Hi, and welcome to our video
from the historic coastal town of Hastings in East Sussex
I hope you like what we put together
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Hastings is in the south-east of England
About an hour and a half away from London by train
On today's journey, we'll be heading along the beach towards the pier, before heading back
towards the old town via the trinity triangle and then finally heading on towards
Rock-a-Nore
So let's start with the beach then
and if you're expecting golden sands then
I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed
but what you do get is a free hot stone massage
and so you know, this was filmed on a Wednesday in early September
and our starting point is just opposite Pelham Crescent
which sits just under the ruins of Hastings castle
and this is the beach made famous by the Normans
when they decided to invade in 1066
and to reflect that you'll find this piece of artwork
'The Landing' by local sculpture Leigh Dyer
we'll discover more of his works as we wander through town
It's just over 60 miles due south of here
until you've reached the Normandy coast near Dieppe
but today's a little more peaceful
under the bright blue skies of a late English summer's day
We're going to head on a little further until we reach the town's pier
we love the traditional British seaside
and there's nothing more traditional than of course, the pier
now the pier has an interesting story
built originally in 1872
its heyday would have probably been from the 1930s right up until the late '60s
but like so many British seaside towns
Hastings suffered
It took storm damage in the 1990s and was closed in the mid-2000s
before suffering a devastating fire that destroyed the majority of it in 2010
However, like a phoenix from the ashes it rose again
and was reopened in 2016, a more modern affair
and in so, won the 2017 Sterling prize for architecture
and now it offers stunning views over the town and beach
Now I can't see any birds can you?
oh hang on
The renovation work has given it a real modern feel
but there's still plenty of history there right in front of you
and that you can see in the distance is St Leonard's, the next town along
and as you notice, the beach runs all the way along
and if you're observant you'll notice the promenade actually has two levels
there's the one at street level and there's one just below it too
can you see it
now that's as far west as we're going
we're now going to head back to town taking a few sights as we go
and if you wonder what the pier looked like originally
then you can take some clues from the White Rock Theater opposite
as we stroll past the wall memorial
you can see some of the seafront has been lovingly restored
whilst other places need a little bit of TLC but still retain some of their glorious heritage
and the next place I want to point out is the Trinity Triangle
a place for independence nestled between Claremont ,Trinity Street and Robertson street
part of the larger America ground
a pseudo-independent state, set up in the early 19th century
and you feel that spirit lives on just a little bit today
and as we stroll on we discover more historical buildings
like the old town hall
and then some more modern like Hastings borough council
sporting the coat of arms of Hastings
which is an amalgam of the Cinque Ports, plus the Norman lion
So we've now reached a part that I've labelled the Old Town
and we're starting with George Street
Now, this is an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants, bars, cafes
and I'm going to take you through at high speed so you can check it out
Now if this isn't a sign to drop anchor
Two pubs on the opposite side of the street to each other
but I'll be good - 'Just the one Mrs Wembley'
but what's this?
a game of chess - now that's very thought-provoking
but you know what, that's not what's caught my eye
it has to be these beautiful sculptures in the corner of the park
and again they're by local artist Leigh Dyer
so time for a question - is this what you expected from Hastings?
drop us a comment below, we'd love to know
So we get to the end of George Street and we join the High Street
Well, I say we joined the High Street, we do briefly before taking a slight detour
up Swan Terrace, to pickup Hill Street
and isn't this just a beautiful view back to St Clement's Church
Saint Clements Church was rebuilt in the 15th century, after it, and much of the town
was destroyed during the French raids of 1377.
and there's another reason for this detour, and that's to take us up Croft Road
fans of the historic period drama 'Foyles War' may recognize this
and it's easy to see why it was chosen, it doesn't seem to have changed in decades
So, do you recognise this?
it's then only a small walk, along one of Hastings many twittens
the little passageways that connect the roads till you reach the High Street
So back on the High Street, and it's an intriguing High Street
because just full of interesting little stores and places to just wander off and explore
Then there's the odd link to Lord Horatio Nelson
The more we wandered, the more we discovered, and the more we were surprised
this wasn't what we were expecting from Hastings, so much history and so much charm
At the top of the High Street we crossed over the Old London Road
past the Cyril and Lillian Bishop RNLI lifeboat
to All Saints Church and then headed down All Saints Street
what a beautiful little street just packed with history
now this looks like an interesting little pub
and see that crown? yep it's by Leigh Dyer too
and at the end of All Saints Street we reach Rock-a-Nore
I love saying that, Rock-a-Nore
and it's here we discover Leigh Dyer's winkle
now come on, you're better than that
Here, if you're a fish lover, you can't go wrong
and those tall black huts were for drying fishing nets in the days before nylon
when the nets were perishable
A stroll along here and you'll find RX fisheries
The Blue Aquarium, Hastings Fisherman's Museum
before you come to Rock-a-Nore beach
and if you're wondering about that RX
it's the fishing code for Hastings, and the surrounding harbours
You'll also discover Hastings Miniature Railway
that offers rides from here, along to the marine parade
You'll also find the East Hill Lift
A funicular railway that transports you to the top of East Cliff Hill
for stunning views over the landscape
Now strictly speaking we're now on the Stade
an Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'landing'
and we're actually on the site of UK's largest beach-based fishing fleet
and yes it's a working fleet so please take care as you wander around
Now we've had a great day in Hastings but there's so many things we didn't get to do
like the Hastings Contemporary Gallery an amazing round of miniature golf
or a spin on the boating lake
but I do hope you like what we put together
and this has perhaps inspired you to visit Hastings
but before I go I'm going to leave you a link to our video from the battleground
and also other English coastal towns
Thanks so much for watching Take care, and safe travels