings aren't like they used to be it was still fun watching your video.

[@glyniswhiteman5951]

I’ve lived in Southend all my life and have seen a lot of changes. It was a lovely place some time ago, but now you have a lot of closed down shops. I don’t see much point going into Southend. The seafront is still nice but you want good weather for going there

[@PARIS-FRANCE]

SUPER MERCI POUR CETTE SYMPATHIQUE MAGNIFIQUE BALADE EXHAUSTIVE DANS CETTE CHARMANTE VILLE BALNÉAIRE AUX POINTS DE VUE SPLENDIDES !.. OH AMUSANTE LA P'TITE MARCHE À RECULONS (D'AILLEURS J'AIME BIEN VOIR VOTRE OMBRE DANS VOS RANDONNÉES )!.. AH LE PLAN FINAL SUPERBE POUR DÉMARRER LA MATINALE !.. BON MARDI LET'S WALK !..

[@LetsWalkUK]

Merci beaucoup! Je suis vraiment heureux que vous avez aimé le vidéo - Southend est un lieu plein d'histoire et des vues magnifiques :) Bonne journée à vous!

[@PARIS-FRANCE]

@@LetsWalkUK THANKS A LOT GOOD AFTERNOON

[@Lemon_Rats]

me and my american friends watch these videos together through a screen share and i love pointing out my college to them every time hahah ! awesome video my guy !!!

[@LetsWalkUK]

I'm delighted to hear it - hopefully they enjoy getting a glimpse across the pond through the screen share, and that you can give them some great local stories from personal experience :) Thank you so much for watching - I'm really glad you enjoyed the video!

[@marrionc2458]

I love Southend and this video was excellent thank you

[@LetsWalkUK]

Thank you so much! Southend's a great town as I'm sure you know - I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed the video :) Thank you for watching and for your kind words!

[@aatravelvlogz3098]

Wow 😮 it’s wonderful

[@LetsWalkUK]

It certainly is! Especially when the sun is shining, it's always lovely to be down by the seaside in a place like Southend :) Thank you so much for watching - I'm really glad you enjoyed the video!

[@matthewballard6399]

Adventure island was called peter pans playground in the 70s...before all the large modern rides were put in place..anyone remember the crooked house?😎😆😎😆

[@stevedevereaux9704]

l was going to say that it was peter pans play ground l remember it as a kid also l think there was the gardens with all the lights next door at the top all done like Disney land

[@jamesriley8130]

The crooked house is still there. The inside displays have changed through the years though.

[@luckykazivlog8782]

Wow beautiful!

[@LetsWalkUK]

It is indeed very beautiful - and Southend really shines under blue skies like these :) Thank you so much for watching - I really hope you enjoyed the video!

[@suggz66]

I'm a big fan of Southend! For the length of high St question though I would consider Oxford St in the west end of London, Walthamstow High St in the east end & possibly Enfield highway or Hertford Rd in north London to make comparisons regardless of what is said of Southend having the longest.

[@sarribel]

went down to southend myself quite a long ago although nowadays seems to have transformed into a phenomenal suburban area by the sea for londoners, cheaper than brighton for sure, hasn´t it?. once again, thanks a lot for your great & interesting shots and comments. let´s walk!!

[@sarribel]

1,LONDON ROAD,SOUTHEND-ON-SEA,ENGLAND,2983 2,HIGH ROAD LEYTONSTONE,WALTHAM FOREST,ENGLAND,2294 3,WIMBORNE ROAD,BOURNEMOUTH,ENGLAND,2204 4,KING'S ROAD,KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA,ENGLAND,2038 5,ABBEYDALE ROAD,SHEFFIELD,ENGLAND,2014 in mts ONS. www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/2019/06/os-and-ons-release-report-on-the-geography-of-britains-high-streets/#:~:text=The%20longest%20high%20street%20in,Street%20in%20Bangor%20at%201265m.

[@LetsWalkUK]

The town really has changed quite a lot over time - one thing I forgot to mention in the video is how Southend is now home to lots of people who work in London and commute on a daily basis. Still, they've got the seaside to enjoy on the weekends which must be lovely! Thank you so much for watching and commenting as always :)

[@LetsWalkUK]

@@sarribel Oh I didn't see this reply earlier! Nice research - I'll make sure to visit Leytonstone some time soon then to compare High Streets! Thanks for checking for me :)

[@sarribel]

let´s walk!!!

[@sammolloy3919]

@@LetsWalkUK Great vid, moving here this summer, so helped gain perspective, thanks !!!

[@jameshannay7376]

I have no idea why i am watching this when i quite literally live here

[@ed9763]

That is a good one😄

[@julieblackstock8650]

The Royal Hotel and The Terrace hosted Princess Caroline and Emma Hamilton amongst others. There is a great guided tour called Mystery on Sea which is well worth booking

[@LetsWalkUK]

Thank you very much for pointing that out! Always great to learn more about the local history - that guided tour sounds great too :) Thank you so much for watching - I do hope you enjoyed the video!

[@madcommodore]

6:55 I remember there were souvenir shops on this path you take where you could buy the jars of layered coloured sand etc lol which as a kid was a pain as all I wanted to do was stay at the various arcades. There was also a mechanical lifesize animatronic display of some pirates and one of them was under a huge blade swinging backwards and forwards and on pirate sat up and lay down in time with the swing of this huge axe/blade lol bet that's gone now just like the 100s of unique and amazing video games with CRT screens of the early 80s not like the giant iPad rubbish clogging up arcades today.

[@LetsWalkUK]

Wow! How cool - Southend is a great place on a lively summer's day, particularly if there are life-size animatronics and rows and rows of sweet shops :) Thank you so much for watching - I really hope you enjoyed the video!

[@madcommodore]

@@LetsWalkUK Yeah was great to see how it is now :) Old mid/early eighties arcade games with old style TV screens don't really exist nowadays sadly. The animatronics pirate thing was near where the sailing/clipper ship was harboured but this was back in the early 1980s when I was a kid. When I was old enough to drive there it was car park...arcades....fish n chip shop....more arcades.....back to the car lol and a few years later it was some nightclub after the arcades (Tots or Storm or something) so I couldn't tell you if it was still there even 20 years ago, not been for 15 years now. The pirates looked like the pirate in Family Guy and some thief characters scheming together in the old computer game Defender of the Crown.

[@whispers8650]

I live here and what you're referring to was The Chamber of Horrors, it stood right in front of a replica of the Golden Hind ship. Yep all gone now, they've completely ruined our town :(

[@madcommodore]

@@whispers8650 Same thing with my town, they demolished the shopping city where I used to play arcade games and get sweets and records too.

[@paulgilson2347]

I remember Peter pans playground in the 90's with the barracuda ride, went college here in the old london road building in the 90's too. A lot has changed indeed. And there was a skatepark in the hotel when it was all derelict looking,,,,can't remember the name but it might have had something to do with the jelly mumbos shop, I think it was called that anyway...........oh and even longer ago they had animatronics and stuff on the hill in between the sea front and the highstreet., sorta like a mini villiage thing like an attraction.

[@LetsWalkUK]

Some great memories there indeed! Southend's seafront seems to have had quite the rollercoaster ride (if you'll pardon the pun) over the last few decades - but it looks in tip-top shape nowadays I must say :) Thank you so much for watching - I'm really glad you liked the video!

[@donaldhill2775]

😂it was great thank you 👍

[@TattooedTraveler]

Sunniest day in pre history as well

[@LetsWalkUK]

Ha ha I was amazed by how sunny it was! Perfect weather for a day down by the seaside :) Thank you very much for watching - I hope you enjoyed the video!

[@jamesmcdermott9275]

Might have been the sunniest day on record at Southend but it has on just stopped pissing with rain LOL.

[@topcatw8]

Never, never land was opposite Peter pans/adventure island, and you didn't mention Rossi ice cream!

[@LetsWalkUK]

Oh no! Thank you very much for pointing that out - I'm sure you have some wonderful memories of Southend from the past :) Thank you so much for watching!

[@paulchalmers8744]

Is there a wickford walk ?

[@whispers8650]

To the author, I believe the longest High Street is in Long Melford which is in Suffolk.

[@msaylonna]

Looks lovely, what is the cost of renting a 3bedroom flat there?

[@LetsWalkUK]

Hi! I'm glad you liked the video - I'm not a Southend local so I can't give an expert opinion, all I can do is direct you this way: www.zoopla.co.uk/to-rent/flats/3-bedrooms/southend-on-sea/ Thank you so much for watching the video :)

[@msaylonna]

@@LetsWalkUK Really, thank you. I enjoyed it. I felt like I was taking a walk for real.

[@LetsWalkUK]

@@msaylonna Thank you! That means so much to hear - that's exactly the experience I hope these walks can give you :)

[@julieblackstock8650]

I always thought Long Melford, Suffolk had the longest high street

[@LetsWalkUK]

As with all these 'most ... in Britain' there are lots of competing claims, this info came to me from the ONS, but whether or not you can count London Road as a High Street is very much up for debate :)

[@julieblackstock8650]

@K Rob sort of though the extensive expansion both ends of the village and near by Chilton means it will soon join Sudbury

[@julieblackstock8650]

@K Rob me too thats why I left Southend and moved to rural Suffolk. I'm nearer Manningtree than Sudbury

[@Jackpot77777]

Anything in shoeburyness ?

[@LetsWalkUK]

Shoeburyness is an interesting little place at the end of the line! I'm looking to a film a walk there at some point soon along with other places in the Southend area - so stay tuned for that :) Thanks for watching, I hope you enjoyed the video!

[@dawn5002]

Debenhams not there

[@EdgyNumber1]

London Road was in decline for quite a few years, as much more focus shifted to the town centre. Damn, seeing brutalist architecture. Its enough to kill any town. Even worse when it's placed jn a seaside town. One thing I am surprised about: Why did Southend never capitalise on the London commuter boom? I mean, there are many young professionals that would kill to rent a modern apartment here - yet there aren't any. Surprised by that.

[@spiritof6986]

Blimey. You got all that way and nobody tried to mug you. Must have changed a bit since I left.

[@TraumaStorma]

@35:14 Did that guy call you a "Knob head"?

[@TraumaStorma]

@@emward6858 I never claimed to. :) That dosen't answer my question tho.

[@JohnSmith-ji6lu]

Anyone who lives in Southend West please vote for Jason Pilley - Psychedelic Movement in the upcoming by-election. Let's send Boris a clear message.

[@jlynn732]

Looks 'almost" as bad as Blackpool

[@ed9763]

Nice video but very tiring to watch. Better if you had narrated the commentary instead of writing .

[@christaylor8334]

Sorry but this isn't a film, it's such a long trek with a GoPro switched on. I would like to see it as a well constructed, edited film about the town with With a proper voice over instead of those 1920s style subtitles. Sorry