With the news that the beloved Dick Turpin pub is closing next month we are reflecting on the many fallen pubs that have been forced to close their doors to punters.

Some of our favourite pubs have been lost due to the impact of coronavirus in recent years, with many that survived severely damaged by the cost-of-living crisis.

Way out - Dick Turpin

On the way out - Dick Turpin (Image: Newsquest)

Most recently, it was announced that the Dick Turpin just off the A127 in Wickford will be closing following decline in recent years.

The pub will be closing on July 8.

The pub has faced increasing struggles in recent years which prompted developer EG Group revealing plans to raze it to the ground and replace it with a petrol station and drive-through coffee shop.

These plans, which were rejected by Basildon Council, were met with widespread outcry from members of the biker community which regularly meets at the Dick Turpin, between Wickford and Rayleigh on the A127.

Here is a selection of some south Essex pubs that have been loved and lost over the past two decades or are sorely forgotten.

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse, on London Road, Benfleet, was a favourite with the community before shutting its doors to punters.

The pub was sold as Green King said it no longer “fit with the firm’s portfolio” and was shut in 2010 to make way for 17 new flats.

Changing names - the King Canute was built on Canvey Road in 1937

The Canvey pub was originally called the Red Cow before a name change after the 1953 Canvey flood. Having closed in 2014, the building is now a Co-op supermarket.

Historic - the Rising Sun opened on Sun Street, Billericay, in 1810 and closed in August 2014.

Billericay has also lost several pubs over the years, the New White Hart in High Street closed in 2015, the Rising Sun, which opened on Sun Street in 1810, closed in 2014 and the Mayflower in Jacksons Lane closed in 2013, making way for a steakhouse.

Boarded up - the Barge Inn, on High Road, Vange

This historic pub shut its doors in 2021 having operated at the site for 200 years. The South Essex Islamic Trust (SEIT) has since converted it into a place of worship and community centre.


Bulldozed - the Railway pub in Pitsea

The Railway pub in Pitsea was a community focal point for almost 80 years. It opened in 1927 as The Railway Hotel but sadly closed in 2006 and was demolished in 2013.