Sights in Essex
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Pier
Other than mile upon mile of tawny imported-sand and shingle beaches, Southend's main attraction is the world's longest pier, built in 1830. At a staggering 1.33 miles long it's an impressive edifice and a magnet for boat crashes, storms and fires, the last of which ravaged its tip in 2005. The surprisingly peaceful stroll to its tip will help burn off those rock-candy calories, and a wheezy Pier Railway (included in admission price) can save you the long slog back.
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Adventure Island
You can embrace Southend's tacky seaside soul, inhale Rossi's velvety ice cream, rock or candy floss before jumping on head-spinning rides or ramming each other in dodgems at lurid amusement park Adventure Island, beside the pier.
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Sealife Adventure
Kids can come nose to nose with sharks in glass tunnels and meet celebrity sea horses while parents grit their teeth at the saccharine seaside soundtrack in the good little Sealife Adventure aquarium, half a mile east of the pier.
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museum
Dip beneath the pier's entrance to explore an old 'toasts-rack' pier train and antique slot machines at the museum.
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Museum
Dip beneath the pier's entrance to explore an old 'toasts-rack' pier train and antique slot machines at the museum.
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Leigh Heritage Centre
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Hollytrees Museum
Housed in a graceful Georgian town house beside the castle, this museum trawls through 300 years of domestic life with quirky surprises that include a shipwright's baby carriage in the shape of a boat and a make-your-own Victorian silhouette feature. There are also temporary exhibitions and events throughout the year.
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firstsite
Already being promoted as a star attraction, this sparkly new arts centre was only recently just taking shape. A stunning curved-glass and copper building, it will contain gallery space, a library, auditorium and conference facilities and will play host to exhibitions, workshops, lectures and performances. Check the website or tourist office for the latest information.
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Dutch Quarter
The best of the city's half-timbered houses and rickety roof lines are clustered together in this Tudor enclave just a short stroll north of High St. The area remains as a testament to the 16th-century Protestant weavers who fled here from Holland.
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Colchester Zoo
World-class naturalistic enclosures, 5 miles northeast of the castle. Bus 75 stops here.
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Colchester Castle
England's largest surviving Norman keep (bigger even than that of the Tower of London), once a hair-raising symbol of foreign invasion, now slumbers innocently amid a lush park. Built upon the foundations of a Roman fort, the castle was first established in 1076 and now houses an exceptional interactive museum, with plenty of try-on togas and sound effects to keep young curiosity alive. There are also illuminating guided tours of the Roman vaults, Norman rooftop chapel and castle walls.
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Clock Museum
One of the largest clock collections in Britain housed in a magnificent 15th-century timber-framed building.
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Weald Country Park
Weald Country Park is a huge parkland dotted with lakes. Once a playground for deer, it became a hunting ground for abbots in 1063. After years of running in the opposite direction, the deer were reintroduced in 1987. Don't miss the visitor centre with its colourful historic displays, and the remains of an Iron Age settlement dating back to 1 BC.
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Thomas à Becket Chapel
Thomas Becket's murder at Canterbury in 1170 was fundamental to the Brentwood's growth. The crossing point of two main roads, the town site was a stopover for a growing number of pilgrims passing on their way to Canterbury. So, the Vicar of South Weald permitted the Abbot of St Osyth to build a chapel - it was dedicated to St Thomas. Only the ruins remain.
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The Brentwood School
Only in England could 'manners' feature in a school motto. In 1557, the very bad-mannered Sir Anthony Browne founded this public school as punishment for burning a man to death. It takes boys and girls - although it was a few hundred years before females were admitted. Among its famous pupils: Douglas Adams, author of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'.
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St Michael's Church
St Michael's is a small but stunning church located right in the heart of the town centre. Historians, who are often caught marvelling at its central chancel window, believe it was built in 1199. The magnificent spire stands 37m (120ft) tall and the bell still chimes its original chime. If you're into churches, this one's a gem.
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Motorboat Museum
Some of the world's most revolutionary motorboats were famously made in Britain. Why they should be on display in a museum in Basildon is considerably less clear. However, the history of these machines, from steam to modern powerboats, has been pristinely preserved. If boats are not your thing, Wat Tyler Country Park is still a lovely place in which to frolic.
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Festival Leisure Park
Located in the north of Basildon, Festival Leisure Park is a small village in itself. Affectionately known by locals as 'Bas Vegas', it features restaurants, a hotel, a cinema, a fitness facility and lots more, but is best described as basically a huge car park in a sea of neon.
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Braintree Working Silk Museum
This intimate museum is housed in an old school building and explains Braintree's textile heritage from the medieval wool trade to the fabrics produced by Warner and Courtauld. Learn how raw silk and fabrics were woven on handlooms and discover Braintree's straw-plaiting past with exhibits of the work of straw masters such as Albert Rowe.
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Braintree District Museum
This museum certainly has something for every part of the brain, featuring displays of local history in the fields of archaeology, natural science, costume, textiles, fine art and, just for something different, personalities. It's complete with a Victorian classroom, small apothecary's garden and craft shop - what more could you want from a day out in Essex?
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Basildon Arts Trust Gallery
This intimate gallery offers much-needed cultural relief from brassy Basildon. Open since 2004, it houses modern exhibits not seen in public for many years - local works are proudly displayed in a programme that changes every six months. The friendly organisers welcome art enthusiasts from far and wide.
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