Here's another chapter from my travel guidebook Daytrips London, which I've just revised for the new 2011 Daytrips From London guidebook. Enjoy:
Trip 19
Hastings
An intriguing combination of past and present, Hastings has managed to maintain its heritage while serving as a popular resort. In a sense it is really two towns split neatly down the middle.
With origins going back to the 7th century, Hastings became one of the Cinque Ports during the time of Edward the Confessor. It had a harbor then, which silted up during the 12th century, never to be successfully rebuilt. William the Conqueror invaded the town in 1066 after landing his Norman troops at nearby Pevensey Bay. The famous Battle of Hastings was fought a few days later on a hill six miles to the northwest, the site of today's village of Battle. During the Hundred Years War of the 14th century the town was repeatedly pillaged by the French. It survived as a fishing village, a role it still plays, and in the 19th century became the seaside resort it is today. Although some of its past glory has sadly faded, enough of interest remains to make this indeed a worthwhile daytrip.
This trip can easily be combined with one to either Rye, Battle, or Tunbridge Wells as there are excellent rail and road connections.
GETTING THERE:
Trains to Hastings, operated by Southeastern, leave from London's Charing Cross Station at frequent intervals. The journey takes about 90 minutes, and return service operates until late evening. Some require a change enroute.
By Car, Hastings is 63 miles (100 km) southeast of London via the A21 highway.
PRACTICALITIES:
Being a seaside resort, Hastings is best visited during the summer, although the main attractions are open all year round. Good weather is essential to enjoy this trip fully.
The local tourist office, T: (01424) 781-111, W: www.visit1066country.com/hastings/, is by the Town Hall on Queens Square. Hastings is in the county of East Sussex and has a population of about 86,000.
FOOD AND DRINK:
There are numerous tourist eateries all along the walking route, including:
Dragon Bar (71 George St., near the West Hill Lift, beneath the Castle) Unusual foods in a comfy setting. T: (01424) 423-688. X: Sun. dinner. ££ and £££
ThaiXperience (6 Claremont, two blocks southwest of tourist office) Superb modern Thai cuisine in a contemporary setting. T: (01424) 440-074, W: thaixperience.co.uk. X: Mon., Tues. lunch. ££ and £££
Cosmo (Havelock Road, a block west of the tourist office) Chinese cuisine, upstairs fine dining, downstairs an all-you-can-eat buffet. £ and ££
SUGGESTED TOUR:
Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map.
Leaving the train station (1), follow Havelock Road and Castle Street to Marine Parade. Continue up George Street to the West Hill Lift (photo, right), which will spare you a climb to the castle. Operates Apr.-Oct. daily 10:30-5:30; Nov.-March daily 11-4. ₤. From the top of the hill, bear left to the cliff overlooking the beach for a marvelous view and the:
1066 STORY in HASTINGS CASTLE (2), West Hill, T: (01424) 781-111, W: sugglersadventure.co.uk. Open Easter-Oct., daily 11-5; Oct.. to Easter 11-4. ₤₤, combination ticket with Smugglers Adventure (below) available.
Hastings Castle was built by William the Conqueror shortly after the Battle of Hastings. Now little more than a romantic ruin, it is still very much worth exploring. Be sure to visit the 1066 Story, where those dramatic events of long ago are brought to life with modern audiovisual technology — all inside a re-created medieval siege tent.
Stroll over to the:
SMUGGLERS ADVENTURE in ST. CLEMENT’S CAVES (3), West Hill, T: (01424) 422-964, W: sugglersadventure.co.uk. Open daily 10-5:30. Closed Dec. 25-26. £££.
St. Clement's Caves are an extensive and somewhat bizarre network of rambling subterranean passages, partly natural and partly man-made. They were used in centuries past by smugglers, a drama recalled today in the Smugglers’ Adventure exhibition deep within the labyrinth. The adventure walk encounters over 50 life-size figures in re-created settings, complete with sound effects and a few surprises. There is also a museum and a video theater.
The most interesting part of Hastings is its Old Town, a picturesque fishermen's quarter of narrow streets and ancient buildings. Descend into it via Exmouth Place and turn left on Hill Street. St. Clement's Church (4) dates from the 14th century. Two cannon balls are lodged in the south wall of its tower, the one on the right being the result of a French bombardment in the late 17th century. The other one was put there just to balance things off. Inside, there are some fine stained-glass windows and two superb old brasses.
Walk down to High Street and turn left to the Old Town Hall, now the Old Town Hall Museum (5). Life-size mannequins provide a touch of the past while other displays are concerned with the Battle of Hastings, the story of the Cinque Ports, and smuggling — once a major vocation in these parts. T: (0845) 274-1053, W: hmag.org.uk. Open April-Sept., Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 11-5; Oct.-March, Mon.-Fri. 10-4, Sat.-Sun. 11-4. Donation.
Continuing up High Street with its Tudor homes on the left, you will come to the Stables Theatre, which at one time housed horses for the 18th-century Old Hastings House at the top of the street.
Return by way of All Saints' Street. Destroyed by the French in 1377, All Saints' Church was rebuilt in the 15th century. Inside, there is a well-preserved mural from that time depicting the Last Judgement. Farther along, on the left, is the Piece of Cheese, a peculiar wedge-shaped house that resembles its name.
Probably the best-known sight in Hastings is of its Net Shops (photo, above)(6), an extraordinary group of tall black wooden sheds used by fishermen to store their nets. The unusual shape, unchanged since Elizabethan times, was dictated by high rents on the available ground between the sea and cliff. Next to this is the fish market, a place where local fish-ermen sell the day's catch right off the boat.
The Fishermen's Museum (7) on Rock-a-Nore Road houses the Enterprise, the last fishing vessel to be built in Hastings before the local shipyards closed in 1909. It is typical of the luggers, a style of wide boats with thick bottoms designed to be beached in these harborless waters. Like most of the Hastings luggers, she ferried men back from Dunkirk in that heroic rescue of 1940. There are other fascinating items in the museum as well. T: (01424) 461-446, W: hastingsfish.co.uk. Open April-Oct., daily 10-5; Nov.-March, daily 10-4. Donation.
Just up the road a few yards is the Shipwreck & Coastal Heritage Centre (8), where over 3,000 years of maritime history are illustrated with exhibitions of underwater treasures. There is a spectacular audiovisual show and working radar equipment allowing you to monitor shipping activity in the English Channel. T: (01424) 437-452, W: shipwreckheritage.org.uk. Open April-Oct., daily 10:30-5, Oct.-April, daily 11-4. Donation.
Nearly adjacent to this is the Blue Reef Aquarium (9), one of those modern aquariums where you can walk below the sea without getting wet — and look up at the sharks. There’s also a touch pool, a seabed, a sea lab, a show, and more. T: (01424) 718-776. Open daily 10-5:30. Closed Dec. 24-26. ££₤.
From here you can stroll back along the shore. The character quickly changes to that of a resort as you pass a small boating lake and amusement area.
The Museum and Art Gallery (10), on the way back to the train station, is worth a stop. It has interesting collections of Sussex ironwork, local ceramics, and a fantastic pavilion from a 19th-century Indian Colonial palace. T: (0845) 274-1052, W: hmag.org.uk. Open April-Sept., Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 11-5; Oct.-March, Mon.-Fri. 10-4, Sat.-Sun. 11-4. Donation.
From here it is only a short stroll back to the train station.
Text and map copyright © 2003 by Earl Steinbicker, updated to 2009.
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