Southend - Chalkwell Beach

Southend is a resort town at the mouth of the River Thames.  It is home to the world’s longest pleasure pier, a Sealife Centre, an amusement park, a theme park, and all the facilities and entertainments that one would expect of an established seaside resort. 

Chalkwell Beach is backed by a promenade and there is a car park on Chalkwell Esplanade, accessed by turning right at the end of Chalkwell Avenue. The beach is sandy, and at low tide a wide area of mud, sand and shingle is revealed. 

In amongst the seaweed there is a good chance of finding crabs and other marine wildlife. 

A large granite obelisk known as The Crowstone can be seen just off the beach, partially submerged when the tide is in.  This stone was placed here in the early 19th century.  An earlier stone, long gone, would have marked the seaward limit of the City of London’s jurisdiction over the River Thames.  It is thought that some kind of marker may have stood here since the 12th century.