If you have arrived here from an internet search for the ghosts of Hastings, hopefully you will not be disappointed by what you find here. There are no pictures of ghosts in the supernatural term of the word however. What is here are photos of Hastings today overlaid with photos of the same place in the past.

Photographs capture a moment in time. And whilst some or most elements of the scene captured change over time, some aspects remain unchanged. It’s interesting to look at old photographs to spot the differences between then and now. I was inspired to create this series of photographs after viewing Sergey Larenkov’s blog. His Link to the Past website features the same technique using photos taken on the Eastern Front during WW2. The images he creates are powerful. They show how war can come to towns and cities, and how the memories of the destruction caused by war can fade through repair and modernisation.

The buildings that no longer exist and the people who lived here are the true ghosts of Hastings. Their memories are preserved by the photographer that captured the scene decades ago. Placing those images in the context of an image taken today can almost bring them back to life.

The images can be seen below. Clicking on any image will open up a gallery where a larger image can be viewed.