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For generations, Southend has been synonymous with the British seaside holiday, drawing millions of visitors to the Essex coast for its sandy beaches, the amusements and the chance to walk or ride along the world's longest pleasure pier. Since opening in June 1830, Southend Pier has become one of the county’s most recognisable landmarks. Yet throughout its near 200-year history, it has endured storms, wars, collisions and devastating fires, earning a reputation as Britain's unluckiest pier. This is the remarkable story of how one of Essex's most famous coastal attractions overcame disaster time and again. Picture credit: Stuart Goodman/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.