West Marina Gardens Sewer Damage...

Walking to and from Bexhill yesterday we were met with many tankers and yards of drainage pipes earlier at West Marina Gardens. As we arrived into Bexhill, where the water company building is at the eastern edge, there was a nasty damp sandy/muddy seafront. Consequently, on the way back we decided to use Galley Hill, rather than return by the beach, where these tankers are photographed (above).

However, all the distance between Bexhill and West Marina Gardens (above), had no overland pipes, so the transfer of sewage had been within the usual subterranean sewage system, apparently. So why so many tankers, we'd seen them here at West Marina Gardens in numbers on our way westwards from Hastings and in numbers at Bexhill, where a steady stream of tankers were heading away from Galley Hill and up Sea Road with their rather awful baggage! 

Anyway, here at West Marina Gardens is where the problem lay, with more tankers carting away sewage, because this, we were told, was where the damaged sewage pipe was. Apparently, this is going to be ongoing for about 48 hours... 

You have been warned!

Seafood & Wine and Beer Festivals this weekend!

It's that time of year, meaning Hastings Seafood and Wine Festival 2023 is this weekend, 16-17 September, at The Stade in Hastings old town (visit1066country). As usual, wine, fish and music, including Lianne Carroll's Jazz Breakfast on Sunday morning. For details, and how to get tickets, go to the visit1066country website.

Also, starting at noon today, and until Sunday, is this years Brickmaker's Alehouse Autumn Beer & Cider Festival 2023 in Bexhill, 27 Sea Road TN40 1EE. Website and facebook. Enjoy your weekend folks!

And not forgetting the Coastal Currents Arts Festival! (blog) 👌

Hastings to Bexhill Walk "The Musical"

I had to include this image at Pelham Beach because it is so amusing, an outdoor beach gym thingamabob and notice saying "This facility is closed" - Honest! 😂 Anyway, an eclectic mix of music, something that tells a story for each image: Walking From Hastings to Bexhill & Back The Musical, first link to YouTube. Oh yes, and I took these photographs earlier today, mostly...

My second image is, well you can see it, Hastings Pier, sadly closed until who knows when, and there was such hope for an expanding and exciting future at one time (for example, blog), but either the Administrators' ineptitude, incompetence and/or a stuffed brown envelope left it in the hands of Mr G, annoyingly; anyway, YouTube.

OK, I really should have posted the photograph I took of the Azur Pavilion, but it doesn't look great with all the shutters closed, so I posted this, if you've seen the film Byzantium, you'll know what I'm getting at, cue YouTube.

This wonderful building I have written about many times before, particularly detailed in this blog, and a highly appropriate song from YouTube.

And you really can hear the echo of the sea hitting the beach, and quite severely today too, off the sand cliffs here; Great song (for me anyway) at YouTube.

If you've walked this walk before you will be aware that this is the cliff side of Galley Hill, I did take a photograph of the road going up the hill, but it wasn't good, anyway cue YouTube, and I didn't run... By someone I had a bit of a crush on as a younger man, and who I would have been very happy to run up hills with in those days. 😉

So, here we are at Bexhill, and I own up, this wasn't taken today (as if you couldn't have guessed), but my brother calls me lots of things, maybe the best of which is 'Mr Blue Sky' (don't fall for that one 😉), as he says I regularly exhibit Blue Sky Thinking. As it was pretty overcast earlier I used this photograph as an exquisite image with plenty of blue sky! The De La Warr Pavilion (blog), championed by the 9th Earl De La Warr, however, his father, the 8th Earl De La Warr, turned Bexhill on Sea into the "Birthplace of British Motor Racing" from 1902, indeed, running up Galley Hill (website).

Anyway, my final piece of fun music @ YouTube, hope you enjoyed the musical! 😊

Marine Court

The image of Marine Court coming out of the mist like a majestic liner in the Atlantic Ocean is what its architects, Kenneth Dalgleish and Roger K Pullen, would have been very proud of, because it was designed very much with the Cunard Liner, the Queen Mary, in mind! The Queen Mary entered commercial transatlantic service in 1936 (Modernist Britain website), the same year that Marine Court was designed and building commenced; construction was completed in 1938.  Marine Court is situated at the seafront at St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings TN38 0DZ.

*Image thanks to Modernist Britain

Further to my recent blogs about The Sandcastle in Pevensey Bay (blog) and the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on Sea (blog), regular readers were very likely wondering when I would get to the third, even more local, building that pioneered the age when Art Deco architecture coalesced with the Modern, using Art Deco design and Modernist materials, a steel frame construction and concrete and glass, indeed Postmodernity before its time! Marine Court is 14 storeys and 170 feet high, and was the tallest apartment block in the country when it was built in the 1930s. 

Recent Image

As we know from history, soon after in 1939, World War II was declared, and the building was requisitioned by the Government, servicemen and women were billeted in Marine Court, guns were emplaced on the balcony, and the basement was used as an air raid shelter, it had had insufficient time to develop as the promised 'holiday retreat' by the coast. During the war Marine Court was damaged by bombing at the eastern end (the prominent end in the images here), and restoration of the building commenced in the late 1940s. The building has since incorporated the obvious accommodation purposes, restaurants, galleries and shops, and even a nightclub, and on the 9th of November 1999 it was eventually Grade II Listed (Historic England website).

We are very lucky to have not just this wonderful local monument to Modernist Art Deco architecture, but 2 other glorious monuments nearby in Bexhill and Pevensey.

*The second image is with thanks to Modernist Britain, edited by me for this blog, both of the other images are mine, thank you very much, copyright me! 

Part 2 - Battle to Hastings via Bexhill

Having walked from Hastings to Battle we believed we deserved refreshments, especially as the day was pretty warm and, also, in-between our birthdays (a week apart), so a dual celebration and well deserved indeed! Consequently, we wandered along the High Street, a short distance from Battle Abbey to, built in the 17th century with stone from the Battle Abbey kitchen, The Bull Inn, 27 High Street, TN33 0EA, where I met someone I always seem to meet here, and sometimes in Hastings hostelries too, so not a surprise. We had a pint of ale each of course (sorry I forgot to make a note of it, but certain to either be from Sussex or Kent, so local), and a meal each too; I shall not tell you what it was, at risk of someone who knows what I shouldn't eat reading this, but good value tasty meals both, well enjoyed, cheers!

We followed the same root back southwards to Crowhurst and stopped in at the early 19th century The Plough Inn, 1 Plough Lane, TN33 9AW (facebook). Here we drank a pint each of Sussex brewer Weltons (website) American Graffiti (4.5%), a pale golden US style pale ale with hints of citrus and marmalade, dry and bitter, very refreshing!

We continued back along the 1066 Country Walk - Behill Link, this time not heading towards the Combe Valley Country Park once we'd walked under the new road, but following the newly built pathway that incorporates the old disused railway line all the way to Bexhill, where we enjoyed a coffee at the iconic De La Warr Pavilion (website).

Our final walk was towards the east, back along the seafront to Hastings where, early evening Friday (we'd had a short walk to Bexhill and back on Friday) and Saturday, we passed the Goat Ledge cafe (website) with a thriving clientele, whereas the Pier in the back ground was closed/near empty, sad, but glad for Goat Ledge, nice one!

A review of Goat Ledge is well overdue...

Coastal Currents 2019

Coastal Currents is here again for 2019, beginning on Saturday 31st August at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill with an all day beach event Imprint and a Roof Terrace Launch Party  (website). Of course there are numerous events in Hastings too, and Stade Saturdays for the 31st August and 7th September are dedicated to Coastal Currents does Stade Saturdays (website). Enjoy September!

I am having a few difficulties with getting on line from home at the moment so over the next 2 weeks my blogs will be fewer, apologies, hopefully back to normal then!

Normans Bay Return, on foot...

I had a wee walk along the seafront to Normans Bay, accompanied by my brother Dan, and back, and, surprise surprise (not), Hastings Pier was closed...

Just past the Azur Pavilion and we spotted some of the regular 5km Park Run (blog), a fun run carried out around the country, our 'park' just happens to be the seafront. If you would like to know more about this healthy event, which really does cater for all levels of fitness, go to their website.

There was a very strong wind from the west (Storm Eric), though not quite as bad as up north, but still gusts of over 40mph, and the first to finish was Mark Coates (in red), congratulations to him, with the first woman to finish being Abianne Coates, I'm guessing related, whatever, congratulations to her, and to all of those who took part!

When we arrived at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill (website), this wonderful 1930s building where art deco meets the modern, we had to stop for our 'institutional' cup of coffee and sit on the balcony enjoying the view and the coffee, thank you very much!

Then we carried on along to Normans Bay, now appearing ahead of us (above).

The great 'metropolis' that is Normans Bay

After eating one of our sandwiches each, lovingly created by me before we left, we stopped at the, also 1930s and once owned by the De La Warrs, Cooden Beach Hotel.

Then walking into this part of the complex, that is, a bar, and brought outside with us to enjoy, a well deserved pint each of Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter, cheers!

When we returned to Hastings it was just getting dark, but we felt we also deserved another couple of pints each at The Jolly Fisherman (blog), the micropub at East Beach Street, before heading home for dinner, and did enjoy an excellent couple of ales each, and saw a few friends too, cheers again, a good day was had!

Beer Festival this weekend in nearby Bexhill.

By Steve the Beermeister...

From today, the RAFA Albatross Club at 15 Marina Arcade, Bexhill TN40 1JS, is holding its Novemberfest! There will be live music each day, food available, and, of course, 10 extra ales served straight from casks downstairs, in addition to the 5 poured by handpump on the bar at ground level. Opening hours are 11.00 to 23.00 today (Friday 23rd) and tomorrow, and 12.00 to 17.00 on Sunday (25th), and you don't have to be a RAFA member or CAMRA member to visit this weekend, all sensible drinkers are welcome, cheers!

The 10 special festival ales come from up and down the country: Including Gunpowder Mild (3.8%) from Coach House Brewery in Cumbria; Blackthorn Sloe Porter (5.0%) from North Yorkshire Settle Brewery; Saltaire Blonde (4.0%) from the excellent Saltaire Brewery in West Yorkshire; the ever excellent Titanic Plum Porter Grand Reserve (6.5%) from Titanic Brewery in the Potteries; Pop Up IPA (5.0%) from The Cronx Brewery in Croydon; Gadds Dogbolter Porter (5.6%) from Ramsgate Brewery in Kent; plus 4 more pale, golden and copper coloured bitters from Yorkshire to Kent!

Hastings Week... end!

Hastings Week nears its climax tomorrow, when the Bonfire on Pelham Beach will be lit, and whatever the burnt offering (?My guess = Trump?) will be, well, burnt... plus fireworks galore, obviously. See above image of when the building of the bonfire commenced this morning, however, SO MUCH MORE! Today until Sunday, there are guided walks, lectures, music galore in addition to the usual venues, a town criers competition, vintage vehicles run and show, and more; see website for more details.

Of course, the culmination on Hastings Day tomorrow (14th October), organised by the Hastings Borough Bonfire Society (HBBS), is the annual torchlight procession and fireworks, and burning of the effigy (I did get it correct last year, though it was pretty obvious what it would be, last year being the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings!). The procession begins at White Rock near the Pier; full details and safety advice can be seen at the HBBS website.

In addition, to all the merriment in Hastings, not so far away in Bexhill, at the (RAFA) Albatross Club, is a beer festival, from today until Sunday; see facebook page.

Enjoy the weekend!

A Quieter Weekend, 22nd-23rd April 2017, perhaps...

Well, it should be a quieter weekend following Easter last week, and in-between that and May Day and next weeks Jack in the Green Festival (website) Friday 28th April to Monday 1st May, with music and fun all weekend... 

Anyway, this weekend could provide the opportunity to have a walk along the seafront to Bexhill and visit the excellent De La Warr Pavilion, with a last chance to see the free exhibition that ends 1st May In a Dream You saw a Way to Survive and You were Full of Joy, plus, until June 18th George Shaw's My Back to Nature, also free. I visited a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised, considering what it costs to see a similar number of paintings/sculptures at the Jerwood! See the De La Warr's website for these and other events, or just visit to enjoy the building itself and/or have a coffee and one of the tasty cakes they sell! 

Or, if you'd prefer a shorter stroll, walk out and promenade on the National Pier of the Year 2017, which appears to be quiet this weekend too, though a drink or a meal there isn't such a bad idea; see website. And pubs and clubs will continue with their usual music sessions from St Leonards through to Rock-a-Nore, Hastings Fishermen's Museum, Rock-a-Nore Road in the old town is always worth a visit (website), crazy golf, Alexandra Park, or just walk along the Promenade, whichever, enjoy the relative peaceful weekend, next week will be more demanding! 😉

He's on a Quest, and another interesting discovery!

By Steve the Beermeister...

Following my recent consideration of beer price increases in Hastings pubs since the Chancellor's budget, and breweries annual price increases, I've been on a bit of a quest, because most breweries are at it, not to mention the middle person, and the tax collector indeed! Also, an interesting development regarding paying by debit card... So, here's a few in Hastings and nearby, and, OK, it is a chore, but I prefer to say it's really a calling.
                                                     

I walked to Bexhill the other day, to the RAFA Albatross Club... OK, it is cheaper because it is a members club, but their 4 real ales, whatever strength, are all priced at £3.20 a pint. For another comparison on keg beers, I checked on their Guinness price too, which is £3.50 a pint, not bad, but, as I said, this is a club.

I also popped into the Dripping Well, just up towards Bohemia Road from the old Post Office. Here, two real ales were on sale, the session bitter being Wadworth Henry's IPA at just £2.90 a pint, and their stronger bitter, Youngs Special at £3.30 a pint; the Guinness here costs £3.70 a pint, all very good value for a pub so close to the town centre.

Back into the old town and, in Rock-A-Nore Road, the Dolphin Inn today put up their prices following all breweries and other suppliers price increases, and the 2% increase in beer duty. All 6 of their real ales continue to be priced the same, strengths from 3.8% to, usually, no more than 6%, ie now £3.70 a pint, and Guinness now costs £4.10 a pint.

I shall visit a few more pubs and bars around town, and continue to report on price variations, probably coming to an overall comparison in a month or two, but! An interesting piece of information came to my attention this morning, ie, if you pay for your drinks by a debit card (as customers are increasingly being encouraged to do, but what's wrong with cash, I say?!?) at the London Trader in the old town, they charge you £1 on top, effectively, say you pay for 2 pints with your card, increasing the price of each pint by 50p!

Interesting, indeed! I shall continue my quest...😉

Hastings Half Marathon... and Ale & Arty this weekend.

Today, if you feel up to walking along the seafront to Bexhill (or catching a bus or train, or driving for that matter) is the Ale & Arty Beer Festival at the De La Warr Pavilion. In addition, between 11am and 3pm, is the Battle of the Bands, for young musicians, later the AYU Funk Band and The Cavaliers will be playing; see their website for full programme. The nearby award winning Albatross (RAFA) Club will also be open all day to non-members, should you wish to have a drink or eat in there.

Tomorrow, Sunday 19th, sees the 33rd Hastings Half Marathon start off from Sea Road, by Marina Gardens, opposite the Bo Peep pub at 10.30am, and finishes there too, an hour plus later... See website for more details, and details of how to enter for next year!

Yesterday, I noticed temporary toilets already being placed... Good luck to the runners and the charities that many are sponsoring!

PS. Check for closed roads in Hastsings during the event...

One Step Beyond...

The Azur Pavilion, which was used as the older peoples' home in the film Byzantium.

Our very own Banksy...

We could be living on the Cote d'Azur!

The Winter home of the St Leonards beach huts!

And this was "one step beyond" - as in, one step further than the sign that tells you you're entering the Combe Valley Countryside Park.

The wonderful De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill...

On my way back...

Here, I met a couple of older lads (my Devonshire coming out here!) who fish from boats launched from the beach here by Bulverhythe, and we had a great chat, and when I was advised that cod hasn't appeared this winter, and whiting is quite small, but this was a couple of weeks ago, indeed, confirmed by a Hastings fisherman I know since, but, some cod has since been landed by Hastings' boats...

And I ate the last locally caught cod and chips that they had at the Dolphin this lunchtime, excellent piece of fish, and the chips weren't bad either! Looking forward to some more locally caught cod soon, I hope, but I do like huss, and plaice too, for that matter