The Kursaal. Acrylic Painting on Canvas 50×45 Inches
Art story – The Kursaal Painting on Canvas 50×45 Inches – Fine Art by Doug on the dougkemp.co.uk gallery online.
What is Kursaal?
Frequented by the Kemp family and a lot of Eastenders, the Kursaal is in fact a Grade II listed building in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which opened in 1901 and was one of the world’s first purpose-built amusement parks.
The Seaside amusements, before the digital age, loom greatly in the collective memory of generations of people making a dash for the coast to include what entertainment and time they could afford.
People of the East end of London often went to places like Southend-on-Sea (people from “South of the river” had “their” Margate) which is actually little more than the far reaches of Thames estuary.
In 1901, the Kursaal theme park opened and over the years hosted many, by the standard of the time, great attractions. A favourite, but well before my time, was in the summer of 1933 when Al Capone’s armoured 1928 Cadillac was exhibited.
I remember when visiting the Kursaal in my youth, there was a side attraction that was a cage in which a girl in baby doll pyjamas lay in bed, above her head there was a bullseye which energetic youths tossed hard balls at, if they hit the bullseye it would release a spring that would toss the lady out of bed with her landing safely on a mattress, which did not happen too often.
To my great surprise, I once got a bullseye – it made my day. Doug Kemp
