Is of course Southend Pier. Which also claims to be the world’s best pier, or at least the longest pleasure pier, at 2.6km.

It’s a bit like the town itself, in that it was very popular in its heyday, but now it’s sometimes hard to see the point of it’s continued existence. The council has tried to close it in the past, but with no success.

It has it’s own railway and it’s own lifeboat station. The lifeboat station is needed because the tide goes out so far that launching from the shore would be impossible for some hours each day.

People still pay to walk it’s length, or to take the train, to get to the cafes and souvenir shop at the end.