Southend-on-Sea has gone through many transformations since its birth in the Middle Ages, when a settlement of farmers and fishermen was established at the southernmost end of the lands of Prittlewell Priory. Having acquired the name ‘South End’, the area changed when the Lord of the Manor in the eighteenth century had a ‘New Town’ built along the cliffs to the west. The arrival of the railway in the mid-nineteenth century, and the subsequent influx of seaside day trippers, boosted Southend’s popularity, and it quickly expanded into a large and bustling town.

In this fascinating photographic history, Ken Crowe takes a fond look at his home town, exploring the changes to its streets through carefully chosen snapshots of Southend-on-Sea as it was in the past and is today.