East Sussex
A Visitor Guide to East Sussex

Hastings

Location
On the south coast, on the A259 a few miles east of Bexhill - straight down the A21!

Hastings, one of the best known places in England, is currently rather run down. High unemployment in the area has led to a rather depressed air although more jobs have been introduced in recent years and the area is on the up.  The council takes great pains to make the front very pretty to look at with its lovely flower beds.  It would be a pity to miss Hastings as there is much of interest (although the famous battle did not take place here but a few miles up the road at Senlac Hill, by Battle).

One of the Cinque Ports, and one of the few which has not silted up, it remains a port.  In fact settlements here date back to 400AD. Today the main attractions for the youthful visitor are the amusement arcades which line the front and the pier together with the beach. For those with an interest in history, the Old Town is the place to head for.  Pretty old houses, narrow lanes, old pubs… it is all here.

The fishermen's beach is where the boats all pull up and fresh fish can be bought here all year round. The unusual tall black wooden buildings are 'net shops' for drying the nets. The design dates back many centuries. The Fishermen's Museum is located here with its marine exhibits. More exhibits of a marine nature can be seen nearby in the Shipwreck Heritage Centre.  For those with a taste for disaster, this is the place with its record of centuries of marine tragedies.

Like many of its neighbours, Hastings is home to a Sea Life Centre where much can be learnt about the sea.

Hastings Castle, or, to be more precise, the remains of the castle, are on the top of the cliffs and can be reached by the West Hill Cliff Railway. This is by far the best choice of transportation unless you are particularly fit! The views from what was William the Conqueror's first castle are superb.

Under the West Hill lie St. Clement's Caves, once used by smugglers, covering some four acres and well worth a visit.  The Smugglers Adventure Experience reconstructs something of the taste of those days.

There are two surviving medieval churches, St. Clement's (where the pre-Raphaelite painter, Dante Gabriel Rosetti married) and All Saints'.

The High Street itself is very long , narrow and lined with interesting old timbered houses many of which are now antique shops (with prices considerably lower than more fashionable towns).  Local history is on show to the public at the Old Town Hall Museum in this street.

Hastings, once a fashionable town, remains a place of great interest.

Around Hastings

• Battle
• Bexhill

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