#DidYouKnow Southend-on-Sea takes its name from it's location at the "South End" of Prittlewell. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend

#DidYouKnow during the First World War the Palace Hotel was converted into Queen Mary's Royal Naval Hospital. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend

#DidYouKnow in 1908, a ship hit Southend Pier due to a severe storm, it sliced straight through causing major damage. #Essex #FactOfTheDay

#DidYouKnow in 1986 a tanker, the MV Kingsabbey, crashed into the pier creating a 70 foot gap. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend

#DidYouKnow Southend High Street became the new focus for retailing during the Edwardian period. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend

#DidYouKnow Southend United football club was established in 1906. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend

#DidYouKnow Adventure Island was previously known as Peter Pan's Playground. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend #AdventureIsland

#DidYouKnow on the 29th July 1976 a fire destroyed much of the end of the pier. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend

#DidYouKnow Southend has 7 miles of beaches stretching from Shoeburyness to Leigh, all of which won seaside awards in 2005. #Essex #Southend

#DidYouKnow originally named the Metropole, the Palace Hotel was once the only 5* hotel on the southeast coast. #Essex #FactOfTheDay

#DidYouKnow the Pier was originally a wooden structure built in 1830. It has been rebuilt several times over the years. #Essex #FactOfTheDay

#DidYouKnow parts of Southend were featured in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #007 #Southend #Bond #Goldfinger

#DidYouKnow the Pier was taken over by the Navy during World War Two to act as a departure point for convoys. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend

#DidYouKnow in May 1915, Southend was a one of the first air raid victims of the First World War. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend

#DidYouKnow in 1984, the iconic Grand Pier Hotel was demolished to make way for the Royals Shopping Centre. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend

#DidYouKnow Southend was home to one of the UK's first electronic telephone exchanges. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend

#DidYouKnow Southend was referred to as the  south end of Prittlewell (the original settlement) in the Domesday book #Essex #FactOfTheDay

#DidYouKnow Adventure Island started out in 1918 a sea side garden that in the 1920s installed a few children's rides. #Essex #Southend

#DidYouKnow that at 1.34 miles Southend Pier is the longest pleasure pier in the world. #Essex #FactOfTheDay

#DidYouKnow Adventure island opened in 1976. #Essex #FactOfTheDay #Southend