State Cinema, Grays
The Esse theatre was constructed in the 1930s – no surprise given its style, and was officially opened on the 5th of September 1938, with …
Pegwell Bay Hoverport
Pegwell Bay dates back to as far as Roman times and is thought to be the site of where Julius Caesar invaded Britain. In 2017 …
New Empire Theatre, Southend
The New Empire theatre had what might initially appear to be an Art Deco-style frontage. However, it was in fact built in a vaguely Neo-Classical …
Hester’s Tourist Resort on Canvey
Two busts that stood in ‘Poets Corner’ of the Winter Gardens, today in the Canvey Heritage Centre. Photographs of Frederick Hester, and his monrail before …
Tilbury-Gravesend Ferry & Old Terminal
On a sunny, yet brisk, weekend the BTP boys decided to head to Tilbury to catch the ferry over to Gravesend with guests Michael Clark and …
Canvey Old Cinema & Bingohall
The cinema was open every day of the week except Wednesday’s and even showed films for children on Saturdays. The building survived the Second World …
The King Canute Pub
The King Canute pub is situated in Canvey village, and has been there in some form since roughly 1867, around the era when Canvey village was …
Chalkwell Sun Shelters
The coastline surrounding Southend from Chalkwell to Thorpe Bay has been a tourist hotspot for people; often urban residents from London, to enjoy the sea …
Colchester Roman Circus
It is well-known that Colchester has strong origins in the Roman conquest of Britain in 43 AD. It was the first Roman legionary fortress established …
Rosherville Gardens
What was Rosherville Gardens? The far western section of Gravesend on the River Thames is known as Northfleet. Whilst today this lies as an industrial …
Halstow Decoy Pond
Close to High Halstow on the vast historic marshes on the Kent side of the Thames Estuary lies a peculiar diamond-shaped pool of clear man-made …
Canvey 2000 Seafront Project
‘Canvey 2000’ was an attempt to rejuvenate Canvey Island’s seafront in 1997, hoping to restore it to reflect some of the glory as a tourist …
Radio Caroline
Photos from Offshoreechos.com and Thevoguevibes.com Radio Caroline, one of the most famous radio stations in the UK was launched 50 years ago today, just off …
Secrets of Lakeside Shopping Centre
Pictured above is the planned lake hotel artist’s impression, original pre-2005 Lakeside logo, the new Intu facade c.2013, and construction of the centre c.1993. Although this …
Southend Central Museum
The building originates back to 1905, when the site was first opened as the towns first free library. The Grade II listed site remained as …
Southend Clifftown
1-15 Royal Terrace and the Royal Hotel were built well before the Victorian era – in the time of Georgian rule in the 1790s. Originally …
Southend’s Old Brutalist Library
Brutalism is an architectural style that resulted from post-war space-age and post-modernist design influences seen in buildings from the 1950s up to 1970s and rarely …
Cox’ Stores & Cafe
Several years ago BTP Joe was on Shell Beach, Canvey, when he came across this old piece of pottery. It clearly belonged to the company …