Two Southend landmarks given a Grade II listing

The Sun Shelter was built on a parade in Westcliff-on-Sea, a suburb of Southend

Two landmarks in a seaside city have been given a Grade II listing.

The legal protection was granted to Southend-on-Sea's Shrubbery Gardens, which dates back to the 18th Century, and its Sun Shelter, built in 1928.

Catherine Croft, director of the Twentieth Century Society, said the Sun Shelter was "redolent of the glamour of the 'Essex Riviera' during the interwar period".

It was used to advertise Southend in a series of railway posters in the 1940s and 1950s, when day-trippers flocked to the city.

It is the largest curving seaside shelter in the East of England, according to Historic England

The Shrubbery Garden is one of the earliest features in the city, dating back to 1794 when the town was establishing itself as a fashionable destination, according to Historic England.

Ms Croft said: "The Peter Pan-inspired fantasy fairy castles in the Shrubbery Garden speak to the enduring eccentricity of the English seaside."

It also once featured cartoon characters, goblins, smoke-breathing dragons, and fairies with magical castles.

A small section of fairy castles and landscaping remains at the Shrubbery, part of a Never-Never Land attraction that drew thousands of mid-20th Century visitors

Tony Calladine, Historic England's East of England regional director, said: "Our seaside heritage tells a fascinating story of British leisure, culture and social history.

He said the Shrubbery Garden and Sun Shelter were special places which connected "generations through their continued use and enjoyment, which is why they matter so much".

The garden retains its original layout of paths, along with a grove of trees planted in 1809 to mark the Golden Jubilee of George III