In Pictures: The 'eerie' emptiness of our lockdown spaces
- Published
England is home to countless indoor and outdoor public spaces which are usually teeming with life and visitors. The BBC visited a number of them in Essex to capture the silence and emptiness that the coronavirus lockdown has brought to them.
Currently closed, the swimming pool at Clacton Leisure Centre was repainted during the first lockdown. Manager Marcus Poston said despite the absence of swimmers, the pool still needed daily maintenance checks
There remains a small team looking after the gymnasium at Clacton Leisure Centre. The only visitors the centre currently gets are contractors carrying out maintenance work and people arriving to get their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which is used to check for coronavirus infection
This outdoor all-weather pitch in Clacton is one of thousands across England which have had to close
Harlow Council has closed all of its play areas. Here, at Northbrooks, the gate is closed to keep children out. The council said the reason for shutting its play areas was the difficulty of maintaining social distancing in such a facility
The helter-skelter that sits upon Clacton pier is one of the town's best-known landmarks. A new rollercoaster has been brought to the pier and will soon be added as an attraction. Those running the pier hope it will give visitors something to look forward to later in the year when the pier reopens
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No lights, no sounds: Pierre Oxley, manager at Clacton Pier, inside a closed amusements arcade on the pier. He said late at night, when there were strong winds, the pier could be an "eerie" place, adding: "When there's no-one around it is a bit scary sometimes."
The Never Say Die pub in Jaywick reopened as a community pub in August 2021. Today, the pub sits empty with a box of Christmas decorations still sitting on the floor. Those who run it have turned all of their attention to running the Jaywick Sands Revival group, which supports those in need throughout the village with everything from food supplies to toys for children
The Electric Palace in Harwich was one of the UK's first purpose-built cinemas. Operations manager Michael Offord said the 200-seat venue was closed for renovation work before the coronavirus pandemic struck. "I spend quite a bit of time here on my own and you do just feel the echoes of the past here."
Photography: Laurence Cawley