Photographs showing comparisons of scenes around Hastings and St Leonards today against those taken in the past.
The above image shows part of the anti invasion defences put up along Hastings seafront during 1940* I can’t imagine how it would have felt to the residents of Hastings seeing these go up. German forces had conquered great swathes…
The image above shows where the Hastings seafront bandstand used to be. There isn’t much information about it on the internet, but it was definitely there in 1902 and probably was a victim to Sidney Little’s renovation of the seafront.…
When you wander around Hastings, and if you are looking you’ll notice a fair number buildings of building that seem at odds with the rest of the architecture. Some of these buildings are eyesores and others are just bland. Bland…
Leading on from last week’s post about the anti aircraft guns along Hastings seafront, this image illustrates why the town needed. Despite the best efforts of the gunners and the RAF pilots who were trying to counter German attacks, the enemy…
This image shows an anti aircraft gun on Hastings seafront during World War 2. Hastings had been preparing for the possibility of war as early as 1935, with the formation of an Air Raid Precaution (ARP) Committee. Due to the proximity of the European…
This image, taken from Pelham Place, shows a military parade taking place, possibly as part of the Hastings Invasion that took place in March 1909. That event was initiated by Arthur Du Cross, a local MP, with the idea to see…
This was taken in Battle Road, St Leonards just up from the pedestrian crossing. When I saw the original image, whilst browsing the Hastings Forum Old Buildings and Streets pages. the scene seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite work out…
St Leonards Church was built by James Burton and consecrated on 22nd May 1834. It was built to service the growing population of St Leonards and proved popular with the residents. It was even visited by the future Queen Victoria…
This image shows St Leonards Parade as it was mixed with the scene as it is today. The scene in the original photograph was easily recognisable to me. It was only when I overlaid the photo onto the same scene today…
This photo merge of Hastings Parade and the old Hippodrome Theatre shows how much land has been reclaimed since the Harbour Arm was built. The original photograph was taken around 1905, six years after construction of the harbour stopped. Through…
Here is an image that shows the location of the old police station in Bohemia Road, Hastings on the junction with Salisbury Road. St Peter’s Church can be seen in the distance. The building displays no sign of its old…
