Southend-on-Sea Essex: Much more than just a big seaside resort, Southend is a major working town and residential area in its own right. Its impressive Civic Centre and its towering office blocks show evidence of this fact. Despite this Southend-on-Sea is still best loved as a holiday or day trip destination especially for the people of Essex and London. Popular as a seaside resort even in the early 19th century, Southend grew even more rapidly as a resort during Victorian times and its major landmark was built during this period in the shape of its famous pier, constructed in 1889 and still offering visitors the chance of a two and a half mile bracing walk today. In the summer time Southend can get very busy and the beach still crowded as in its heyday, when the weather is pleasant.
2011/11/24
2011/09/22
The Aylesbury Duck
The Aylesbury Duck – A famous breed of duck which used to be, but no longer is, bred in the town of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, the Aylesbury duck is bred mostly for its appearance and its meat. A huge delicacy in London restaurants during Victorian times the Aylesbury duck was at that time only bred in the Aylesbury area, where ducklings and ducks were reared in squalid conditions often living in the cottages of their rearers, this industry created many jobs in the town at the time. When ready to eat the ducks were then marched to London on foot in all types of weather, stopping off at inns and pubs along the way to rest and sleep. By the late 19th century the breeding of the Aylesbury duck had fallen into decline especially in the town of Aylesbury itself, restaurants began using the newly imported Pekin duck which was generally cheaper and easier to breed and rear.
2011/04/01
Hampshire Towns Southsea
A popular little Hampshire seaside town, which is now joined to its big neighbour Portsmouth, Southsea originally grew as a town around a fort built by King Henry VIII. As a settlement, not really of any consequence until the 19th century, the present town expanded as homes were built for the skilled workers of Portsmouth and nearby. As a boy I remember catching the hovercraft from Southsea to the Isle of Wight, and you can still do this today. The beach is a popular place to spend a few hours when the weather is fine, otherwise the main attraction in Southsea is the old castle, other places to visit include the Royal Marine Museum, and the Blue Reef Aquarium. Southsea is surrounded by Portsmouth and is about a drive of 85 miles from central London, it can also be reached by train (South West Railways).
View a map of Southsea Hampshire here: Map of Southsea.
2011/03/03
Margate Kent
One of the earliest English seaside resorts, the town of Margate in Kent has a proud maritime tradition going back to the days of the Cinque Ports when it was considered as a limb of Dover. The first mention of the town is as “Meregate” in 1264, the modern version of the name came a little later in 1299. Margate originally became a popular holiday resort around 250 years ago, and was one of the primary locations for Georgian and Victorian holidaymakers from London and the suburbs. It is often claimed that Margate was the first resort to introduce bathing machines and also deck chairs though this may not be the case. The charming old Victorian pier at Margate was unfortunately destroyed during the great storm of 1978, further bad luck for the town also resulted severe damage to the Dreamland amusement park in 2 successive fires. Margate is situated approximately seventeen miles from Canterbury and seventy six miles from London.
2009/09/09
Eastbourne East Sussex
Thinking of moving to Eastbourne in East Sussex? Want to know a little about the town and what you can expect to find there? Good, here goes, the elegant town of Eastbourne is primarily a tourist town and welcomes over 4 million visitors each year, in 2007 it was named “the sunniest town in Britain”, referring to its better than average climate, with Eastbourne weather being some of the best in the UK, it has also been a finalist in the “Best UK Resort” competition for the last 2 years and in fact won the award in 2005. Eastbourne has a great range of hotels and guest houses and is a renowned day trippers resort, also holding numerous annual cultural and sporting events to attract more visitors to the town. Eastbourne has a population of around 90,000 and has a good level of employment with plenty of Eastbourne jobs available, many relating to the tourism industry. Former winner of the “Britain in Bloom” award, Eastbourne has lots of green areas and attractive parks, making it a pleasant place to live or visit, its seafront Carpet Gardens are world famous. Eastbourne has a wide range of leisure facilities and cultural facilities offering visitors plenty of choice whatever their tastes. How to get there? You can reach Eastbourne by road via the A-22 from London or the A-27 from Brighton, or you can catch the train from London Victoria. You can view a map of Eastbourne here: Eastbourne Map.