Leigh On Sea Local Area Guide

The Pace local area guide to Leigh On Sea

As a Lettings Agency and Estate Agent in Southend, our clients often ask us about local amenities in popular areas, such as Leigh-on-Sea. We’ve put together the following information which we hope will give you a feel for life in Leigh.

General Information

Leigh-on-Sea is often referred to locally as Leigh and is located to the west of Southend, 35 miles from London. Historically, Leigh was a small fishing village and is still famous for its fishing and cockling fleets today. The town also boasts nature reserves, a museum, pubs and restaurants, leisure facilities, many sports clubs, sea scouts, open spaces and a wide variety of wildlife. As you might expect, the area attracts thousands of visitors each year. The Broadway is the main retail and commercial area of Leigh located up hill, above the Old Town. It is centred around the 13th century St. Clement’s Church, library and library gardens. The shops not only serve the local community but a much wider area with a range of independent high quality outlets appealing to those living further afield.

Transport

Arriva runs a network of bus services that link Leigh-on-Sea to other towns in the area. For buses travelling between Leigh and Southend town centre in particular, take the Number 5 route which is the Southend-on-Sea to Basildon route. Alternatively, the number 1 route from Shoeburyness to Rayleigh also passes through Leigh and Southend. For additional information about routes and fares visit http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/search/?q=leigh-on-sea, or http://firstgroup.com/ukbus/essex/

If you prefer train travel, Leigh-on-Sea has its own station on the London Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness line. Journey times from Leigh into London Fenchurch Street are approximately 50 minutes. Train services are provided by the National Express Group train operating company c2c and current timetables can be downloaded here; http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/travel-information/timetables/

We’re also lucky to have Southend Airport offering numerous routes within the UK and further afield into Europe. Airlines currently operating from Southend include Aer Lingus, EasyJet, FlyBe and Skyworks. Tour operators include First Choice and Thomson.

Education

There are two primary schools and one secondary school within the Leigh area, as well as is an independent school, all of which provide an excellent education for children.

Essex retains a selective education policy and the Westcliff Boys and Girls Grammar schools are a stone’s throw from Leigh. Essex grammar school admissions are managed by the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex (CSSE), Telephone: 01245 348257. The office is open 9am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday, term time only.

For older residents there is an Adult Education College on Highlands Boulevard offering a number of courses. Call 01702 445700 for course information of visit www.southend-adult.ac.uk.

Healthcare

The Southend University Hospital is the main hospital for the area and has an Accident & Emergency Department. The following link will take you to the ‘Find Us’ page. https://www.mse.nhs.uk/southend-hospital/

For non-emergency care, The NHS website http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/GP/LocationSearch/4 offers a search facility which will return a comprehensive listing of all local GP surgeries and health centres. There are more than 10 surgeries listed with a Leigh postal address, with patient reviews also available.

The results show that the Leigh area is well-served and offers a wide choice of treatments and therapies including a sports injury and osteopathy clinic on Elm Road as well as a chiropodist on Rectory Grove.

Refuse and recycling

To find out which day your refuse and recycling will be collected, please visit the Southend Borough Council website. There is a specific area where by entering your street name, you can determine your collection day.

Shopping

The shops not only serve the local community but a much wider area with a range of independent high quality outlets. Just 10 minutes walk from Leigh Station, the “Leigh Triangle” where Leigh Broadway and Leigh Broadway West meet Rectory Grove is a bustling and cosmopolitan blend of elegant shops, boutiques, galleries, bistros and bars. Here you can buy the latest fashion, a work of art, some truly unique jewellery or furniture. Throughout the year, Leigh-on-Sea also hosts a number of shopping events and specialist fairs.

There is a regular monthly Farmers Market in the Leigh Community Centre on Elm Road with regular stall holders selling everything from bread and cheese to dog treats and skin care products. The 2015 market dates can be found here; http://www.leighonseatowncouncil.gov.uk/farmers_market/farmers_market.htm

In Leigh-on-Sea, parking can be found generally on a majority of the main streets for 2 hours at a time or alternatively, a couple of smaller paid car parks can be located; directions are given once in the area.

Places of worship

Leigh-on-Sea and the surrounding area is home to many places of worship including churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. There are numerous churches around the borough catering to different Christian denominations.

There are also two synagogues; one for orthodox Jews, in Westcliff, and a reform synagogue in Chalkwell. Three mosques provide for the Muslim population; one run by the Bangladeshi community, where the sermon is given in Bengali as well as English and the mandatory Arabic. The others, both run by the Pakistani community, provide sermons in Urdu and Arabic, and English and Arabic.

Within Leigh itself, there are numerous churches, a number of which are listed below;