Hastings and St Leonards - a seafront view
Not far from where we were staying, the spectacular ruins of Hastings castle can be seen. From the seafront it looms over the town, perched on top of the surrounding cliffs. What a sight it must have been in its heyday!
The ruins we see today are the remains of a stone fortress (built after William of Normandy's coronation) which was practically impregnable from three sides. Less than half of the original structure remains.
Hastings Castle was originally a wooden tower built on top of a man made mound or motte, which was surrounded by an outer courtyard or bailey. The bailey was enclosed by a wooden palisade. The Norman motte and bailey castle would become a common fixture across England following the conquest. After the victory at the Battle of Hastings, William was crowned on Christmas Day 1066, and had issued orders that Hastings Castle was to be rebuilt in stone.
William left the castle in the charge of one of his top commanders Humphrey de Tilleul. Around 1069, he gave the castle and the town of Hastings to Robert, Count of Eu, who founded the Collegiate Church of St Mary in the Castle within the castle walls. The remains of this church are the best-preserved part of the ruins.
The view toward the sea front taken from the castle site.
The Landing by Leigh Dyer. Norman longboat prow sculpture on Hastings beach.
The former Palace Court Hotel - a Grade 2 listed building, and one of the most prominent and distinctive buildings on the Hastings waterfront.
In 2010 fire destroyed huge parts of Hastings pier. The fire engulfed the ballroom at the end of the pier and ripped through large parts of the rest of the structure
Opened in 1872, the Grade-II listed building had a concert hall that hosted some of the biggest names in music, including Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones.
In its heyday, the pier was nearly 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) long and had a landing stage where tourists could take a paddle-steamer to nearby resorts or even cross the English Channel to the French port of Boulogne.
Some views on the `shortened` pier of 2019 and a view looking eastward toward the Old Town end.
This time looking toward St Leonards direction, westward.
Lastly, some small business on the pier.
Originally named the St Leonards Hotel, the Royal Victoria was built in 1828 by renowned architect James Burton as part of his grander vision to create a new seaside resort - St Leonards. The hotel received the Royal Charter from Queen Victoria, who visited on numerous occasions, and later again from King George V. As the focal point of St Leonards, it became a favourite rendezvous of the Royal Family and establishment.
Queen Victoria’s signature can be seen in the distinguished visitors book as “Victoria Crown Princess of Prussia and Princess of Great Britain & Ireland”, and appears in later entries as “Victoria” and “H.M. Queen Victoria”. Other members of the Royal Family in the book include: King George V, Prince Albert, Princess Louise, King Edward VII and Edward Prince of Wales whose signature represents one of the last of Royal visitors before the war.
A closer view of the ornate frontage.
Not far from the Royal Victoria Hotel is this monument to the lady herself, Queen Victoria. This stands at the front of Warrior Square, St Leonards. It was unveiled in December 1902 to commemorate the old Queens death. Created by Francis John Williamson, Victoria’s own private sculptor, it is now a grade II listed statue. Rumour has it that during World War 2 a ME109 tried to machine gun a woman and her baby as they strolled along the seafront. The pilot missed them but hit the statue. A bullet hole can still be seen clearly today, apparently. Whether the story is true, we’ll probably never know.
The building of Warrior Square was completed in 1864 according to the Hastings Chronicle. There doesn’t seem to be much more information about it that I can find. Warrior Square is an expanse of gardens surrounded on three sides by mostly grand Victorian buildings. There has been some considerable reconstruction done in recent years. Fortunately the architects of the new buildings have at least tried to honour the original designs.
"This interactive artwork was unveiled by Cllr Peter Chowney on 23rd September 2012 on the promenade at Goats Ledge in St. Leonards in Hastings. It is constructed from reclaimed greenheart groyne timbers from nearby Pevensey Bay and is intended to become a destination for people to leave a padlock as a lasting and very personal souvenir of their time in Hastings. The artwork has grown since then, and will continue to grow as thousands more are attached to the sculpture's mooring rings by local people and visitors. Inspired by the global Love Locks phenomenon, the decorated padlocks will represent love tokens, mementoes and simple reminders of time spent in this creatively blossoming seaside town with its sunshine, southerly breezes and constantly changing seas and skies." A rather novel idea I thought.
The statue of ‘Edith Swanneck finding the body of King Harold on the battlefield of Hastings’ by the sculptor C.A.W. Wilkie was moved from the Hastings Museum to its current location of West Marina Gardens in 1953. We hunted around for a while but a passer by eventually pointed us in the right direction.
There are many stories surrounding the death of King Harold at the battle, but to be honest, very little is known of the facts. This sculpture makes a great image, but did it happen? Who knows.
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