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On Tuesday I went to see some of our senior Southend residents at Nicholson House to ask them about their memories and stories of the high street. I joined them for their morning gathering and presented myself and my purpose for being there as well as an offering of assorted sugary and sugar-free snacks to go with the general tea and coffee scenario that is the morning get-together!
I was slightly nervous and didn’t quite know how this whole escapade was going to unravel but I was soon chatting away with various characters including Erik the Navy seadog who worked in a large baking factory that supplied all the local bakers – including the Garon’s monopoly; Gwen, who worked on project Overlord during WWII and a plethora of other characters with stories of the high street from days gone by. One resident lent me a book with some amazing old pictures of the high street and the seafront in it’s heyday.
I was astonished to hear the stories and fond memories of Southend they had, contrasted with the overwhelming negative viewpoint of Southend nowadays. It was hard, looking at those photos and talking to these residents, to not feel disappointed with the lack of diverse entertainment and beautiful architecture that once gave Southend-on-sea its unique charm.
At the weekend I was in Cornwall and the mixture of old and new design was striking compared to what we have in this Seaside town. Maybe if we took a different approach we could revive Southend back to a being a place of contemporary beauty.
The older residents of Southend remember the mix of Victorian shop fronts, Modernist architecture and Art Deco design elements that once adorned the High Street. Of course we can't go back but we could perhaps think more carefully about how we shape the visual landscape of the High Street to reflect a more humanistic aesthetic in contrast with and in addition to the international architectural style, which I personally find bland, characterless and sterile when not tempered by a little natural, ornate and more interesting design.
{hands up in agreement}
ReplyDeletewe really don't want our high street to look like all the others:
what on earth is going on at Warrior Square?
more demolition eek:
Yeah, I've not been round there to take a look but heard that they're knocking down the swimming pool and changing the layout of the gardens somehow? We'll see but I hope it's a change for the better because it's a great space that's perhaps under-used by shoppers who might want to relax without having to buy a coffee!
ReplyDelete{hands up in agreement too}
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Southend Standard, they're building a "futuristic cafe" in that Warrior Square park. Oooh a futuristic cafe!! ...What's a futuristic cafe? Well apparently the roof will open and close! Wow, and "new lighting and other improvements [sic] will also be made and it is hoped the gardens can be used for all types of outdoor events, including those which need big screens or stages." So essentially this will no longer be a place where shoppers can relax without having to buy a coffee...
Another cafe! YaY! anyone would think we haven't already got ten thousand!
ReplyDeletegrr let's fill the only green space in the centre of town with ....
ReplyDeletea building:
glad I don't live in Warrior Square:
bet the residents are fuming!