{"id":18177,"date":"2022-09-02T12:00:13","date_gmt":"2022-09-02T12:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghostofthedoll.co.uk\/tracingghosts\/?p=18177"},"modified":"2026-02-25T11:15:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T11:15:24","slug":"the-history-of-railway-hotel-southend-on-sea-essex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ghostofthedoll.co.uk\/tracingghosts\/the-history-of-railway-hotel-southend-on-sea-essex\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of Railway Hotel, Southend-On-Sea, Essex"},"content":{"rendered":"

The History of the <\/strong>Railway Hotel, <\/strong>Clifftown Road<\/strong>, <\/strong>Southend-On-Sea<\/strong>, <\/strong>Essex<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Railway Hotel<\/strong> is situated at the end of Clifftown Road, in the Cliff Town Conservation Area of Southend-On-Sea, Essex. The building and business date from circa 1868<\/strong> and traded almost continually until a four-year closure that began in April 2021.\u00a0It finally reopened its doors in October 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

Originally called the Railway Tavern<\/strong>, the pub was addressed as Nelson Street, onto which it also abuts. Nelson Street was built between 1859 <\/strong>and 1861<\/strong> and was designed as Southend\u2019s first shopping area, predating the development of the High Street. It would have been a bustling location, with the newly opened railway station situated directly across the road\u2014a prime site for a hotel and public house.<\/p>\n

The striking photograph to the left was taken in 1919 <\/strong>by Charrington Brewery<\/strong>\u00a0and is one of hundreds of pub images saved from a skip in the 1970s (all of which can be seen on Flickr, thanks to\u00a0the National<\/strong><\/a><\/span>\u00a0Brewery Heritage Trust<\/a><\/strong>). Note the lettering “RAIL<\/strong>WAY TAVERN<\/strong>” across the front of the building, with “RAIL<\/strong>WAY HOTEL<\/strong>” above the door. The building no longer features the Dutch gables or ornate turrets (as seen in the photo on pg.21 from 2021), but very similar gables can still be found further along Clifftown Road at numbers 21-25. This stretch of terraces (originally six, now five) shares similar decorative features above the windows.<\/p>\n\r\n\t\t