THE sounds of times gone by can now we enjoyed by every generation on Southend Pier.

A “listening bench” where people can hear historic recordings was unveiled at the landmark pier as part of the Essex Record Office project, You Are Hear: Sound and a Sense of Place.

The park bench is fitted with special speakers so that people can listen to clips of recordings from the Essex Sound and Video Archive, which are held at the Essex Record Office.

At the press of a button, visitors can hear memories of visiting the seaside, dances in the Kursaal, enduring the Second World War and many more echoes of the past.

The bench is installed alongside the Royal Pavilion at the end of the pier, which is a perfect vantage point for enjoying the view across the estuary while listening.

The audio was chosen and compiled by a team of volunteers from local University of the Third Age (U3A) groups.

Sally Day, former mayor and Southend honorary alderwoman, representing the Alternative City of Culture group, officially unveiled the bench.

This is the first of ten listening benches that will be installed across Essex this summer, to join another eight already in-situ, as part of a Heritage Lottery Funded project at the Essex Sound and Video Archive.

The project is encouraging people to develop their sense of place and attachment to the county based on the sound recordings in the archive.

Using the bench to play clips relevant to the locality enhances both the experience of listening to the recordings, and the enjoyment of the area.

Jennifer Simpson, co-ordinator for U3A Shared Learning Projects in the East of England said: ‘This was a brilliant project for U3A members. We all learned a lot.

“One of our most technically competent audio editors is an octogenarian, which just goes to show what retired people can do.

“We found the wealth of material in the sound archive fascinating and now have an idea of what is available for the use of our U3A groups.’

Susan Barker, councillor responsible for communities, culture and customer service, said “I’m thrilled and heartened to see local people taking pride in the their communities, working with the You Are Hear project not only in preserving but also bringing local history alive, through these benches.”

There is more information about the project, and Southend’s listening bench, on the Essex Sounds website, essexsounds.org.uk

I