Southend Timeline 1900 - 1909 History of Southend-on-Sea.

Timeline

1900 Belfields School, Victoria Avenue was built. The Baptist chapel, in Milton Road, was erected at a cost, including Sunday school, vestries &c. of £9,800. It consisted of nave, transepts and a polygonal chancel for the organ and choir gallery. Southend-on-Sea Cricket Club established 1874 an inspiring Cricket Club, based in Southchurch Park. There has been cricket played here since 1900. Southend in the News. The "Southend Telegraph" newspaper published its first issue on March 31st, 1900. It was renamed the "Southend Pictorial Telegraph" in 1922, and later that same year, was renamed the "Southend & County Pictorial." Leigh fire service. Leigh had suffered a number of fires in it's boundary over the years. So it was no surprise in 1900 the Leigh Ratepayers Association decided on better protection for the town, purchasing fire fighting equipment, 15 men took up the role, and on 10th May 1900 the Brigade was fully constituted. With the number of wooden structures around it would not belong before their services would be called upon. Smerdon's arrives. George Smerdon arrived in Westcliff this year setting up business as a furniture retailer, providing quality goods from Hamlet Court Road. In 1928 his four sons joined their father and the business became Smerdon & Sons Ltd. Dairies established. The town's supply of milk became established this year with the arrival of Mr H. G. Howard. Taking over premises on the London Road, other local dairies joined the Howard's brand to make it even stronger as a business. Today the dairy has long gone, replaced by flats suitably named after the former business. Sutton Road Cemetery opens. Formerly Jordan's Farm, the town's main cemetery, identified in 1895, opened by 1900 and began to accept admissions. New Pub. Prittlewell Village was well served by a few pubs at the turn of the century, including the Spread Eagle and the King's Head. Around the corner in North Road a new hostelry opened and is still serving beer today, the Nelson a large pub in size heralded the spread of urban living towards the west and into Westcliff-on-Sea. Southend calling. The first telephone exchange in Southend was opened in 1900, and was set up in one small room of a private house at the corner of Clarence Road and Weston Road (An automated exchange was built in 1929 near the Cricketer's Inn). Huge fire. The centre of Southend from the High Street to Weston and Clarence Roads was hit by a massive fire in July which destroyed a number of buildings. The fire started in Wallis's ironmongery stores, due to the volatile reaction of three benzoline oil barrels being affected directly by the sun. They eventually exploded engulfing the premises in flames. It did not help that the next door premises was of similar trade and its contents too helped keep the fire burning and spreading. Weston Chambers, in Weston Road, made up of a few public offices such as the clerk to the local magistrates and the Southend Unionist and Conservative Club was soon fully alight. Many valuable records were lost. A number of businesses were either completely destroyed or partly damaged due to the low water pressure afforded to the firemen. 1901 Key Southend Businessman born. 4 Jul 1901. Eric Kirkham Cole was born in Westcliff-on-Sea. He founded Ekco Ltd which became essential for the British war effort and key as a major employer. The 1950s saw the company employ in excess of 5,000 people. The Prittlewell Priory used to host a display of products from this famous factory including radios and televisions. College foundation stone laid. A key piece in the development of the town's educational future was achieved in 1901 with the laying of the foundation stone by Lord Avebury. Starting the build for Southend's Technical/Municipal College. Education throughout the town's history has always been important, reflected in the retaining of 4 key grammar schools. The development of South East Essex College and the ongoing development of the Essex University in the town. Maybe this stone laying started the ball rolling... First Trams run in Southend. The terminus was outside the Middleton Hotel next to the Luker Brewery, which would have been then Whitegate Road, but now known as the High Street. The first routes were to Southchurch, July extended to St Clements Church in Leigh, Prittlewell and the Cricketers Pub in Westcliff. There was also a route from the Kursaal to Southchurch Road. Tower Hotel arrives. On Alexandra Road, the building that became a hotel in 1923 started life in 1901 as a unique gentlemen's residence called "Taranaki." The venue since 1923 went under various names but today is more commonly recognised as the Tower Hotel. The Kursaal is built as a challenge to Blackpool's Winter Gardens. The Kursaal was built named after Ostend's pleasure palace. The dome of the Kursaal became known as the place to meet your future love and many a marriage evolved from this first encounter under the dome. It was opened on 24th July 1901 by Lord Claud Hamilton. Clifton Jay Moorhouse became the first of a Moorhouse dynasty to take the reigns at this elaborate fun park. He further opened this year an amazing ball room capable of holding some 2,000 dancers, the dance floor was built on some 8,000 carriage springs the cost of this venture was £3,000 and quickly recouped the expense for the new owner. The church of St Mark, with a hall and hostel adjoining, situated at the corner of Princes Street and Hamlet Court Road, was purchased from the Baptists, and later considerably altered. The church was a chapel of ease to the church of St John the Baptist. Havens of Westcliff established. Located on Hamlet Court Road this retail department store retains its old world charm while ensuring its business reflects the times, as popular as the store is to visit. The building we all probably remember opened in 1935, in May 2017 the store closed and sales went online. Population of Leigh reached 3,667. 1902 May. The Lord of the Manor of Prittlewell and Milton Hamlet, Mr. Daniel Robert Scratton, whose family had been connected with Prittlewell Priory since 1673, died aged 73 in Devon. He was chairman of Rochford magistrates, a member of Rochford Board of Guardians and Master of the Essex Union Hunt. St Alban's Church is complete. St John's Road in Westcliff saw the completion of St Alban's Church, (so the books say). The church however, says something else a plaque on its west facing wall says 1898. Could the church have taken four years to build? The tin hut to the rear of the church was indeed the original church and still stands today and is regularly used by the community. The West Cliff Hotel suffers a bad fire on 26th June 1902. First bandstand erected on the cliffs. The current bandstand, sited in Priory Park is a modern relation to the original version sited opposite Prittlewell Square on the cliffs. The bandstand always was and is an English institution, by sea or in land. Southend's bandstand became very popular drawing hundreds to listen and dance to music of the time. Water-Chute built. The corporation always wanting to expand its tourist offer built a water chute east of the pier entrance complete with basin which would be filled with seawater. This venture proved to be a disaster and was dismantled in 1904, leaving the basin intact, which would later be used as a home for replica ships such as the Golden Hind. Westcliff Hotel arrives. Southend was rapidly expanding its tourist offer which naturally attracted the demand for hotels that could cope with the longer stay visitor. Westcliff had the space and along it's shore frontage and just up on the Palmeira Parade appeared an elaborate hotel designed by J. Edmondson called the Palmeira Hotel. It boomed up until the 60's, when the resort found it's legs and realised it catered mainly for the day visitor. Therefore, this type of huge hotel had had its day. In 1978 it was demolished, to be replaced by retirement flats. Westcliff Baptist Church was founded in 1896 by Rev. William Frith, and met in an iron building on the south side of Station Road, Westcliff. In 1902 the church moved to a new building in Valkyrie Road, but after only a few months "there was a split there". The church in Valkyrie Road was put up for sale; it became occupied by Westcliff Free Evangelical Church, much later to become the HARP homeless centre. For a time after leaving Valkyrie Road, services were held in the home of Mrs Binstead of Oakhurst, Crowstone Road, Westcliff, and on 20 May 1903 Westcliff Park Tabernacle was opened in an iron building on the north side of London Road opp. Crowstone Road. A plot of land on the S. side of London Road [the present site] was purchased from the Chalkwell Hall Trust in 1914 for the erection of a permanent church building. Southend Technical College in Victoria Avenue is opened. Southend maintains a strong desire to provide a solid education system of value to it's citizens. The Technical/Municipal College went a long way to establishing this path in 1902. Therefore, on 13th September when this building was finally opened it proved to be the start of an important milestone in Southend's educative history. The foundation stone being laid by Lord Avebury, and the opening ceremony was performed by the Countess of Warwick. In the building were grouped the Secondary Day School, the School of Art and Evening Classes. Southend's new Fire Station. It wasn't until 1902 that Southend acquired its first full time fire service. A centrally placed headquarters and purpose built station in Tyler's Avenue. The service expanded further with a satellite unit based next to the Cricketers Pub to serve Westcliff, overseen by the Landlord of the pub a volunteer Fireman. Garon's arrives. One of Southend's must enduring and famous businesses arrives in the High Street in 1902. H. Garon Ltd. of Southend, butchers, fishmongers, caterers, restaurateurs, fruiterer’s, greengrocers, bakers, ice manufacturers, took over on a 7 year lease Ilford House, High Street, Southend-on-Sea. Cricket Club formed. Westcliff Cricket Club was formed in 1902, today they play at Chalkwell Park, a friendly club always welcoming new members. First Council Estate. An expanding town needed affordable housing and the first truly municipal housing estate was the Ruskin estate, off Sutton Road. The housing stock consisted of 40 properties put up at a cost of £14,447. 1903 Esplanade extended to Westcliff and Chalkwell. The chapel at Bournes Green is erected. Battleships of the Home Squadron of the Grand Fleet, anchored of the Pier. The Minima Yacht Club became the Nore Yacht Club, and Alderman J. C. Ingram was elected commodore. The club building, at the foot of the cliffs, was destroyed by bombs in the second World War. Tram system expands. From May 1903 the tram service was altered to run via the Blue Boar to terminate at the Cricketers); an additional service from the Great Eastern Railway station to the Beach was also provided at certain times. June. Chalkwell Hall Park, Westcliff, is opened by the Corporation, at a cost of £16,000. Southchurch Hall School is built. The expanding town eastwards could be seen by the need of new schools in this direction. The Southchurch Hall School built in during 1903 and opened in 1904, for just under 800 pupils, a mixed infants and junior school. The establishment today is still linked with education but with adults in mind as Southend Adult Community College. Buffalo Bill in town. September 1903 saw the arrival of Buffalo Bill and his troupe of horse riders to the Kursaal, even this could not stop the Kursaal and it's buildings finishing the season early and everything being put up for sale. Garrison gets steamed up. Shoebury Garrison Light Railway steps up with the arrival of steam engines. Pantomime at the Empire. This report of the year's pantomime appeared in the Southend Standard. Dick Whittington. The name Mr. Edward Graham-Falcon is always a criterion of good pantomime, and the Empire is fortunate in procuring his production of “Dick Whittington.” The piece is drawing large houses, and goes with a swing from start to finish. Miss Frances Manners scores a great success as dashing Dick, and Mr. Arthur White is delightfully frisky as the Cat. Mr. Fred Solo is a jovial old Alderman Fitzwarren, and Miss Mand Marriott acts and sings charmingly as “Alice, his Dainty Daughter.” The minor parts are all in good hands, and the musical numbers are bright and tuneful. 1904 Arches under construction as coach houses for Palmeira Towers. Hotel Metropole is opened, the attractions included “Lloyds A1 Talking Machine with the world’s sweetest records.” It naturally took a while to build, but this huge hotel dominating the Southend seafront came alive in 1904. It changed its name not long after to the Palace Hotel. It famously played its part through both wars as a military hospital. Today it still dominates the Southend seafront and is being rejuvenated and brought back to life as a class hotel at the end of 2009 under the Park Inn banner. New School. As the urban sprawl expanded so the need for schools was needed, so in Ambleside Drive a new sizeable school called Southchurch Hall was built in four quarters. Today this impressive building still exists in an educative format but as an adult community college. Luna Bioscope opens. The Kursaal was in its infancy, but still has its finger on the pulse as to what would entertain the public. Films using the Ruffel's Imperial Bioscope were played in the ballroom. As this medium of entertainment developed so the Kursaal developed it's very own Kinema within the complex. The concept of the cinema was finally dropped in 1940. Tramways double up. Rush-hour in Southend was becoming a chore, so much so in 1904 the fleet was increased to 22 passenger tram cars in the May. Local Chamber is born. The idea of a local chamber was first mooted in the late summer of 1904 and an inaugural meeting took place at the St Alban's Schoolroom. Prominent local businessmen present were Messrs. Smerdon, Bullivant, Lawes, Osborne, Brightwell and R. A. Jones. These businessmen were local household names for many years but alas none of their businesses survive today. 1905 January. St Erkenwald’s was an ecclesiastical parish, out of the parish of St John the Baptist. The church, in York Road, was built on a site presented by W. Gregson esq. to serve the rapidly increasing population in the east end of the parish of St. John the Baptist. The foundation stone was laid by the Bishop of St. Albans, 16th March, and the first portion of the fabric, consisted of the chancel and two bays of the nave, erected at a cost of £5,000, was dedicated 28th Sept. In 1910 the nave was completed, and the baptistery and gallery were added. A carved oak pulpit was given in 1912 by William Gregson esq. The register dates from the year 1905. Ice to see you. In one of the coldest winters on record mid January saw most of the Thames Estuary freeze up. The chapel in Beedell Avenue was erected. New wing is added to the Municipal College Technical School, Victoria Circus at a further cost of £5,000, evening classes were maintained there. Naval Ship beached off Shoebury. Large crowds turned up to watch a couple of tugs from Sheerness try and un-beach HMS King Alfred an armoured cruiser, on Friday 5th May 1905. Brightwells. John Brightwell started a second term as Mayor of Southend in 1905. His name becoming famous too because of the department store Brightwells established in the south section of High Street. The building still stands opposite the Royals, but the department store departed in the 70s. Leigh Road School expands. Situated at the junction of Hamlet Court Road and London Road, this relatively new school being built in 1896, acquired in 1905 a new infants school which would sit to the rear of the main school. In later years the school became the Hamlet Court County School, but today is no more in its place is a car park and new housing. The original retaining walls still exist around the perimeter. Formation of Southend Harriers, now Southend-on-Sea Athletic Club. The first cross country run took place on 7th October 1905. Alderman Walter Robert King, JP, took the reigns as the very first club President. Today the club runs as Southend Athletic Club and is based at Garon's Park the town's premier sporting venue. All businesses together. 1905 saw the inauguration of the Southend, Westcliff and District Chamber of Trade. By 1947 its membership had reached 1,158. Reverend Benjamin Waugh. A famous Victorian Social Reformer and founder of the NSPCC retired in 1905 to Westcliff, where he died three years later. A blue plaque in Runwell Terrace marks his residency there. Shoebury Fire Brigade formed. A monster cake weighing 6,927lb, with a base circumference of 24ft was made for Christmas by Garons. 1906 A drinking fountain called the “Nazareth Fountain,” was placed near St Paul’s church. May. The town council, by a narrow majority, gave permission the Southend and District Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., to run bus services in Southend provided there was a maximum speed of 8mph and in the High Street and Alexandra Street 6mph. Southend United was formed on 19th May 1906 in the Blue Boar Pub on Victoria Avenue, the first fully professional football club in the town. Their home ground had already been agreed to be Roots Hall, which although it would change over the years remains their current ground for now anyway. First Mayor dies. Thomas Dowsett dies in 1906. He was elected the first Mayor of Southend on 9th November 1892. Dowsett invested in the town not only with his time but with his money too; Almshouses, among his many projects, still exist in Chelmsford Avenue to this day. He was given the honour of a burial in the town's main church, St John the Baptist Church. As a lasting legacy and in memory of the first Mayor £1,000 was paid to the Victoria Hospital in Warrior Square to build a children's ward. Military land purchased. 1,760 acres of foreshore at Shoeburyness, was purchased in 1906 for the use as ranges for the military. July. The helter skelter lighthouse slide on East Parade, near the Kursaal, on the site of the old Warwick observation tower, was opened. New Library opens. Southend thanks to the Andrew Carnegie Trust gained a brand new library when it was formally opened on 24th July 1906 by Sir Horace Brooks Marshall Kt. The site today is of course Southend Central Museum opened in 1981 for its historical purpose. Palmeira arches open for business. One of the better additions to the seafront was the 17 Arches built beneath Palmeira Parade. Originally conceived as coach houses for the buildings above. The need for these became less warranted and cafés replaced them to provided this part of the seafront a much needed focus. These individual cafés survive today and are very popular for locals and visitors alike. Southend Carnival founded. Since its foundation in 1906, it is estimated the carnival, which was initially set up to raise money for the Southend Victoria Cottage Hospital, in Warrior Square, has invested more than £1million into the community. The first, 1906 parade was merely an offshoot of a much bigger occasion, the Leigh Regatta. New Bowling Club in Westcliff. The Essex County Bowling Club, opened in 1906 with two fine greens in Imperial Avenue, Westcliff-on-Sea, with a club house and a large pavilion. The club originally set out in 1901 in Chalkwell Park where a single green existed on the site of the current memorial garden. The club was inaugurated in 1906 by the Mayor of Southend by bowling the first jack. Liberal this time. Southend since 1885 had always been considered a Tory stronghold, but this year was things changed a little with the Liberals gaining an impressive win securing just over two thousand votes, the winner was Rowland Whitehead. This one and only time was a blip in a long and continual blue vote. 1907 The famous sugar cake bandstand is erected at a cost of £750. it was built by a Glasgow firm on the lines of that in the White City Exhibition. The old bandstand is moved to the Happy Valley. January. King's Hall opens in Westcliff. Designed as an entertainment venue for plenty of variety stage acts opened 7th January 1907. This cinema was constructed to provide an entertainment venue for the western side of the town in Hamlet Court Road. The dome ceiling was of Cloisonne glass, inlaid with the names of famous composers. By 1909 it had developed into a full time cinema. It could seat 800. It was struck by fire in March 1921 but opened again a couple of years later. In January 1940 it closed as a cinema, and was used for the duration of the war as a dance hall for the troops. The venue today has long disappeared; but can be imagined when standing in the north section of Hamlet Court Road, there is a large shop front that travels from the road and goes round into and alley. The alley now leads to Ceylon Road car park, but this arched passageway would have lead to the cinema. March. Thorpe Hall Golf Club/Course formed. The first formal competition was played on 23rd March 1907. May. Workmen found skeletons of men buried near the Rose Inn at Southchurch. They were believed to be those of suicides who a 100 years before were buried at the crossroads. Name changes rejected. An attempt to change Southend's name to Thamesmouth was rejected. As well as Shoebury Council's proposal to change the name of Shoeburyness to Shoeburyness-on-Sea. July. New newspaper. A brand new newspaper hit Southend's streets on 6th July 1907. The Southend and Westcliff Graphic. The paper attempted to apply the Metropolitan standards to a local edition, with a bigger emphasis on the illustrations. Disease free zone. Leigh-on-Sea always classed itself as the healthy part of the coastline. In 1907 it was proud to boast that only ten cases of infectious diseases were recorded in town for the year. First Southend to Shoebury bus service. New School. The town's population of younger children was expanding. The need for sizeable infants and juniors was never so great, to ease this pressure Bournemouth Park Road School opened in 1907 for over 1000 pupils. November. Westcliff Tennis Club formed. The formation of the club was announced on November 27 1907. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the club down the years has been the success of its lady players. By the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 they had won the Essex Senior Cup 13 times. During the war years, the courts were hit twice by high- explosive bombs. December. Leigh infant school opens. The school opened on December 13, 1907. December. Pier damaged. During a fierce storm in December, a barge 'Robert' of Stanford-le-Hope, laden with hay broke it's mooring west of the pier and was taken with the winds cutting a hole into the pier near the old pier head. 1908 The Wesleyan chapel, York Road, is built in the Gothic style. Princes Hall. In Tyler's Avenue just behind the London Pub which cornered onto the High Street, sat this small 400 seater cinema, opening in 1908, it was one of the earliest in the town, but had a short life compared to others closing in 1929. Marine Parade Leigh laid out. Running along the cliff line of the River Thames. The formal gardens, run for over 1.5km on a narrow plateau alongside Marine Parade, laid out in 1908 by the Urban District Council of Leigh. The area covers 63 acres. The Pier extends. The upper deck to the Pier extension was officially opened. It had 600 permanent seats and room for 500 deckchairs. The lower deck had room for 6,000 to 8,000, useful in bad weather and when the steamboats called. There was also a bandstand decked out in white and gold plus six shops. The necessity to build this more substantial staging point for passengers awaiting steamships was due to the number that kept falling off the end. A case of health & safety doing good for the pier. Theatre De Luxe opens. Long before L. J. Dixons and W. H. Smith lived the Theatre De Luxe, on the same site in Victoria Circus. Major Tramway extension. The success of the Southend tram service was demonstrated in 1908 with a major easterly extension of the service, taking trams along a new track from the Minerva Pub to Bryant Avenue a distance of around 3/4 of a mile. Extensions onwards to the Halfway House were already on the table. Ship hits Pier. A severe storm hit the Thames Estuary causing a ship a Thames Conservancy hulk 'Marlborough' on 23rd November 1908 to slice straight through Southend Pier. Moored west of the pier the winds took the ship through the piles and planking and on to the Nore lightship where a crew was able to board it and take control. Something to be repeated in 1982 by the M. V. Kingsabbey. Tramways double up. As the most popular form of public transport within Southend the capacity of track needed in places to be doubled up along the roads. The first section occurred on one of the major arteries the London/Leigh Road. Christmas Day football. Forget Boxing Day matches as you would have them today. In 1908 Southend United spent their Christmas morning playing Portsmouth at Roots Hall, a large crowd turned up to watch the game which had plenty of goals unfortunately not to benefit the Blues as Portsmouth went on to win 6-2. The image below shows the match in progress. 1909 1909 - 1910. The Victoria Circus tramway office is built, by Messers. W. Macfarlane & Co. of Glasgow. The Southend Conservative and Unionist Club Limited, Clarence Street, is enlarged. The Roman Catholic church of the Sacred Heart, in Southchurch Road, commenced in 1909 and completed in 1912, and was a building of red brick with white stone dressings in the Romanesque style. It consisted of a nave, north and south aisles, chapel of the Scared Heart, chapel of Our Lady, sanctuary, and two sacristies. New Barge Pier built and Garrison Bandstand erected. Chess champ in town. The Carlton Hotel in Warrior Square played host to Mr Joseph H. Blackburne (nicknamed “The Black Death”) the Great Britain Chess Champion who put on an exhibition of his chess skills by playing 20 games simultaneously. Grand Pier Hotel pens. Many hotels are talked about in Southend some having more notoriety than others. One that does at times get overlooked is the Grand Pier Hotel, a new lease this year started this tourist business on its tracks. Kind of obscured by the huge Palace Hotel. The Grand Pier still managed to have some dominance over the seafront hence its name, with a placing at the top of Pier Hill that stands proud and tall. An interesting engineering feat occurred in February when a church building was raised and physically moved, pulled by a traction engine from Oakleigh Park Drive to Pall Mall. New Fire Engine for Leigh. The Hippodrome Theatre opens. The largest entertainment theatre opened in Southchurch Avenue on 8th November 1909. With seating for 1,750. In 1934 the theatre changed use to a cinema, in 1954 it struck by fire and four years later it was demolished. Historic Shoebury Cottage burnt down. 800 years of history went up in smoke in February when the cottage next door to St Andrew's Church burnt to the ground. The resident Solicitor Frank Stallibrass managed to get his family out when he was woken by the smoke. Efforts were made to try and save the building, but due to a lack of water is was very much in vein. Grove Picture Palace, Pier Hill, opened it had a relatively short life closing in 1920 and was probably one of the least alluring of the town's picture houses. This site was taken over by the Eastern National Bus Station, a site that became Debenhams as part of the Royal's Shopping Centre. Pier Pavilion/Children's Cinema, a natural offer for a pleasure pier but this facility along with a number of others were destroyed during the 1976 fire. Bandstand moves. An open glade in the Cliffs off Western Esplanade gained the Bandstand this year, moved from opposite Prittlewell Square, only to return. Happy Valley is no more but was one of the key entertainment venues pre-WWII, it had a concert hall, but when this burnt down the area melted back into the Cliffs. Southend Marathon. Sport is a key focus within the town and this was demonstrated in April with the running of the Southend Marathon on Easter Monday. The starting point was outside the Blue Boar, taking the forty or so runners towards Rochford, turning at the Anne Boleyn pub and working their way through the country roads around Sutton making their way back into the town along East Street and so to the finish. The victorious winner was a Mr W. J. Thorogood at a splendid time of 2 hrs 33 mins 46 secs. The image below shows the runners setting off. Interestingly in the background are the buildings that once made up the south east corner of the Blue Boar junction which are no more and the land now makes up the widening of Victoria Avenue and Churchill Gardens. Chalkwell School opens. A significant school opened this year, sitting on the Leigh/London Road Chalkwell School, proudly threw open its doors. The first headmaster, a former Southend Technical pupil, was a Mr Burrows. Trades Exhibition. The Kursaal opened its doors to a Trade and Commerce Exhibition in March, a fascinating opportunity for local businesses and others from afar to show the public new innovations for the home. One fine stall was provided by Mr G. Jackaman from Park Street who provided a fine display of furniture. Also the Southend Gas Company took over a number of stalls to promote and sell the latest in heating and cooking for the home as shown in this picture. The Naval Fleet afloat. In 1909, a naval pageant was arranged. The Home and Atlantic Fleets took up their station in the Thames, from Westminster to the Nore, from July 17th to July 24th. “in order to give the people of London an opportunity of seeing and visiting that bulwark of their security, of which they hear and read so much, and for the upkeep of which they are required to contribute.” There were 150 ships of war, stretching down a waterway of fifty miles. Towards Westminster were the smaller craft, such as submarines and torpedo boats, and the size of vessels gradually increased as the river widened eastward into the estuary off Southend, for example, were stationed the giant ‘Dreadnought’ and her three companion ships, the ‘Superb’, ‘Bellerophon’ and ‘Temeraire’. Victoria Ward. Established in 1909 based around Victoria Avenue, and as the years have moved on, the town has built up and established this route and ward as one of the most important for the town. The Civic Centre encompassing the police station and courts as well as the many office blocks run down the centre of this ward. To the west it is mainly housing with key buildings such as the Nelson Pub. To the east more housing as well as Prittlewell railway station. Skating rink opens. Just behind the High Street, where you will find Maitland House and the Travel Lodge today. A Skating rink called the “Rinkeries” opened, it lasted for two years then the building became a cinema. Panto time. The seasonal pantomime would this year be held at the Empire Theatre in Alexandra Street. The title a little unconventional "Jack the Giant Killer."