The Esse theatre was constructed in the 1930s – no surprise given its style, and was officially opened on the 5th of September 1938, with ‘The Hurricane’ being the first film to be projected onto the cinema screen. The huge cinema had seats for 2,200 theatre goers and even had a 50 seater restaurant on…
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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 a fort dating back to 54BC was discovered, confirming this fact. Fast forward the centuries and in 1969 ‘Ramsgate International Hoverport’ was open for business, officially opened by the Duke…
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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 style in 1896 by Frederick Marlow. He owned a public hall previously on site which became the original Empire Theatre in 1892, but this burnt down in 1895 hence its…
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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 & after electrification. Also images showing interior of his winter gardens. Have you heard of Frederick Hester, the man who promoted Canvey in the early 1900s to make it a…
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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 Jack Swestun. This 300-year old historic tradition cost us just £3 for an off-peak return. We were impressed the service – rough, ready, and no-mess, being allowed to wander to the…
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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 War and even the 1953 floods which ravished Canvey and the south-east. Beyond the Point was able to get a tour of the building, which included taking a look at where…
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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 being constructed. It’s name was changed from the Red Cow after the 1953 North Sea Floods, hence the new sign in the photograph. The above image shows the pub c.1960. Beyond the…
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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 air. Sun shelters of varying styles can be found all along the shore and clifftops, some as old as the early Victorian era. We managed to find one abandoned off…
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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 in Britain; named Camulodunum. The legionaries moved away around around 49 AD and the settlement became a ‘colonia’ – a residential colony. Camulodunum was the Roman capital of Britain. The…
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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 wasteland, it was once the site of an extravagant pleasure garden set at the foot of the cliffs of a disused chalk pit during the nineteenth century. Tourists would travel…
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