Eastwood is a town four miles west of Southend on Sea in Essex, England. It is a suburb of Southend and part of the Southend-on-Sea unitary district. Eastwood is sometimes called Eastwood Park, such as for local elections.

Eastwood is bordered by Rayleigh to the west, Rochford to the north-east, and Belfairs to the south. To the north lies Edwards Hall Park, a large area of open countryside, part of which is farmland. This green space extends all the way to Hockley Woods, and Hockley. There are also several swing parks throughout Eastwood.

Leigh-on-Sea is to the south, and the centre of Southend is to the South-East.

Eastwood has good bus links to both Southend and the surrounding areas, including the nearby Southend Airport. However, the nearest railway stations are Rayleigh station and Leigh station on Sea.

Eastwood is mainly housing, with small clusters of independent local shops scattered throughout. There are several pubs, including The Oakwood, The Brookside Tavern, The Bellhouse and The Loyal Toast; and also a snooker club (The Green Baize). Along Western Approaches there is a supermarket, a doctor's clinic and a community centre. There is also a larger clinic at Kent Elms corner.

There is some light industry, mainly centred about the A127 dual carriageway and Progress Road. A large number of car dealerships also lie along the A127.

Eastwood has many infant and junior schools. There is also one secondary school, Eastwood School, a mixed school with about 850 pupils (in 2004). Eastwood School is home to the Eastwood Studio Theatre, which puts on several theatrical productions, as well as other events such as battle of the bands.

Eastwood has its own small police station. It is no longer open to the publicSource: Essex Police, but still sometimes used by the police to book people or take statements. Previously it was open to the public one day a week. The station has been useful to police in their struggle to reduce petty crime caused by some local teenagersSource: ThisIsEssex.co.uk.

According to figures from Southend CouncilSource: Southend Council Area Profile for Eastwood Park Ward, Eastwood has only half the national average of people haing degree level qualifications, but the number of home-owners is above average.

External Links

• Southend Council
• Office of National Statistics map for Eastwood Park
• Area Profile from Southend Council

References