The Beecroft is Brutal

A talk covering the history and architecture of the beautifully brutalist Beecroft Art Gallery and surrounding civic buildings, as part of our 'Southend is Brutal' event series.

Kicking off our day of talks and tours as part of 'Southend is Brutal', we'll be exploring the history and architecture of often overlooked post modern Southend. Most famous for its Victorian buildings, 'Southend on Sea' usually conjures up images of the world's longest pleasure pier, grand seafront houses and the looming structure of now empty Kursal amusement park. Amongst the 19th century Victoriana features, the city's 20th century buildings tend to be viewed with either ambivalence or animosity. Until now!

Join Senior Curator Vittorio Ricchetti to uncover the stories behind some of Southend's post modern masterpieces, hidden in plain sight, and discover what makes them so special. Taking place in the city's most prominent brutalist building, the Beecroft Art Gallery, the talk will take you through the features of the Beecroft and surrounding municipal buildings including the Civic Centre and places them in historical and cultural context, looking behind the scenes of buildings walked past every day but by many, not truly seen.

Prebooking is essential to guarantee a space. Please note that tickets are per person per talk, you will need to book a ticket for each of the day's talks that you wish to attend.

Full line up:

11:30 The Beecroft is Brutal

(Break for lunch)

13:30 William Mitchell: A Colourful Crusade

14:30 'Transform: The Architectural Ceramics of Fritz Steller

(Short break for refreshments)

16:00 The Museum of Brutalist Architecture