History of the Kursaal

The Kursaal is a Grade II listed building, which opened in 1901 as one of the world's first purpose-built amusement parks. The venue was opened in 1894 by father and son Alfred and Bernard Wiltshire Tollhurst, on four acres of land purchased the previous year, as the 'Marine Park and Gardens'. In 1901, they opened a grand entrance pavilion, called the Kursaal, designed by Campbell Sherrin, containing a circus, ballroom, arcade, dining hall and billiard room. The word Kursaal is German, meaning a "Cure Hall" or spa, and it seems to have been adapted to mean a place of healthy amusement. Southend's Kursaal became the largest fairground in the south of England.