Queensway is a dual carriageway running around the north and east of Southend town centre. It was originally designed as a ring road, with initial planning beginning in 1961 and works commencing in 1966. The total estimated cost of the northern and eastern sections was put at £2,000670,os.od., and these were constructed. The southern section was scrapped, given that it would sever the High Street from the desirable seafront. The alternative was to construct The Deeping underpass in the northern section, intended to alleviate traffic from the High Street instead. The western section was also scrapped, with the exception of the widening of the Scratton Road railway bridge which can be seen today.
In December 1973, the Department of the Environment was awarded a grant to construct the section of Queensway between Southchurch Road roundabout and Bankside, roughly following Porters Grange Avenue south. A few years after completing this section, it was decided that a new underpass and roundabout be built, enabling traffic to be diverted either towards the seafront or Southchurch and Sutton Road respectively. A public subway and footbridge was added for pedestrian access, as well as another pedestrian underpass further south opposite Grange Gardens. The pedestrian subway is built in a scheme of orange, brown and white tiles characteristic of the 1970s.
At the northern end of Queensway, the town was also redeveloped heavily with the construction of the Victoria shopping centre and multi-storey car park at the turn of the 1970s in a Brutalist style. Given that numerous houses were demolished for the construction of Queensway, some residential solution also had to be considered. By 1970, the concept of building up rather than out had become popular in urban planning, and accordingly, four 16-storey tower blocks were constructed either side of Queensway; named Quantock, Pennine, Chiltern and Malvern. These were connected via first-floor walkways and a footbridge. A small number of town houses were also constructed in the east. In the late 2000s, the shopping centre and Victoria Plaza between the High Street and Southend Victoria railway station was remodelled, although the original post-war aesthetic can still be seen in the multi-storey car park and residential estate. The Deeping underpass located in this section closed to public vehicles in February 2010, and since sat as vehicular access to loading bays of the shopping centre.
As of the early 2020s, the Queensway road continues to allow rapid diversion of traffic around the town centre. However, its flaws have shown with it somewhat suffocating the northern and eastern sides of the town as is common with many post-war motor-orientated town remodelling projects. It is also clear that the pedestrian underpass and footbridge has not been successful, with it becoming the site of anti-social behaviour, suicides, and frequent dangerous jaywalking around the roundabout’s roadways to avoid passing underneath. These pedestrian underpasses became the location of the urban legend of the Ratman of Southend, which we believe originated via the internet in the early 2000s, although may be of older local origin. The residential estate is still occupied although similarly has become associated with squalor and crime. The tower blocks featured in the 2004 BBC pirate radio documentary Tower Block Dreams. To attempt to tackle some of the problems caused by the Queensway footbridge and pedestrian subway, the Better Queensway scheme was begun by Southend City Council in 2025. As of early 2026, the Queensway footbridge and underpass on the site of Porters Grange Avenue was demolished as part of the wider Better Queensway scheme.
Sources:
Southend Timeline (https://www.southendtimeline.co.uk/southend-timeline-queensway-ring-road-history-of-southend-on-sea.html)
Echo News (https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/local_news/4997348.updated-deeping-underpass-to-close/)
Southend City Council (https://www.southend.gov.uk/communities-neighbourhoods-environment/better-queensway-project)