Visit Leigh-on-Sea Places

Welcome to Visit Leigh-on-Sea Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Leigh-on-Sea

  

Leigh-on-Sea Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Leigh-on-Sea

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Leigh-on-Sea history

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Origins

A reference to Leigh (Legra) appears in the Domesday Book survey of 1086. St Clement’s Church was rebuilt in the late 15th century or early 16th century. The mediaeval structure of the church was added to and altered during the 19th and 20th centuries.

‘Old Leigh’

In the 11th century Leigh was a marginal community of homesteads. The Domesday Book records ‘five smallholders above the water who do not hold land’ Two of Old Leigh’s pubs – the Peter Boat and Ye Olde Smack – owe their names to types of local fishing boats.

Modern era

Broadway developed between the 1870s and the 1920s from a residential street to a commercial parade of shopfronts. By the mid 20th century Leigh had grown to become part of a larger, urban conurbation, extending further north, east and north-west. In 1983 Leigh gained its own paper, Leigh Times, and its own Town Council.

Leigh-on-Sea geography / climate

Leigh-on-Sea is situated on the northern side of the Thames Estuary. At low tide Leigh’s foreshore has a wide expanse of mud flats and creeks. Leigh is approximately 40 miles (65 kilometres) from central London via road and rail networks and is considered part of the London commuter belt.

You can visit Leigh-on-Sea places with Walkfo Leigh-on-Sea to hear history at Leigh-on-Sea’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Leigh-on-Sea has 42 places to visit in our interactive Leigh-on-Sea map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Leigh-on-Sea, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Leigh-on-Sea places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Leigh-on-Sea & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 42 audio facts unique to Leigh-on-Sea places in an interactive Leigh-on-Sea map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Leigh-on-Sea Places Map
42 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Leigh-on-Sea historic spots	Leigh-on-Sea tourist destinations	Leigh-on-Sea plaques	Leigh-on-Sea geographic features
Walkfo Leigh-on-Sea tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Leigh-on-Sea

  

Best Leigh-on-Sea places to visit

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Leigh-on-Sea has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Leigh-on-Sea’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Leigh-on-Sea’s information audio spots:

Hadleigh Farm Hadleigh Farm is an educational working farm and cross-country cycling venue located in Hadleigh, within the borough of Castle Point, in the county of Essex. The men’s and women’s mountain biking events of the 2012 Summer Olympics took place on 11 and 12 August.

Hadleigh Castle Built after 1215 during the reign of Henry III by Hubert de Burgh, the castle was surrounded by parkland and had an important economic and defensive role. The castle was significantly expanded and remodelled by Edward III, who turned it into a grander property. Built on a soft hill of London clay, it has often been subject to subsidence.

Benfleet F.C. Benfleet Football Club is a football club based in Benfleet, Essex, England. They are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Division One South and play at Park Lane in Canvey Island.

The Ratman of Southend The Ratman of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, is an English urban legend. The story of the Ratman tells of an old homeless man seeking shelter from the cold in an underpass. He was set upon by a group of youths and beaten to near-death, cold and blood loss doing the rest.

Southend-on-Sea War Memorial Southend-on-Sea War Memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It was unveiled by Lord Lambourne, the Lord Lieutenant of Essex and dedicated by the Bishop of Colchester on 27 November 1921. The memorial as-built is in the form of an obelisk flanked by stone flags and surrounded by a low screen wall.

Southend Central Museum The Central Museum is a museum in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. The museum was opened in April 1981 in a Grade II listed building that was previously Soutshend’s first free public library.

Havens (department store) Havens department store is a Grade II listed building based in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. It was the only remaining independent department store based in the borough of Southend on-Sea.

Daws Heath Daws Heath contains a large area of woodland in eastern Thundersley, part of Castle Point near Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. It is traversed by the Daw Heath Road and St Michael’s Road. The area has established neighbourhood watch schemes, Church Groups and Greenbelt Protection Groups.

Chalkwell Park Chalkwell Park is a recreational park in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. It covers 27 hectares (67 acres) and contains several flower gardens, two children’s playgrounds, a skateboard/BMX park and football, cricket, basketball and tennis fields. The arts and music festival Village Green is held on the grounds of the park annually.

St Clement’s Church, Leigh-on-Sea St Clement’s Church is a Grade II* listed building in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. It is dedicated to Saint Clement of Rome, a 1st-century martyr and patron saint of mariners.

Visit Leigh-on-Sea plaques