A seaside resort with one of the best free theme parks in the country was one at the end of London Underground.
The idea of hopping on a tube train and hopping off at the beach, seagulls squawking overhead, is undeniably a strange one. Once upon a time, that was possible. Southend-on-Sea in Essex was actually part of the London Underground network.
In the early 20th Century, when Southend was a bustling tourist hotspot, you could catch a train straight to the beach. The line we know today as the c2c rail route in south Essex was once named the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway, which ran from East London all the way to the coast, My London reports.
Competition between a number of different railway companies which built and ran different Tube lines beneath London itself meant the ante was constantly being upped, with passengers hungry to visit new places in and around London. Having forked out huge amounts of money building stops in West London, District Railway struck a deal with the owners of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway so they could run trains all the way from the west of the city to the east, and then on to Southend.
District Railway bosses were certain Londoners would jump at the chance to spend the day at Southend's Kursaal amusement park, which was drawing huge crowds at the time to a resort that was itself becoming a major destination for people across the country.
For 29 years punters could ride along what is now the District Line from Ealing Broadway, all the way through London on non-stop services that then went from Barking and Leigh-on-Sea before ending at the seaside town( now city).
Sadly WWII and the way it restricted leisure activities saw demand for the service collapse and never recover.
Were it still going today, then getting to Southend's iconic Adventure Island would be much easier. The amusement zone is far from the best known in the country, but it certainly packs a punch. In 2020 it was rated third in Tripadvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards for best English theme park which is based on public votes. Although it has slipped just outside the top ten this year, it has bested the much higher-profile Chessington.
One of the joys of Adventure Island is that entrance is free. You pay per ride ridden, so large groups and families can go in and have a great day and not pay over the odds for it if some of the party don't fancy a ride. If they do, then there are plenty of thrilling attractions to spend your money on.
Were that not enough to convince you to give Southend a whirl, then the magnificent 1.33 miles pleasure pier - the longest in the world - surely is.
If a recent report by Coulters Property is to be believed, then the popularity of Southend which once saw it become the country's most easterly tube stop may be rekindled. Coulters predicts that average house prices will rise from £355,000 today to £2million in 2047, making it one of the ten places in the country with the biggest house price rise. The average UK house will cost a comparatively meagre 387% more at that point, the analysts predict.
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