Understand
Around the late 1800's there were two main villages: Prittlewell which is famous for its Priory still standing today in Priory Park and Leigh-on-Sea, a mile or so along the coast, famous for its cockles and seafood - which also still exists. The town coat of arms for Southend contains the monk and fisherman from monks of the Prittlewell Priory and the fishermen of Leigh-on-Sea.Southend was built up as the south end of Prittlewell and expanded into a large resort with its most famous landmark of all - Southend Pier.Southend's heyday was in the 1950's and 60's when daytrippers from the east-end of London would come down on the train to spend the day at the famous Kursaal Amusement park and play the fruit machines in the seafront arcades, or sit on the pebble beach although these days you will find imported sand along the Westcliff stretch west of the Pier and at the Leigh-on-Sea Old Town.Today, Southend is trying hard to bring itself kicking and screaming into the 21st century, but somewhere along the line it seems to have got into a bit of a muddle.South East Essex College, with the University of Essex , has an impressive new campus building directly adjacent to Southend Central Railway Station.
