Prittlewell

Prittlewell is an area of Southend-on-Sea in Essex. Historically, Prittlewell is the original town, Southend being the south end of Prittlewell.

Originally a Saxon village, Prittlewell is centred on St. Mary's Church, at the joining of its three main roads, East Street, West Street and Victoria Avenue (which was built over North Street in the late 1800s) which is the main Southend Arterial road. Along this road lies Southend's main administration centres, however Prittlewell is mainly a residential area.

1 History
2 Surviving historic monuments
3 Modern day
4 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Prehistoric

People first settled by the Prittle Brook around ten thousand years ago during the stone-age. Little appears to have affected life in Prittlewell as its population gradually evolved from their original character as hunter-gatherers to a more settled existence during the bronze and iron ages.

[edit] Roman

The Roman occupation began to influence the area with the construction of a Roman-style dwelling, probably a farmhouse or villa close to the brook in what is now Priory Park. The introduction of new ideas, new skills and social structures under this Roman influence would have brought significant change to the area. The discovery of Roman burial sites during road and rail construction in the 1920s and 1930s indicated that the settlement was well developed and of some significance, although no prominent buildings were preserved.

[edit] Saxon and Viking

Following the withdrawal of the Roman army, the area came under the influence of Saxon raiders, over time becoming established as part of the kingdom of the East Saxons. During this time (largely the 5th and 6th century), the historic Saxon name of Prittleuuella came into being.

The construction works of 1923 and 1930 that revealed Roman burials also unearthed evidence of numerous Anglo-Saxon burials, a significant number of which were high-status or warrior burials containing weapons, imported goods, gold jewellery and decorative beads.

St. Mary's Church, Prittlewell

In the 7th century, the return of Christianity to the East Saxons may have led to the building of a church on the hill to the south of the brook and spring. Within the current St. Mary's Church, a small arch in the north-east wall of the chancel is thought by some to be all that remains of the earliest stone building. However, there is opinion that the arch is of later construction, with that part of the current chancel dating from the early decades of the 11th century, having been built using materials from earlier constructions in the wider area of Prittlewell. Early clay tiles forming the top of the arch are thought to be of Roman origin, but the feature has not been formally dated.

Saxon rule continued until the Danes invaded in the 10th century. A Dane called Sweyne acquired large areas of land in the area and remained during the Saxon restoration.

[edit] Prittlewell

Main article: Royal saxon tomb in Prittlewell

The high status of the area during the Anglo-Saxon period was confirmed by the discovery of a substantial and undisturbed 7th-century chamber tomb in 2003. The unusually rich contents and their condition have excited archaeologists, being described as "unique" by the Museum of London. A fuller description of the excavation and the artifacts of the burial chamber, thought to be of Saebert of Essex, can be seen at the dedicated Museum of London website (ref. Museum of London). The story of the excavation was also thought so significant as to be the subject of a special UK television documentary called "The King of Bling", as part of the Time Team series.

Unfortunately, although the burial site is of archaeological importance, it is also earmarked as the route of a highly controversial road building project championed by Southend Borough Council in the face of very substantial local opposition. When funds become available, it is probable that the burial site and a significant part of the adjacent Priory Park will be consumed by a widening and straightening of a road constructed in 1923. It is ironic that the building of that original road led to the earlier discovery of Roman and Anglo-Saxon burial sites at Prittlewell.

[edit] Medieval

After the Norman invasion of 1066, Sweyne switched allegiances to William and increased his power. Under the feudal system he became Lord of the Manor: there were two manors in the area that is Prittlewell at the times of Domesday, Prittlewell and Milton.

Around 1110, a Sweyne's successor, Robert Fitzsweyne, also known as Robert d'Essex, divided his manor in two, the part to the west being Prittlewell, the site of Earl's Hall and the rest, consisting of thirty acres (120,000 m²) of land, the church at Prittlewell, and also the chapels at Sutton and Eastwood, being given to the Cluniac Priory of St Pancras of Lewes for the purpose of setting up a priory.

At this time the lands of the priory extended to right down to the seafront. Due to this, when a fishing settlement was set up two miles south of the priory in the 14th Century, it was still regarded as part of Prittlewell and as such was named Stratende, Sowthende or South-End. From this settlement the modern town of Southend-on-Sea grew.

Over a period of around two hundred years, St. Mary's Church was substantially enlarged, reaching its present size with the addition of its tower in the mid-fifteenth century.

[edit] Tudor

At the time of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, the priory, which had by this time developed into a sprawling complex, was closed and the lands seized by the crown.

[edit] 19th century

Southend was developed as a bathing resort in the 18th century and by the 19th, Prittlewell was regarded by visitors to Southend as "an attractive village in the hinterland".

Links between Prittlewell and the rest of the world were improved in 1889 a road was built between the village crossroads by the church to Southend, named Victoria Avenue, and in 1892, when a station was built on the Great Eastern Railway linking Southend and London

Also in 1892 was the foundation of Southend-on-Sea as a Borough, which took over responsibility for Prittlewell from an earlier parish council.

[edit] Surviving historic monuments

Much of historical Prittlewell remains standing; the ruins of the Priory remain visible in Priory Park as well as the Manor House built there after the reformation; St. Mary's Church, containing architecture from Saxon times; A building recently restored following fire damage, thought to have been the village market hall, though more recently a bakery, now an estate agent appropriately named Tudor Estates; as well as a number of public houses.

[edit] Modern day

Modern day Prittlewell stretches from the crossroads by the St Mary's Church to the airport on the boundary between Southend and Rochford.

The old priory and its grounds, which form Priory Park, were donated to the town of Southend by a prominent local benefactor, R.A. Jones, for use by the residents 'in perpetuity'. However, a part of this park, together with the adjoining Saxon burial site mentioned above, is currently (as of January 2006) under threat of development from a road widening scheme. A 'protest camp' has been established in opposition to this plan [1]. The camp has been nicknamed 'Camp Bling', due to the recent 'Chav' infestation that has spread from their homeland of Basildon.

Prittlewell is also home to Southend United football club in their Roots Hall ground.