The Kursaal, a historic amusement park in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, is set to reopen after being largely abandoned for six years. The Grade-II listed building, which first opened in 1901 and is considered the world's first amusement park, will see its lease transferred from property group AEW to Star Amusements by the end of summer.
The Kursaal has been mostly empty since closing in 2020, though a Tesco Express remains on the ground floor. Essential repairs will be carried out before the venue can reopen. Southend-on-Sea City Council leader Daniel Cowan expressed optimism, stating, 'The Kursaal is woven into the story of Southend and for too long the Kursaal’s future has been uncertain. Today we can say it has a credible local operator, a leisure vision for the building and a clear path to reopening.'
Over its long history, the Kursaal has hosted a variety of attractions, including arcades, a circus, a ballroom, dining halls, bumper cars, a ghost train, a ski jump, and a figure-of-eight rollercoaster. It also served as the home ground for Southend United Football Club between 1919 and 1934. Notable musical acts such as Queen and AC/DC once performed there.
The building partially closed in 1973 and shut completely in 1986, before reopening in 1998. It closed again in 2020, leaving most of the structure unused. The reopening plans have generated excitement among locals, with one Facebook user saying, 'So glad that this iconic, Grade-II listed building has been saved. I was worried that it was going to be torn down and flats built there.'
