Cliffs Pavilion (locally known as the Cliffs) is a theatre, sports, exhibition and concert venue located on Station Road in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, a suburb within the city of Southend-on-Sea. It is the largest purpose-built arts venue in Essex,[2] and the largest capacity of any theatre in the East of England.[3] In 2006, the operation of Cliffs Pavilion, along with the Palace Theatre, were handed to HQ Theatres by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council.[4] HQ Theatres merged with Trafalgar Entertainment in 2021.[5] In February 2022, the Cliffs played host to He Built This City concert, a tribute to the murdered MP for Southend West Sir David Amess.
The buildings history
Early history
Plans for a theatre, the Shorefield Pavilion,[6] on the site started in 1935 when the borough council purchased the location to build a 500-seat theatre and concert venue, with work starting four years later on construction but was suspended by the outbreak of World War II.[7][8] After the war, the site was known as Southend's white elephant, with the site laying empty due to budget constraints, until 1963, when work was started on a building that could host shows, concerts and private functions.[6] The building was designed by the borough architect Patrick Burridge, who also designed Southend Civic Centre.[9][10] The 1,100 capacity theatre was opened by the actor, writer and director Sir Bernard Miles in July 1964, with the first show opening the next day starring Norman Vaughan and his troupe of dancers, the Swinging Lovelies.[7][8] The hexagonal sunken forecourt that was at the front of the theatre (prior to the 2024/25 refurbishment) followed the line of the pre-war foundations.[8] The theatre won a commendation at the Come to Britain awards held by the British Travel & Holiday Association
in the same year.[11] The Cliffs was the venue for the annual Southend-on-Sea Festival of Music and the Arts.[12]
Statue and forecourt at the Cliffs Pavilion
1990s redevelopment and 2000s refurbishment
From July 1991 to December 1992, the building was closed to be re-developed and enlarged, with funding from Southend Borough Council and was designed by Tim Foster Architects. The stairs were rebuilt, a new Foyer Bar added and a balcony added to the auditorium increasing the capacity to 1,630.[13][8][14] The new extension was completed in an Art Deco style.[10] The total cost for the redevelopment was £3.4 million.[15] The theatre re-opened with the pantomime The Pied Piper of Hamelin starring Wayne Sleep, Peggy Mount and Richard Marner.[16] The refurbished Cliffs Pavilion received a Civic Design Award in 1993.[17]
The Art Deco style 1991-92 extension
In 1998, the Arts Council allocated £850,000 of Lottery cash to Southend Borough Council to investigate a £20 million stage 2 redevelopment. The plans included building a new raked seating stall area, reducing the capacity to 1,601 seats, and a new stage house with dimensions for the stage and fly tower meeting the minimum requirements for major touring companies - an increase in the maximum height from 19 metres to 29 metres. The council brought in Levitt Bernstein Associates to oversee the design, however in 1999 the bid for £12 million of Lottery funding from the Arts Council was overlooked and stage 2 of the redevelopment was withdrawn.[18][19]
In 2010, the Cliffs was closed for seven weeks while a refurbishment took place. The theatre's 1,630 seats that had been in the venue since the 1991-92 redevelopment were replaced, while the carpets in the Foyer were changed.[20]
Pavilion refurbishment 2024-2025
It was announced in November 2021 that the operator, Trafalgar Theatres and owner, Southend-on-Sea City Council had applied for planning permission for a major refurbishment of the Cliffs Pavilion costing £8 million, with £5.5 million provided by the UK government through the Levelling Up fund.[21] The plan would see extensive improvements, with a major expansion of the restaurant, a new entrance and lobby to improve the customer experience, an upgraded ventilation system, a new outdoor piazza, bars, toilets, changing facilities and lifts. The redevelopment was due to begin in early 2024, with the building works to be completed by contractor Willmott Dixon, and were planned to take a year to complete. The Cliffs managers said the venue would remain open throughout the refurbishments. However, by February 2024, it was announced that there would be a delay to the start of the refurbishment works as the price had risen above the original cost.[1][13] It was announced in August 2024 that work was due to start later that month, with Auburn Group awarded the contract after a recommissioning of the tender process. Work officially started on the 22 August.[22][23]
Maritime Room
The Maritime Room is a smaller venue than the main theatre, and is located on the lower level. The venue was originally opened as a restaurant, but after a short trial negotiated by local musician Peter Morris, the venue was used for jazz music events, before expanding into country and western.[24] From 1986 until 2014, the venue was home to the Joker Comedy Club, and it was at the club that local boy Lee Evans started his comedy career.[25][26] The club hosted Frank Skinner, Stewart Lee and Bob Mills among others.[27] Jazz remains a staple, with both the Jazz Mix and Open Mic club nights taking place at the venue.[28] The venue is currently home to the Balls Out Comedy Club[29] as well as Tropicana 80s nights.[30]
The Maritime Room from the exterior
Performances at the Cliffs
The Cliffs has been the venue for a mixture of music, variety and theatrical shows, hosting some of the biggest names in entertainment since it opened in 1964.[31] Here is a selection of notable performances:
The Oasisconcert filmLive By The Sea was filmed at the Cliffs Pavilion during their performance on 17 April 1995.[35]Tony McCarroll recalled in his book, Oasis. The Truth that "nobody had told him they were filming that night, but luckily they had a storming gig".[36]
Micky Flanagan performed at the Cliffs in May 2011, which was recorded for his DVD The Out Out Tour.[37] Flanagan opened the show saying, "The tour people, they asked me. They said, Mick, where do you want to go for the DVD. Do you want to go East? Do you want to go West? And I said I want to go to Essex! The only way is Essex!".[41]
After the closure for the COVID pandemic, Jimmy Carr filmed his Netflix special His Dark Material as the first show at the re-opened venue.[37]
On 13 February 2022, the Cliffs was the venue for the He Built This City, a concert held in honour of murdered Southend WestMPSir David Amess and part of week of celebrations held in Southend-on-Sea which culminated in Charles, Prince of Wales, officially granting the borough city status.[67][68] The concert was held at the Cliffs Pavilion and included performers such as Digby Fairweather, Lee Mead, the Music Man Project and Leanne Jarvis.[69]
The BBC at the Cliffs
The BBC have completed live broadcasts or played recorded shows from the Cliffs over the years, including a special Silver Jubilee programme celebrating the first 25 years of the venue called Happy Anniversary! on 22 April 1989.[70] Other shows have included:
The Cliffs, in addition to shows, comedy and music performances has hosted a variety of sporting events.
The first televised professional wrestling event shown by the BBC came from the Cliffs on the 4 January 1965 featuring Mike Marino, the World Mid-Heavyweight Champion v Harlem Jimmy Brown from the U.S.A.[75][76] The venue would continue to host wrestling.[77]
Boxing was previously a regular event at the Cliffs, including the 9 June 1971 Jack Solomons promotion featuring Dan McAlinden v Roberto Davila that was shown on the BBC,[78][79] and the 1987 Terry Lawless/Matchroom Sport promotion featuring Gary Mason v Andre van den Oetelaar.[80]
The World Darts Federation hosted the 1982 WDF Europe Cup at the Cliffs, with the men's singles won by Bobby George, the women's singles by Sandra Gibb-Lee, the men's pairs by Stefan Lord and Bjørn Enqvist, while the women's pairs were won by Charlotte Eriksson and Carina Sahlberg.[81]
The Cliffs has hosted several political party conferences, with the National Conference of Labour Women taking place in 1967,[82] while in 1993 it hosted the Young Conservatives annual conference.[83]
The venue hosts a regular variety of exhibitions, from the Southend Art Club,[84] career fairs [85] to awards evenings.[86]
^"The war with sludge and a seawall". The Municipal Journal, Public Works Engineer and Contractors' Guide. 68 (3515–3528). Municipal Journal: 2463–2466. 1960.
