Frederick Hester : A brief history in pictures - Page 8 : The Winter Gardens
How Tom Merry imagined the Tower in 1902
A.A.Daly's book 'A History of Canvey Island' shows an idealised Castle type structure as the entrance to the Winter Gardens (above) but the photo below is the only known picture of the actual 50ft tower. The entrance to Winter Gardens housed 'Poets Corner' filled with statues & busts (see later) and apparently had a carbite light on top illuminating the area by night. I have spent some time trying to find out exactly where this tower was by close examination of pictures of this area: We appear to be standing on the old Sea Wall (Central Wall) - note the steps left. There appears to be a Post 'Pillar' Box by the tower steps - other photos reveal a similar structure at the front of Lunns Store (see later page). In the distance the path rises and to the LEFT we have greenhouses. The final clue was the fence to the right..... compare it with the photo of Hester's Swiss bungalow on the next page.
Temple Bar - Wintergardens - The path shown
is now Station Approach
Popular local opinion is that it is Frederick
Hester walking under the Tower in this photo which appears to have been
opposite the Powell's Stores building and the greenhouse shown would have
been the entrance to travel south between Central Avenue and Church Parade.
We would be looking west at the back of the Tower and Temple Bar would
be in the distance. Does a photo exist of the front? Frederick used the
Tower to allow prospective customers to view the land plots he had for
sale from its octagonal 'show bungalow'. Apparently the Tower stood until
it was discovered it was unsafe due to timbers being removed by locals
for use elsewhere! It was demolished in 1909 and the 'show bungalow' was
removed from the top and sold to a man in London for a garden summer house
(does any one know where?)