General

Prittlewell is a district within the Borough of Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Historically, Prittlewell is the original town with Southend being the south end of Prittlewell. The village of Prittlewell was originally centered at the joining of three main roads, East Street, West Street and North Street, which was extended south in the 19th century and renamed Victoria Avenue. The principal administrative buildings in Southend are located along Victoria Avenue, although Prittlewell is now mainly a residential area, served by Prittlewell railway station.

History

The Roman occupation began to influence the area with the construction of a Roman-style dwelling, probably a farmhouse or villa, close to the brook in what is now Priory Park. The introduction of new ideas, new skills and social structures under this Roman influence would have brought significant change to the area. The discovery of Roman burial sites during road and rail construction in the 1920s and 1930s indicated that the settlement was well developed and of some significance, although no prominent buildings were preserved.

Following the decline of Roman Britain, the area came under the influence of Saxon raiders, over time becoming established as part of the kingdom of the East Saxons. During this time (largely the 5th and 6th centuries), the historic Saxon name of Prittleuuella came into being and there is also archaeological evidence that a small chapel was erected on the site of the present Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in the early 7th century, possibly around the reign of Sæberht of Essex.

Landmarks

Only a small proportion of the historical village of Prittlewell remains standing; the ruins and standing remains of the Priory, visible in Priory Park; St. Mary’s Church; A building recently restored following fire damage, though more recently a bakery and now an estate agent appropriately named Tudor Estates; as well as a number of public houses, the most famous of which is the Blue Boar. This is famous for being where Southend United F.C. were formed, however the building that currently stands there is of Victorian construction, as the original building was destroyed by fire. Since 1955, Prittlewell has been the home to Southend United F.C. at their ground Roots Hall, and has been since the 1960s home to a weekly market which takes place on a Thursday. Southend are planning to move from this location, and Sainsbury’s currently have planning permission to build a supermarket on the site of Roots Hall, St Mary’s flats, the former Eastern National Bus Garage/former Prospects College and the shops on the corner of Victoria Avenue and Fairfax Drive.

Hadleigh

Rochford

Southend

Westcliff-on-Sea