[3] The venue is noted for the main building with distinctive dome, designed by George Campbell Sherrin, which featured on a Royal Mail special stamp in 2011.

[6] The site at this time consisted of 26 leased acres and contained picturesque gardens with a trotting track surrounding a football pitch used by Southend Athletic.

[5] In July 1901[7] they opened a grand entrance pavilion, the Kursaal Palace, designed by George Sherrin and John Clarke, containing a circus, ballroom, arcade, dining hall and billiard room.

The palace was opened by Lord Claud Hamilton, chairman of the Great Eastern Railway after arriving in a specially commissioned train.

[11] In 1910, a new company was formed to purchase the site, Luna Park and Palace of Amusements (Southend) Ltd, which had been registered on 14 March 1910 by William Hilton.

He led the park to become one of the most successful in England at the time, establishing local sporting events and trade exhibitions.

[12] In 1916 a zoo housing bears, tigers and wolves was opened at the 4-acre (1.6-ha) site, however it was closed following the start of World War II.

During the 1970s it made its name as Southend's preeminent rock music venue, showcasing internationally successful acts such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Queen and AC/DC.

[20] At the end of 1977 the decision was made to close the ballroom, with the main building and the remaining external park areas finally succumbing in 1986.

[24] The park first added a screen to the ballroom in 1904, but in 1910 a new hall was built to house the cinema permanently, with it being named the Kursaal Kinema from October 1913.

The cinema had a 25 feet wide proscenium and a small stage, but it closed along with the rest of the park during World War I when the site was used by the army.

[10][39] In 1919, David de Forest Morehouse became involved in trying to revive Southend United after World War I, and offered a one-year lease on the site within the park's ground, with an eventual purchase price of £9,500 agreed.

had to be postponed as the ground was not ready, but finally opened to the public on the 9 August 1919, with the first match taking place against Portsmouth F.C.

At the end of the season, United renewed their lease until 1924 and paid Humphries of London £5,000 to build a 1,500-capacity grandstand on the Arnold Avenue side of the ground.

[5] In 1921, the amusement park built a waterchute behind the Woodgrange Drive end, and became a landmark for the ground, much in the vane of Fulham's cottage or Everton's Church.

However, the club's management decided to move to the newly built Southend Stadium and paid £250 to break the lease in 1934.