Hastings

Hastings is a seaside town in East Sussex, in the South East of England.

Hastings is most famous for the battle that took place there in 1066 between King Harold's English and William the Conqueror's Normans. The town lent its name to the battle, although the battle took place in nearby Battle (these were imaginative times.)

The town grew from its medieval origins into a Victorian seaside resort, and the majority of the towns architecture dates from this period. Today, along with St Leonards on Sea, Hastings forms a fairly large urban area on the south coast of around 100,000 inhabitants.

Nestled between the rugged beauty of the East and West Hills, the town's main attraction is the medieval Old Town, with its narrow passageways, antique shops, boutiques, cafe's and Europe's largest beach-launched fishing fleet. The town also boasts a hill-top castle, two funicular railways, the Georgian church of St Mary in the Castle, 18th-century net shops, and access to Hastings Country Park - a 660 acres (270 hectares) Nature Reserve with woodland glens, beaches and cliff-top views.

Away from the Old Town, Hastings largely retains the character of a Victorian seaside resort, with seafront squares, grand Victorian facades, elegant parks and a pier. However, the town suffered from the post-war decline in the seaside tourist industry in England and while there has been significant investment in regenerating the area, parts of the seafront have seen better days.

See

• ⊙Hastings Castle, Castle Hill Road, West Hill, TN34 3AR, ☎ +44 8445 499088. (updated Oct 2017)
• Pier. 
• ⊙The Stade (in the old town). The home of Europe's largest beach-launched fishing fleet, and the historic net huts.  
• ⊙Smugglers Adventure, St Clement’s Caves, TN34 3JJ, ☎ +44 1424 422964. 10AM-5:30PM. A set of caves (St Clements Caves) in the hills above the town. 
• ⊙Blue Reef Aquarium (previously Underwater World), Rock-A-Nore Rd, TN34 3DW, ☎ +44 1424 718776. 10AM-5PM. An aquarium. 
• ⊙St Mary in the Castle, 7 Pelham Crescent, TN34 3AF, ☎ +44 1424 715880. A grade II listed former Georgian church beneath the castle in the Regency Square - Pelham Crescent. The space is now used as a gallery, theatre and performance venue. (updated Oct 2017)
• ⊙Jerwood Gallery, Rock-A-Nore Rd, TN34 3DW, ☎ +44 1424 728377. M closed, Tu-Sa 11AM-5PM. A contemporary (but controversial) art gallery on The Stade. (updated Oct 2017)
• Hastings from the cliffs - a view of Hastings up on the cliffs, travelled to on the cliff railways.