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Originally the south end of the village
of Prittlewell, Southend became a popular seaside resort
for Londoners during the Victorian era. Owing to its
proximity to London and easy access by train, the town's
economy has largely been based on tourism ever since.
Southend Pier is the world's longest pleasure pier at
1.34 miles (2158 metres). Over the years the pier has
suffered fires and ship collisions, most recently in
October 2005.
With the decline of traditional British sea-side resorts,
from the 1960s onwards much of the centre of Southend
was developed as a centre of commerce, and many of the
original features of this once-attractive Victorian
seaside town were destroyed through redevelopment or
neglect. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, formerly
Customs and Excise, are major employers in the town,
and the central offices for the collection of VAT are
located there. Southend recently opened its new university
aimed at boosting the town's flagging economy. Many
Southend residents commute into London, which may account
for the town's entertainment and cultural attractions
being relatively under-developed, compared to towns
of a similar population and demographic composition.
The Borough of Southend-on-Sea was the only tier of
local government as a county borough from 1914 until
the local government reorganisation of 1974, when it
became a borough within the county of Essex. In 1998
it again became the single tier of local government
when it became a unitary authority.
In 2004 Southend remained one of the areas of the UK
that retain the grammar school system and has four schools
of this type: Southend High School for Boys, Southend
High School for Girls, Westcliff High School for Boys
and Westcliff High School for Girls. Additionally there
are two single sex schools assisted by the Roman Catholic
church: St Bernards High School for Girls and St Thomas
More High School. The other 6 main-stream secondary
schools in the area are all mixed sex comprehensive
schools.
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