Known throughout the world for a battle that didn’t even take place here, Hastings nonetheless enjoys welcoming visitors and showing off its lively cultural scene and fascinating history
YE OLDE PUMPHOUSE
One of the oldest buildings in town, dating from the early 1600s, it is surprising that Ye Olde Pump House in George Street has only been a pub since 1956. Before the war, it appears to have been three separate dwellings and a shoe shop. It doesn’t matter, it’s an amazing, beautiful building that gives the singular nature of George Street, which is packed full of quirky independent shops, a point of focus.
ROCK-A-NORE
At the very point where the A259 road leaves the coast and heads north round the East Hill out of town, the coastal aspect of the town effectively ends with the splendidly-named road called Rock-A-Nore. This is where you can find the famous net shops, the Fisherman’s Museum and the Aquarium.
THE SEAFRONT
This view of the seafront taken from the pier shows clearly the dominant, strategic position of Hastings Castle. The castle was one of the first of three built by William the Conqueror in the country immediately after the Norman invasion of 1066 - the other two were at Pevensey and Dover. The soft sandstone cliffs on which it was built haven’t always fared well and bits of the castle started falling into the sea from the 13th century onwards. The ruins of the castle are usually open to the public between March and October.
THE TRINITY TRIANGLE
The Trinity Triangle area around Robertson Street was once known as The America Ground. In the early 19th century, this area lay outside the town limits but was the place where, in the 1820s, workers who were building the then new development of St Leonards settled. It was a no man’s land where laws were difficult to apply. Whenever this lawlessness was challenged, the inhabitants would raise the stars and stripes flag, a symbol of independence at the time, and chase any lawmakers away.
BLUE PLAQUE
On the wall of what is now Yates’ Wine Bar at the bottom of Cambridge Road, is a plaque remembering the time Charles Dickens read from his books A Christmas Carol and The Pickwick Papers in 1861 when the building was known as Hastings Music Hall. I wonder why the plaque has to be so high off the ground that virtually no-one can notice it.
ALLAN SLY STATUE
For 130 years the spot now occupied by the Priory Meadow Shopping Centre, opened in 1997 by the late Queen Elizabeth, was the Central Recreation Ground, a first-class cricket ground and the only large green space in the centre of town. This fantastic sculpture of a batsman, by Allan Sly, commemorates those cricketing years - look closely, if you visit, at one of the walls nearby to see the ball the batsman has hit. In the 13th century, this whole area was underwater and was the original harbour for the town before it silted up and was turned into farmland in the 1500s.
LION STATUE
Originally designed for the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, this statue of a lion now guards an entrance to Robertson Terrace on the seafront, representing England and the Arms of Dominion of the United Kingdom. The weather continues to take its toll on the poor thing.
NET SHOPS
The fishermen of the town have always needed somewhere to store their ropes and nets when not at sea but, because space was at such a premium on the beach, each of their sheds was limited to a plot of 8ft-square. Seeing as they couldn’t expand sideways, the only thing to do was to build up. This has left us with these splendid black wooden structures called net shops. At one time there were over 100 of them here, but only about half of those are left now.
PIECE OF CHEESE COTTAGE
Built in 1878, the Piece of Cheese cottage, just off All Saints’ Street in the Old Town, claims to be the only three-cornered cottage in England. It’s certainly the only house I’ve ever photographed where I’ve been able to show the front and the back wall in the same shot.
ALL SAINTS’ STREET
Some of Hastings’ oldest buildings can be found in All Saints’ Street. One or two date from as far back as 1450. This road was one of the original main thoroughfares of old Hastings.
BURTON FAMILY TOMB
At the top of West Hill Road, directly above the St Leonards Parish Church is a tiny memorial garden now sadly closed to the public after a land slip in 2021 rendered the site dangerous. In the middle is this curious pyramid-shaped tomb, the last resting place of James Burton, his wife and several members of his family. Burton is the man who created St Leonards itself, conceiving it as a seaside resort for the wealthy of London, which he built between 1827 and 1837.
BEACH SCULPTURE
This stunning sculpture on the beach, called The Landing, was unveiled in 2016 by local sculptor Leigh Dyer and depicts the prow of a Norman longship emerging from the pebbles. It was erected to commemorate the 950th anniversary of the Norman invasion. There is also a time-capsule buried below due to be opened in 2066, the 1000th anniversary of the invasion.
LOCAL RESIDENT SIMON JENNINGS
Local resident Simon Jennings says: ‘It’s great here for music, arts, and cultural events in general. There are loads of brilliant public events going on throughout the year such as the May Day event, Pirate Day, Bonfire night, processions, and carnival. There’s the Seafood and Wine Festival and lots of things on The Stade for people to do in the summer. There’s loads of great countryside and the Country Park at the other end of town. It’s absolutely beautiful and we have lovely, clean sea water.’
