Southend-on-Sea
World's longest pleasure pier (1.33 miles, opened 1889) solved tidal access problem. Best UK pier 2025. £500M Better Queensway regeneration underway. £6.85M pier maintenance through 2030.
Southend exists because the sea recedes a mile at low tide—and Victorians built the world's longest pleasure pier to reach it. The 1.33-mile iron structure, opened in 1889, solved a problem that threatened to kill the nascent resort: large ships couldn't dock when the Thames Estuary drained.
The town grew from nothing in the early 19th century on the promise that sea air cured ailments. By the interwar years, the pier was drawing thousands of Londoners—just 40 miles away by train. The Southend Pier Railway, opened in the 1890s, was Britain's first pier railway.
The pier has survived fires (1959, 1976, 1995, 2005), ship strikes, and near-demolition proposals. It remains operational, carrying visitors to the end where the water stays deep. In 2025, it was voted Best Seaside Pier in Britain by The Telegraph and Essex's top icon by public ballot.
Southend's economy reflects its position as London's nearest seaside. Tourism and commuting coexist; rail connections make the town a dormitory for city workers. The Better Queensway scheme, valued at over £500 million, aims to deliver 1,600 homes and regenerate the town center. Groundworks began in August 2025.
The council has allocated £6.85 million for pier maintenance through 2030. The structure that solved an 1830s problem remains the town's defining feature—and its most expensive liability.
By 2026, Southend tests whether a Victorian pier can anchor a 21st-century economy.