Canvey Island Urban District Council Office

This building along Long Road was most recently a health centre, but closed in 2018 and has been sitting disused since. It was once perhaps Canvey’s most substantial civic building, opening in 1934 as Canvey Island Urban District council’s offices. The district was newly created in 1926 when Canvey grew out of the Rochford Rural District. Five years after the building was opened, the Second World War struck, and it was heavily fortified with sandbags against blast. It survived both the war and the 1953 floods.

The building’s appearance may look modest, but this was from a time when the island’s modern infrastructure was still emerging. Externally, its design is simple in a traditional Neo-Georgian style, but its interior reflects cues of Art Deco in vogue at the time. In the late 1950s or early 60s, a rear extension was added, externally quite different, but internally influenced by the earlier style.

In March 2025, we were fortunate enough to be shown inside by Castle Point Borough Council and document the neglected building. Before the health centre in later years, the offices were reused by Castle Point Borough Council from 1974 when Canvey Island Urban District was abolished. The building was then moved out of when Castle Point Council moved to Kiln Road around the 1990s. Whilst the downstairs of the building was modernised to accommodate the health centre, the upstairs sits more or less as it did when the council walked out several decades ago.

The upstairs had a simple linear layout with various rooms in different shades of brown – some 1930s in character, others appearing redecorated in the 1970s or 80s. The corridor spanned the length of the main building and featured an interesting motif on the linoleum floor tiles, although was otherwise fairly cramped and of limited interest.

The centerpiece of the building was an unexpected discovery. A small Art Deco-style council chamber with a seamless curved ceiling and fine oak panelling, at its time at the height of modernity. Apart from the lighting, it appears virtually unchanged and takes us back to pre-World War Two Canvey. This chamber is even fitted with early storage heaters which warmed the building instead of radiators, perhaps in another attempt to be modern.

A room to the west of the original chamber was a small telephone exchange. Most of the equipment appears to have been modernised and removed.

Given the small size of the original chamber, it is not surprising it was replaced by a later post-war council chamber in the rear extension. The later chamber was larger and more conventional in its layout. Whilst different in style, some aspects such as the oak paneling carried over. This chamber continued to be used right up until Castle Point Borough Council moved out.

The downstairs of the main building is the section last used as a health centre, and as such lacks much architectural interest.

The building has sat disused for several years, kept alive by being heavily secured and the power kept running. But without a clear purpose, it is unclear if this disused icon of Canvey’s modern history will be around for much longer.

Below are the rest of the images from our visit, including more photographs of the areas covered, as well as others including the attic and an electrical cupboard.