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Southend-on Sea is the largest town in the county of Essex. It is famouse for having world's longest pleasure pier at 1.34 miles long,  It is a unitary authority area in the East of England. Southend-on-Sea, which has Borough status, is part of the ceremonial county of Essex and is located on the north side of the Thames estuary roughly 40 miles (65 km) east of central London.  Southend became a popular seaside resort for people during the Georgian era. Owing to its proximity to London and easy access by train, the town's economy has largely been based on tourism ever since. Over the years the pier has suffered fires and ship collisions, most recently in October 2005, but it has been repaired each time. 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. H.M. Revenue & Customs (HMRC), (formerly H.M. Customs and Excise), are major employers in the town, and the central offices for the collection of VAT are located there. Southend recently opened the new University of Essex, Southend, aimed at boosting the town's flagging economy.  Source :  www.wikipedia.org.uk

Some of the attactions in Southend are  :
Adventure IslandTheme Park : www.adventureisland.co.uk/  
Southend Marine Activity Centre : www.southend.gov.uk/content.asp?section=299
Sea Life Aquarium : www.sealifeadventure.co.uk
Southend FC: www.southendunited.premiumtv.co.uk