‘Christory’ walks and talks give people a fresh view of Southend

He launched his history talks and walks, named Christory, a year ago.

Having worked at Southend Museums for a decade, where he served as the learning and events officer, Chris is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to history.

“Over the years I have found that people are, of course, interested in world history and history of the UK, however, when you zoom in on a local level people can relate to that more,” said Chris.

“It’s an area that people can identify with and are familiar with, along with names and references that local people recognise. It’s also interesting to learn something new about where you live. So, for me local history is particularly important.”

Joy tank ride - unusual rides at the Kursaal (Image: Sourced by Chris Langdon)

Chris offers walking tours that cover the military history along the seafront and the former garrison at Shoeburyness.

There is also a walking tour that covers a thousand years of local history in Southchurch. Talks and lectures include both world wars, as well as a series of talks surrounding the wider areas history from 1,000 AD up to the early twentieth century.

“I’m looking to expand my walks and talks to schools as the content covered is within the national curriculum and offers an insight that children otherwise would not be able to access easily,” he said.

He has sourced a cache of interesting postcards including of what was originally called the Great House, built in 1793 by the Vandervord family. It was later renamed to The Minerva and was a pub of the same name which closed in 2007.

Originally called the Great House and built in c.1793 by the Vandervord family, it would be later renamed to The Minerva a (Image: Sourced by Chris Langdon)

Chris’ historical explorations take him in many directions. One story reveals an unusual yet exciting addition to the Kursaal grounds at Southend in the early post Firt World War years... a veteran tank that for the grand sum of 2d could be ridden over lumps and dips in the tank field.

One of the most unusual attractions at the Kursaal was Al Scarface Capone’s armoured motorcar, which came to Southend in 1933.

One of the most unusual attractions at the Kursaal was Al Scarface Capone's armoured motorcar, which came to Southend in 1933 (Image: Sourced by Chris Langdon)

Also, Saint Mary’s Church in Prittlewell which served the community from the medieval period into the nineteenth century. However, the church’s reach over the expanding area was limited following the opening of Saint John the Baptist church in Southend in 1842.

Visit www.historywithchris.com.