I need to be careful here. Referring to Southend Victoria as ‘Victoria’ might lead people to think I’m referring to the London terminal of the name Victoria. With that in mind, we’ll settle for Southend V (not to be confused with the superhero drug Compound V from The Boys).

It could be argued that Southend V’s existence is an example of the fierce rivalries that existed between railway companies in the 19th century. The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway had established a line from London to Southend in 1856, and given Southend-on-Sea’s popularity as a seaside resort, grabbing a slice of that traffic would have been awfully tempting. I can’t say for certain if this motivated the Great Eastern Railway into building their branch line from Wickford, but it seems like a good bet. Services began on the 1st of October 1889, and have continued ever since.

From a strictly personal point of view, Southend Victoria is quite a beautiful little terminus. There are four platforms, enveloped in a building that still retains the charm of a small, Victorian era construct. In modern times, trains run from here to Liverpool Street, and they convey passengers to Southend Airport Station (yes, I’m aware I said Southend had three stations in the Central post). It takes approximately an hour to get from Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria, and one hour and five minutes between Fenchurch Street and Southend Central, which surprised me, as on paper, the Fenchurch Street journey looks more direct.

You live and learn!

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