To soak up Hastings’ history, wander the preserved Old Town’s winding streets and tiny twittens crammed with Tudor houses and flower-bedecked cottages, and inhale the hard-working fishing quarter with its towering net huts and ramshackle huts on the beach.
Hastings Old Town lies in a valley between the East and West Hills, each with their own funicular railway. Take the East Hill Lift from the fishing beach up to Hastings Country Park, where on clear days you can see from Beachy Head to Dungeness and as far as Folkestone and the coast of France. The nature reserve covers 345 hectares of coastal gill woodlands, open pasture and cliff top grassland, together with five kilometres of dramatic soft rock cliffs and coastline. It’s one of three Green Flag Award winning parks in the town, the others being the spectacular Alexandra Park with its many lakes and collection of rare trees, and the Regency-style St Leonards Gardens.
Take the West Hill Lift from George Street, up through a tunnel of rock to emerge into the tranquil light of another world. Explore the ruins of Hastings Castle and the labyrinth of caverns hidden deep within the West Hill, packed with the thrilling history of smugglers, bootleggers and warring bloodthirsty gangs.
Then, for a cool, modern twist head for the America Ground. This vibrant triangle in the centre of Hastings was formed when the great storm of 1287 threw up a silt and shingle spit beyond the boundaries of Hastings Borough. Above the independent shops, restaurants and cafes you’ll see the grand architecture of Hastings Library, The Printworks and Holy Trinity Church. These lead you through to the RIBA Stirling Award-winning Hastings Pier and The Source, transformed from its origins as a Turkish baths into the biggest underground BMX and skate park in the world. For non skaters, the balcony café is a great place to watch the action below.
Heading west, the alternative vibe continues as you arrive in St Leonards. Purpose built in the 1800s by James and Decimus Burton as a genteel seaside resort for the aristocracy, its architecture provides a striking backdrop for art galleries, antique shops, chic boutiques and a thriving café culture.
To really immerse yourself in the spirit of the town, a visit to some of its quirky museums is a must. The Shipwreck Museum, opposite the Blue Reef Aquarium, is a fascinating reminder of the dangers of the sea, with lots of information about local wrecks the Amsterdam and the Anne. The nearby Fishermen’s Museum houses Hastings’ last lugger the Enterprise and a suit made of winkle shells, among many other curious exhibits. Just up the road is the ultra-modern Hastings Contemporary, with regularly changing exhibitions of famous contemporary British art.
The Flower Makers’ Museum in the High Street invites you into a world of fabrics, cutters and presses, the tools of this dying art. From there it's a short and scenic walk to admire (from the outside) the house where Foyle's War was filmed. And a little further along the seafront tucked into the caves is an unusual find – the True Crime Museum, a collection of criminal memorabilia such as acid baths, execution beds and knuckledusters. The more formal Hastings Museum and Art Gallery on Bohemia Road has excellent regularly changing exhibitions of local and international history and art, and is home to the Durbar Hall, a magnificent carved hall made for the 1886 Colonial & Indian Exhibition in London.
