Theatres · East of England
Kursaal
In or near Southend-on-Sea.
Kursaal — Grade II listed building-listed theatre in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
Linda Craven — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 2 h–3 h
- Nearest railway station
- Shore · 0.6 km
- Limited wheelchair access
Getting there & planning your visit
The Kursaal is located in Southend-on-Sea, postcode SS1 2ZG, and is approximately 0.6 km from Shore railway station. Entry details are not specified, and wheelchair accessibility is limited.
About
Kursaal is a Grade II listed building-listed theatre in england-south-east, United Kingdom, registered on the National Heritage List for England (NHLE entry 1236532). Listed status protects buildings and structures of special architectural or historic interest. See the linked Wikipedia article for further details.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
The Kursaal () is a former amusement park and a Grade II listed building in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The building, originally known as the Kursaal Palace was opened in 1901 as part of one of the world's first purpose-built amusement parks. The venue is noted for the main building with distinctive dome, designed by George Campbell Sherrin, which featured on a Royal Mail special stamp in 2011. The amusement park was home to Southend United F.C. between 1919 and 1934, and during this time also hosted greyhound racing. The majority of the park was closed in 1973, with the rest of the site closing in 1986. The building remained derelict until it was redeveloped in the late 1990s, opening again in 1998.
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Benfleet and Southend Marshes SSSI
- Ramsar wetland: Benfleet and Southend Marshes
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
The Kursaal () is a former amusement park and a Grade II listed building in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The building, originally known as the Kursaal Palace was opened in 1901 as part of one of the world's first purpose-built amusement parks. The venue is noted for the main building with distinctive dome, designed by George Campbell Sherrin, which featured on a Royal Mail special stamp in 2011. The amusement park was home to Southend United F.C. between 1919 and 1934, and during this time also hosted greyhound racing. The majority of the park was closed in 1973, with the rest of the site closing in 1986. The building remained derelict until it was redeveloped in the late 1990s, opening again in 1998. Since 2020, the building again remains empty except for a small Tesco convenience store.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Description
The Kursaal site was opened in 1894 by Henry Austen on fifteen acres of land leased from solicitor Alfred Tollhurst and his son Bernard Wiltshire Tollhurst, as the Marine Park and Gardens. The park was designed by Henry Ernest Milner, consisted of gardens, with a bandstand, a 15,000 sq. foot sprung dance floor and a two-acre lake. Four acres of the site was enclosed by a cycle track, where football and cricket was played. Austen proposed to open a pavilion in the park to sell alcohol, but this was objected to by the Women's Temperance Movement, and the Tollhursts were so incensed by this that they announced that they would sell the site for housing. they opened a grand entrance pavilion,…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.5331, 0.7248
- District
- Southend-on-Sea
- Parish
- Southend-on-Sea, unparished area
- Postcode
- SS1 2ZG
- Parliamentary constituency
- Southend East and Rochford
- Established
- 1901
- Nearest railway station
- Shore — 0.6 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q6446511 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Kursaal (amusement park) (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Kursaal?
- Kursaal is in South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode SS1 2ZG), in the parish of Southend-on-Sea, unparished area.
- What is Kursaal?
- Kursaal — Grade II listed building-listed theatre in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
- How do I get to Kursaal?
- The nearest railway station is Shore, about 0.6 km away. Drivers can use postcode SS1 2ZG.
- When was Kursaal built?
- Built or established in 1901. Designed by George Campbell Sherrin.
- Who owns Kursaal?
- Kursaal is owned by | operator =.
- Is Kursaal a listed building?
- Kursaal is officially recognised as Grade II listed building listed.
- Is Kursaal a protected site?
- Yes — Kursaal is part of the Benfleet and Southend Marshes SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Benfleet and Southend Marshes Ramsar wetland.
- How do I get to Kursaal?
- The nearest railway station is Shore, about 0.6 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode SS1 2ZG.