Jack in the Green Procession and Old Town Pub Crawl plus!

I decided to tour the old town yesterday to take photographs for this blog, with pubs and other buildings dressed in greenery, ribbons and wreaths...

Of course the Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green Procession 2022 won't start in a pub, although many, including Bogies and attendants, may already have had a few pints of ale, but tomorrow's event (Monday the 2nd of May 2022) begins when the Jack is released from Hastings Fishermen's Museum (website) at 10.15 am. Bogies and attendants will gather around the Jack outside the museum, as he starts the dancing off, and their will be many dancing, and the procession will then start to form behind him and proceed westwards along Rock-a-Nore Road...

The first pub the procession reaches is the Dolphin Inn (website), 11-12 Rock -a-Nore Road TN34 3DW, which will have already been open for a couple of hours, and there will be a good audience outside on its balcony. The Dolphin Inn dates back to at least 1798, but was rebuilt in 1851 after, I believe, it had been damaged by fire, and further altered and extended in 1930. Situated opposite the local fishing industry beach, net huts, and fish market, and down the road from a large car park, means that it garners many passers by, and its south facing balcony is very popular, as will be witnessed tomorrow! Just past the pub the Jack meets up with the Giants and other musicians and dancers, and there will be drums and dancers aplenty!

The procession should be up to full length by now, and turns right into All Saints Street just after acclaimed seafood restaurant Webbe's (website), 1 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW. Oh yes, and Webbe's is situated in a Grade II listed Georgian property.

Almost immediately on its left, as the procession heads up All Saints Street, is the back of the Grade II listed Lord Nelson pub (facebook), 1 East Bourne Street TN34 3DP. The 2 buildings that merged and became the Nelson have deeds dating back to the 1740s, and the pub received its first licence by 1830, now a traditional local pub.

As the procession continues up All Saints Street it soon reaches The Crown on the right (website), 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN. This was a coaching inn from 1794, but reduced in size at the beginning of the 20th century, and destroyed by fire in 1921, consequently needing to be rebuilt that year. Following refurbishment in 1985 it became a Harvey's tied house, but more recently became a popular freehouse.

A little further up on the left the procession will reach the Cinque Ports Arms, 105 All Saints Street TN34 3BE. This pub was formerly known as the Chequers dating back to 1642, but has not been a pub continuously since that time. It was first licenced as the Cinque Ports Arms in the early 19th century, but following a fire in 1925 it was rebuilt with its now 'mock Tudor' frontage and interior, indeed a very cosy pub.

The last pub you reach in All Saints Street is up, and raised up, on the right, the Stag Inn (website), 14 All Saints Street TN34 3BJ; you may have noticed that the house numbers aren't as per usual streets as they're not odds one side and evens the other side, but start up at the top on the east side with numbers 1, 2, 3 etc., coming downhill, then continuing back up on the west side of the street! The Stag is one of the oldest pubs in Hastings (see blog), in an interesting Grade II listed timber-framed building dating back to the 16th century, and is now a Shepherd Neame Brewery tied house.

At the top of All Saints Street is All Saints Church (blog), one of the old town's 2 stone built Norman churches, and which was rebuilt between 1417 and 1430 following 14th century French raids on Hastings. Across from here is where the Jack in the Green procession will cross The Bourne into the High Street.

The procession will carry on down High Street, passing many interesting buildings on the way, including this house, where the Rossetti family stayed in 1836 (including the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti and poet Christina Rossetti when they were children - blog). Oh yes, and the numbers of houses run continuously down the east side, continuing back up on the west side of the street, as in All Saints Street.

But the next pub the procession will reach, now down on the left, is the First In Last Out (FILO - website), 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY, a pub with its own brewery, which used to be contained within the pub itself, but is now just a short distance away up Old London Road. The building is from the 16th century, but did not become a pub until it was licenced in the 1870s, now a genuine freehouse.

A little further down on the left is the Grade II listed Duke of Wellington, 28-29 High Street TN34 3EY, which was converted from 2 houses, and opened as a pub in the 1870s. The Duke of Wellington AKA Major General Sir Arthur Wellesley, had lived in Hastings when commanding a brigade from here, indeed, he brought his bride back to live with him in Hastings when he married her in Dublin in 1806.

The procession will carry on down High Street and usually has a break for about 45 minutes outside the Jenny Lind Inn (website), 69 High Street TN34 3EW, with more music and merrymaking. The Jenny Lind was built on the site of a much older pub that dated back to the early 17th century, The Bell, but with a gap whilst not a pub of 200 years, before the Jenny Lind started trading in the 1850s. It's named after the Swedish Nightingale, the famous opera singer who, under the wing of the German composer Felix Mendelssohn, became widely followed throughout Europe, including by Queen Victoria; she moved to England in 1855, where she lived until her death in 1887.

When the procession continues on its way again, it will continue down High Street, soon turning right up Swan Terrace, by Hastings second Norman church, the Church of St Clement (blog), then bending to the right behind the church into Croft Road, and upwards to the West Hill, passing no more pubs along the way. However, on the West Hill festivities will continue, including a craft and food fair, more music and dancing, and I believe the FILO will have a licenced bar up there too (website). 

Then, between 4.00 and 4.30 pm, the Jack is slain to release the spirit of summer...

Enjoy your day!

A Trip to and Walk around Rye...

Entering Rye by one of the gates, after having a wander towards Rye Harbour and around the town. Originally a seaside town, medieval Rye is now nearly 2 miles from the coast following storms and silt being brought in from the Channel, its current position inland was consolidated by the 16th century. Rye, earlier officially a 'limb' of Hastings, became one of the Cinque Ports (website) in 1336; for more details of the history of Rye go to the Historic UK website.

Walking up towards the church I passed the Grade I listed 13th century Ypres Tower, now one of the 2 sites of the Rye Castle Museum (Visit 1066 Country website).

At the top of the hill, and which can be seen from miles around, is the 12th century St Mary's Church (website), which is definitely worth a look around inside. I particular like the Victorian stained glass Burne-Jones window (member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and good friend of the Arts & Crafts Movement's William Morris).

Around the corner from the church, and down a few yards in Mermaid Street TN31 7EY, is the Mermaid Inn (website), originally a 12th century inn (cellar dates from 1156), but rebuilt in 1420 following it being burnt to the ground by French raiders in 1377, indeed Rye, like Hastings, saw many raids in those days! It's a cosy hotel and public house, with low ceilings, beams, and nooks and crannies. Their own beer (brewed for them by Young's I was told, their Bitter rebadged?) was a nice easy to drink 3.7% session ale, and, although I'd had a late breakfast, so didn't eat here, the food did look very good!

Again, just around the corner, and back up round towards the church, and you reach the Grade II listed 18th century Lamb House in West Street TN31 7ES (website). Lamb House is a writers museum and now run by the National Trust, and was once the home of writer Henry James (1897 to 1914).

Around the back of the church is this Grade II listed brick cistern and tower that was built to hold water pumped up from my final destination, down Conduit Hill...

Yes, down the hill, and just a few minutes away from the railway station, in Tower Street, and on the corner with Rope Walk TN31 7NT, is the Rye Waterworks micropub, where I enjoyed beer, good company, and a cracking locally made Scotch Egg. My alter ego and his blog describes this visit in greater depth, cheers! 😉

Great afternoon for us 👍

Hastings Old Town Walk

The first Old Hastings Preservation Society (OHPS) 2018 Tuesday afternoon guided walk of Hastings Old Town was last week, oops, apologies for missing it! But the second free guided walk of the old town this year, ie of the "premier ancient Cinque Port," meets up by the top of the West Hill lift at 2.30pm this afternoon. There is a wealth of historic buildings, twittens and cat-creeps to explore in the old town, and the volunteer guide will explain why celebrities of their day (for example, the Pre-Raphaelites in the 19th century, see blog) have, and still do, flock to Hastings. 

The walk will proceed gently downhill, including a number of steps to manage, and lasts about 2 hours. The guided walk is provided free of charge, though the OHPS would be grateful for all donations given, many thanks; see their website. It's worth wearing comfortable walking shoes, obviously, and the forecast suggests it will be bright and sunny again today, so be prepared with Factor 50 or hat/head covering if, like me, you redden as soon as the sun casts its rays on you! 

Do enjoy the afternoon. 

Old Town Walk

This afternoon, Tuesday 27th June, you can join the Old Hastings Preservation Society (OHPS) for a tour of Hastings Old Town, the "premier ancient Cinque Port," meeting up at 2.30pm at the top of the West Hill lift. There is a wealth of historic buildings, twittens and cat-creeps to see around the town, and find out why the celebrities of their day did, and still do, flock to Hastings. A volunteer guide will lead the walk, which proceeds gently downhill, but there are steps to manage too. The walk lasts about 2 hours and is free, but the OHPS would be grateful for donations, many thanks, see their website.

And remember to wear at least a shower-proof jacket as light rain is forecast, and I'd suggest you wear comfortable walking shoes too, enjoy the day!

This beautiful afternoon, Tuesday 13th June, you can join the Old Hastings Preservation Society (OHPS) for a tour of Hastings Old Town, the "premier ancient Cinque Port," meeting up at 2.30pm at the top of the West Hill lift. The guided walks 'season' is well under way now, and this particular walk will be available every Tuesday until the 5th September, with a few added days during August.

There is a wealth of historic buildings, twittens and cat-creeps to see around the town, and find out why the celebrities of their day did, and still do, flock to Hastings! A volunteer guide will lead the walk, which proceeds gently downhill, but there are steps to manage too. The walk lasts about 2 hours and is free, but the OHPS would be grateful for donations, many thanks, see their website.

And remember the Factor 50 and to wear a hat if, like me, you are susceptible to the sun's rays, and to wear comfortable walking shoes too, enjoy the day!