"The Sad State of the 'Cliffs Pavilion!' Southend on Sea, Essex!

When I popped down to Southend last weekend, I was dying to see the wonderful Cliffs Pavilion, a place I used to dance at as a young child.  I also in the early 1960' visited the 'Cliffs' to enjoy the Saturday morning cabaret shows.  Well, the word wonderful in front of 'Cliffs Pavilion' doesn't exactly spring into mind anymore……for the place, not to put too finer point on it…. is a dump!

 I walked all around it to gather some feel of showmanship and grandeur but could only find, sweet and food wrappers and dishevelment.   It is quite sad to see a place falling down in front of one's eyes… especially when the money is being spent is on less important things.  Where I did see large amounts of money being spent…. is on the extremely large proportions of new road signage and one-way systems.  Goodness, now there's a subject I could get my teeth into, but just so you too get a feel of how ugly the 'Cliffs Pavilion is today…… I have posted up two photos.  Time for a paint job I feel!

This rubbish is right by the entrance to the Cliffs!

Not exactly stylish or classy!

A lovely Sunny Summer Sunday in Southend on Sea. Is this possible?

I know I have kept on about the disgrace of the Southend people and the Council for their hideous attempts at trying to make a silk purse out of a sours ear… (or better should I say, that they had a silk purse and then covered it in UPVC plastic!), so I thought I would show some nicer pictures of Barclay, my dog, in Chalkwell Park.  I haven't ventured into that Park since I was about 11 years old.  Then there was a fair going on over the summer and I had a photo taken with the singer Joe Brown.  Bet, none of you remember who his is??  I didn't at the time but my mother pushed me into his arms and yelled "photo Joe, please with me little girl!).  Joe was more than happy to oblige and for a moment I felt rather star struck.  Not at meeting Joe Brown but because everyone was looking at me whilst I had a picture taken.  I never did get rid of that feeling!

So on this fine, sunny July Sunday afternoon (yesterday) Barclay and I rambled through some of the nicer parts of this very large park.  I ventured into a small glade that had some children playing within it and it was absolutely stunning.  So peaceful and serene and my dog loved the coolness from the afternoon heat.  I took a few snaps and you can see here how lovely it was.  I must go back again sometime…when though … God only knows but soon I hope as Barclay will complain!

The Glade within Chalkwell Park

Barclay enjoying the coolness of the trees.

I then went to visit a very pretty church in Prittlewell and there's the name, Prittlewell Church.  It was a shame I could not get inside but given the roughness of Southend, perhaps it's wise that the doors were locked!  Again, I took some more photos' and these are just as lovely as the Chalkwell Park ones.  It is funny you know…. that when you walk about just in the grounds of such a beautiful location, one can actually believe they are somewhere foreign, Italy, Spain, the Orkneys but never once does the idea of natural beauty resonate or start with the word Southend!

The beautiful Prittlewell Church

So many dumps......So little time!!

I finally managed to get down to Southend today.  It was a beautiful day for a road trip and so I took along my dog Barclay for company.  The drive down was fantastic for a Sunday and the A13 lived up to its expectations of getting all the smelly traffic out of London as quickly as possible and onto the beaten track for Tilbury.  I saw some great motor bikers on the trip down who turned of at Laindon, so whatever was going on there, I do hope they had a great time.

                                                 Whoo...Hoo......What a way to ride!

It wasn't until I was on the Hadleigh Roundabout coming onto the London Road that the feeling of gloom hit me.  I was met with all the Second Hand Car Dealerships that line the road laboriously until you feel you have seen every type of naff signage a town could offer.  That length of road has to be the most ugly for tourist to see, from Hadleigh to Southend Town Centre you are hit with ugly signage, empty shops and buildings and a Theatre with a great ugly banner donning the latest production!  It all screams….get me the f**k outta here!

So, I therefore decided to turn off at the Leigh on Sea coastal Road that can lead you to the old cockle sheds near the station.  I didn't venture over to the sheds but continued along the quiet road going east, until I could go straight into Leigh on Sea High Street and look at an old building where I used to dance in my childhood.  It used to be called the Leigh on Sea Community Centre, now it is a college.  It's the horrible white naff PVR doors on the building that brought the lump to my throat.  Where on earth does everyone think that these actually look good or are aesthetic to any Victorian building they inhabit.  I took a few photos for nostalgia but felt empty inside when I looked for the other building along the high street I also used to dance in…..and that now was an empty space of bulldozed bricks.

I then headed on into Southend and would visit my old schools.  One of them was all locked up…..my Secondary School.  Not too sure why given that it's a pretty dull place.  But my Primary School was wide open and I had a field day taking shot after shot of all my old class rooms and looking at the building that held so many memories for me.  I felt a tear in my eye, and yes, I really did well up, much like I am now… for it was still the same… but different.  Yes, it was tired and old and knackered and the school had decided to spend thousands on a plastic new wing onto the end of the building rather than paint the doors.  But, it was my old school and for this particular moment, I was going to let Southend off with a light smack for having turned a beautiful old Victorian School into…..well, let me think….nothing great!  I haven't put any photo's in of my school as those a kinda private but you can look at the ones below to see just how awful my trip turned out to be when looking for some beauty.

                                                  London Road, Chalkwell.  Lovely!

                                                      Nice Shop Front!

                                           This is close to the Roots Hall area!  

                                            Stunning!!

Sadly, I had other places to visit and Southend didn't let me down in showing me the cronic decay that the High Street and surrounding area's had to offer!  Take at look above at what you see coming into the area of the Theatre near Chalkwell Park.  I rest my case!!

More tomorrow..............x