RX134 - The Stacey Marie, mission complete, and more thanks!

The 2017 refit and re-painting of the retired fishing boat and exhibit of Hastings Fishermen's Museum (website) RX134 Stacey Marie, is now complete...

I have already thanked the volunteers from the carpentry/building aspect of her restoration, Lee and his apprentice Rikki, and Brian McDonagh (blog), cheers again, and many thanks to Stamco (website) too, who supplied the timber used at no cost!

Now it is time to thank the annual painters and virtual caretakers, Mark and Steve, and Jason, who gave up his Wednesday day off to help us, many thanks all!

As I've said before, regular readers will be aware of my involvement with this project, the preservation of RX134, the Stacey Marie, which is the first exhibit of the Fishermen's Museum you reach when walking eastwards down Rock-a-Nore Road, on the shore/south side, next to the Fish Market and opposite the Dolphin Inn; go to her facebook page for further information, or visit Hastings Fishermen's Museum, a couple of minutes walk away further down Rock-a-Nore Road and on the same side (website), where donations would be very welcome, the museum being a registered charity, and who pay for materials used on the boat, many thanks.

It's getting there!

Latest photographs of the Winch Road, it's getting there! 

The Winch Road - Part 2

I've got there! Having just spoken to probably the best person to talk to, ie very likely the most informed person... The work is planned to last for up to 11 weeks, and is being jointly funded by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the Hastings & St Leonards Foreshore (Charitable) Trust, funding doesn't come from HBC, nor from the fishermen, but does include money granted from the European Union. The rest of what I said before, as in, this is to resurface the existing Winch Road for the benefit of the local fishing industry, and for a better walkway, remains true. Now the rumours can stop, hopefully...   

Fishermens' Road

Rumours, rumours, rumours! Whatever the rumours, the road/track (Winch Road) behind the fish market is being rebuilt, resurfaced, fixed (however you want to phrase it).

Work has already started, though it looks like it may take a while to complete. A little birdy tells me that this will not be a public road, but continue as an access route for the local fishing industry, with better pedestrian access to the car park at the end of Rock-a-Nore Road. It looks to be funded (if only partially, perhaps) by Hastings FLAG, but, as soon as I find out more, I shall share it, but try not to add to the rumours peeps, cheers! 

Assault behind the fish market last night!

At about midnight last night, a local man walking his dog was attacked and physically assaulted by 3 young men (late teens or 20s) dressed in the standard muggers' gear, 'hoodies' up over their heads; never trust someone with a hoodie up is a motto I believe in! This happened behind the fish market in the old town, and the Police suspect it was an attempt to steal from the man, but they may not have noticed the dog...    

The police are studying cctv footage, locally, and going along the seafront towards the centre of town, where the attackers ran towards. It is believed one of the assailants may have a dog bite on his leg and another may have a head or facial injury, obviously, if you have any information please contact the police. In addition, even the local fishing industry area isn't always a safe place to be, so be alert, especially when alone anywhere. 

Oh yes, walking nearby, I met a friend earlier, who informed me that a stolen motorcycle was set ablaze between 2 beach huts (damaging them also) on Monday night, near where the old lido was situated at West St Leonards, any information etc etc... Neither of these incidents are on the Sussex Police website yet, and the force is looking to make further cuts in the numbers of police officers as I have previously written, tut tut...

On that jolly note, I'm looking forward to the public meeting this evening! 

Sustainable Fishing - A Date with Greenpeace, and more Art!

Cox: The Fish Market on the Beach at Hastings

As part of their Coastal Champions Boat Tour (a small fishing boat supporting local sustainable fishing), Greenpeace are holding a public meeting in Hastings on 25th March 2015 (See Greenpeace). I shall provide more details with a reminder nearer to the date.  

The watercolour reproduced above is by David Cox, and was painted for the 1819 annual show of the Society of Painters in Watercolours, and is now in the USA; I believe at the Chazen Museum of Art in Maddison, Wisconsin. I am grateful for the image, many thanks. 

David Cox (1783-1859), came from Birmingham and mostly painted in watercolours (also see my blog of 12 January), although he did produce oil on canvas paintings of All Saints Church in 1812, when he visited Hastings with his wife. Cox was particularly taken with the scenery of Hastings during that trip, and there are two of the All Saints paintings in the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.  

Fish for sale!

If you've had problems buying fish directly from the huts recently, no fear! It wasn't the weather that had prevented fish being sold, it was the quota system, so Mick et al are back to provide you with plenty of tasty fresh, good value, fish... Phew! 

Turner back on Show in Hastings

I hadn't visited the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery (website) in Bohemia Road for quite a while, but wanted to know when they were going to exhibit their (or our's really) Turner water-colour of Hastings Fish Market, so was very lucky to discover today, that it had just been added to the current "All at Sea" exhibition in the Long Gallery!

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery

There was a piece of luck! They were literally just checking the security alarm and fittings as I turned up, as it has replaced 2 smaller pieces... The All at Sea exhibition in that long gallery features water-colour and oil paintings, plus a few pen & ink drawings and sketches, of marine vessels and Sussex coastal scenes. What is very noticeable, from the works of art on show, is that Hastings, and the local fishing industry in particular, has been very busy over the last few centuries! 

 Turner: Fish Market on the Sands

Joseph Mallard William Turner (1775-1851) is the best known of the watercolourists I wrote about a couple of months ago, who regularly painted in, and of, Hastings in the early 19th century. His 'Fish Market on the Sands' (1824) has to be the most significant of the 19th century water-colours on show here, but there are other water-colours too, including a couple painted by Richard Henry Nibbs from Brighton (1816-1893).  

Williams: Misty Morning 

There are more oil paintings than water-colours present in the exhibition, including 'Misty Morning' (1856) by Walter Williams (1835-1906), 'Rescue at Hastings' (1814) by William George Moss, and 'Hastings from the East Cliff' (1881) by William Henry Borrow.    

 Borrow: Hastings from the East Cliff

William Henry Borrow (1840-1905) was born and bred in Hastings, and I noted 4 works of art by him in the room, but I particularly like this view from the East Cliff, with the then recently built Hastings Pier in the background.  

There are also 20th century artists on show, a couple of excellent 18th century pen & ink drawings (one with water-colour too) by Joseph Barrington (1747-1821), notably 'Hastings Fishermen' (1785), apparently set below the East Cliff, and a number of sketches by Samuel Prout (1783-1852), who was also mentioned in the 19th Century Watercolourists blog in January; Prout lived in George Street from 1836 to 1845.     

 Lancaster: Marine Parade

I'm leaving comment about this oil painting to last, the enigmatic 'Marine Parade' by Richard Hume Lancaster (1773-1853). I looked at the inner frame, and the provenance from that looks quite dodgy, which I discussed with the Curator, Cathy Walling (I think it was, if I'm incorrect, apologies to her and whoever it was!). This provides 2 pieces of suspect information, that this was painted in 1818, and it was exhibited at the Royal Academy that same year. The museum obviously has doubts too, with the painting catalogued as painted in 1825. 

Now, I have quite an interest in St Mary in the Castle, and Pelham Crescent, and shall be writing about them soon too. Pelham Crescent is very obvious in this painting, yet the building of Pelham Crescent did not begin until 1824, and wasn't finished until 1828 at the earliest, indeed, the buildings to the west of St Mary in the Castle definitely were not completed by 1825... So, one can only guess that an early seller of this painting fabricated its provenance a wee bit for pecuniary reasons!      

Whatever, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, my first viewing of the Turner, which I love, obviously, many other interesting and beautiful works of art, and what a wonderful delight the whole 'Marine Parade' enigma is, I truly like the painting, and it's a real poser regarding the history of the painting... 

Quality... With many thanks to the Museum!