Chartwell in Kent is best known as Winston Churchill’s house. It has also been described as an example of ‘Victorian architecture at its least attractive, a ponderous country mansion of tile-hung gables and poky oriel windows’. It was described as such in 1992 by…
The image above shows the Ecclesbourne Glen Coastguard Cottages and other tourist infrastructure that developed around them. The coastguard station itself closed in 1908, but occupation of the cottages continued until 1950. The station began as an anti smuggling watch…
Although I’ve lived in Hastings for all of my life, I didn’t know that this place existed. Old St Helen’s Church may have been built originally by King Offa in around 771. As with all ancient buildings it has been…
Marine Court in St Leonards on Sea was designed by Kenneth Dalgleish and Roger K Pullen. Construction of it finished in 1938. The building was meant to echo the design of the White Star Line ship the Queen Mary. When…
The Monument was opened in 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of London. It was designed through a collaboration between Sir Christopher Wren of St Paul’s Cathedral Fame and Dr Robert Hooke, a renowned philosopher. It is 61 meters high…
This view of Hastings from the West Hill shows Priory Valley in the foreground. To the left, out of shot is Hastings Castle and I am stood on the piece of ground named ‘the Ladies Parlour’. The history of Priory…
Hastings Cemetery occupies approximately 87 acres of land on the northern edge of the town. It was opened in 1856 and continues to be the most likely final destination for the residents of Hastings. I’d never considered walking around it…
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…
A little over 100 years ago the Hastings Tramways Company was formed. Between 1904 and 1907 nearly 20 miles of tram tracks were laid. The routes covered Ore, Hastings, St Leonards, Bexhill and Cooden and can be viewed by clicking…
We have had weeks of miserable weather, so last weekend when the skies were blue I went for a walk along Bexhill seafront with my family. It was a truly beautiful day, barely any wind and some warmth in the…
If you drive or walk along Hastings seafront from the old town to the new, you can’t help but notice the change in architecture immediately after Pelham Crescent. There are two 70’s office block monstrosities. One of them is Aquila…
