Humber Avenue, Jaywick

Image: © Stephen McKay Taken: Unknown

Jaywick has earned an unenviable reputation in recent years after being named the most economically deprived area in the country. Yet it is no inner city slum, but rather a seaside resort consisting mainly of detached dwellings close to a sandy beach. The land was originally purchased in the 1920s by an entrepreneur called Frank Stedman who sold it off as small plots for Londoners to build holiday homes. The houses they built were generally rather flimsy and were never intended to be permanent dwellings and it is unlikely anybody envisaged that they would last as long as they have. However, after the Second World War a shortage of housing led to many of the properties becoming occupied on a permanent basis. Unlike many similar developments, Jaywick's sub-standard houses were never demolished and became home to many unemployed and elderly residents. This 1998 scene shows a street in the Brooklands area of the town.

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