Thousands packed Southend High Street at the weekend as the city hosted the popular Christmas lights switch-on event with stars turning on the festive lights.

While the city centre will continue to be busy with shoppers over this festive season, the high street has certainly changed over the decades - especially with the rising popularity of online shopping in recent years. 

Here we take another delve into the archives to look back at the now city centre in decades gone by including the 1970s 1980s, and 1990s.

Images show the festive and Christmas decorations that filled the High Street in the past.

There were large displays with arches, flags and bunting.

The street scene may be familiar, but these pictures from the Echo archive show a selection of shop names which have long disappeared.

Echo:

The city's most-missed store - shoppers form an orderly queue ahead of a Keddies sale in 1988

Scroll down to see more eye-catching photographs of what Southend High Street has been like in previous decades at Christmas time.

Echo:

Before internet shopping was a thing - Southend High Street was always bustling with shoppers in previous decades

Echo:

Festive shopping - south Essex residents rushed to Southend High Street to grab their last minute Christmas gifts in December 1985

Echo:

Tinsel - Christmas decorations adorn the high street as shoppers make their way to their favourite shops in 1991

Echo:

Wrapping up warm - shoppers flocked to Southend High Street to ensure they made their last minute Christmas purchases in 1975

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Echo:

Nightlife - Southend High Street is left deserted after trading ends on a day building up to Christmas in 1989

Echo:

Wonderful time of the year - the Southend High Street Christmas tree can be seen in the background as shoppers ventured out in December 1977

Echo:

Spending their money - shoppers headed to the likes of Caters Supermarket just days after celebrating Christmas 45 years ago