SOUTHEND seafront has been left deserted in recent months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but we have taken a trip down memory lane to remember what it looked like in years gone by.

Philip Rosz was a celebrated photographer in the borough during the 1970s and took these eye-catching snaps, which allow us to remember old shops like the David Greig supermarket and see our roads were just as busy back then as they are now.

Prior to the initial Covid-19 outbreak on our shores in March, we were used to seeing daytrippers heading to Southend in their droves and it was a similar story 50 years ago judging by these pictures.

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Shoppers in a bygone era - revellers head into the old David Greig supermarket, which sold Typhoo Tea for just 6.5p

Philip emigrated to Australia from Leigh at the end of the 1970s and sadly passed away following a long cancer battle in June 2016.

But his legacy lives on thanks to his eye-catching snaps.

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Transporting residents and daytrippers - Philip Rosz took this photograph of a Southend Pier train rattling over the world-renowned structure

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Saying goodbye to the swinging ‘60s - a Southend resident has some fun during a sunny day along the south Essex coastline

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All aboard - families walk up the gangway as they look to get onto a pleasure boat ride leaving Southend

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Time for a snooze - a smartly-dressed man falls asleep under the south Essex sun in the 1970s

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Patience - two keen anglers lay in wait as they are hoping for a catch off Southend Pier

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Some things never change - a boom in the number of motorists on our roads in the 1970s meant it was not uncommon to see traffic jams close to the seafront

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Fun and games - three schoolgirls walk along a thin plank of wood as they enjoy some time away from the classroom

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Familiar sight - what Pier Hill looked like in the 1970s, when social distancing was not a thing and you could meet up with an unlimited number of friends and family along the coastline