Onwards to the west we go and reach one of the main stars of the film
Byzantium (
trailer), indeed, there are many Hastings landmarks we can recognize in the film, half being filmed here and half in Ireland. Anyway, we pass what was originally the
Palace Hotel, built in 1885-86, and now Grade II listed
Palace Court over to our right. You will see from this
blog that I regularly enjoy walking along the seafront, although more recently
Hastings Countryside Park Nature Reserve, one of our regular local award winning parks, check out this
blog, but I digress, and
virtually...
Virtual Hastings Pier
Maybe not what you expected to see as we reach
Hastings Pier, but what the second phase was planned to be when
Friends of Hastings Pier put in a bid to move the Pier on from phase 1, regrettably there having previously been no movement towards the second phase by
Hastings Pier Charity before they went into administration. This is the plan devised by the architects
dRMM, with their previous phase 2 plan having included a sliding canopy that would have moved along the length of the Pier. However, this updated second phase plan was to ensure the Pier would remain a 'sustainable community asset' (
dRMM) and was designed just before the Pier was suspiciously sold to a private bidder, and includes a modern pavilion similar in construction to the
Eden Project, which is another
dRMM success story. Sadly, the Pier is rarely open now, from even before the
Coronavirus crisis, as local folk will already be well aware.
You can see many blogs (
for example) I've written about
Hastings Pier, the potential there was for it to be developed, and the dubious result, but I'm past that now, and we are about to reach
Marine Court; you will have come to realize that I have written a few recent blogs with this virtual walk in mind. 😏 Indeed, I wrote a recent
blog about the early
'postmodern' Grade II listed
Marine Court, which was built in the 1930s and links
Art Deco with
Modernism, a wonderful take on the
Queen Mary ocean liner, and was the tallest apartment building in Britain of its time.
Oops! On we go, nearly missing the
Royal Victoria Hotel, just to our right, which was built in the early 19th century, and was originally called the
St Leonards Hotel, a focal point for then 'up and coming'
Burtons' St Leonards, the brainchild of architect
James Burton, and later developed by his son
Decimus (much more information at the Burtons' St Leonards Society
website). Also, to our left, over the beach, would have been
St Leonards Pier, had we been walking past in the late 19th century and until it was demolished in 1951 following fire and bomb damage in World War II, and storm damage that year. But this is a virtual walk, so please feel free to have a look at a previous
blog about
St Leonards Pier, including early 20th century photographs.
We shall now continue on along the seafront, and I had to include the photograph above because I love those houses over there with the balconies, with their Mediterranean 'feel' and what I call Hastings very own
Côte d'Azur, but then I do have a pretty good imagination. Anyway, let's carry on our way to...
...
Bulverhythe, which was once an 'official port' of Hastings, and became a 'limb port' of the
Cinque Ports in 1359 following the order of
King Edward III. It was a larger 'haven' than the Priory Valley, which had been the major Hastings port when the Normans invaded and hence the castle being built above it, and consequently
Bulverhythe became an important port for the town (
Hastings Chronicle). All that is left of Bulverhythe now are the ruins of the old church and what could be argued to be the oldest pub in Hastings,
The Bull Inn (
blog). Whatever, that is an argument that could go on and on, and I thank my friend John Hodges (R.I.P.) for his advice and sharing of local knowledge with me. Also, this is the border of the
Combe Valley Countryside Park, which is on the edge of Hastings Borough with half of the area owned and farmed privately, the rest owned by Hastings, Rother and East Sussex councils.
Ah, so what shall we do now? Well, I want us to make a slight detour northwards along the
Combe Haven, but we shall first have to cross the railway and A259, please come along with me. It's not too far off our path, and visiting the
Sussex Wildlife Trust's Filsham Reedbed nature reserve always helps me to relax, it is always so peaceful. I shan't dwell on this now, but if you'd like to join in with the detour, please have a look at my last visit here towards the beginning of the 'lockdown' (
blog).
If you'd like, and we're not too early, we could have a venture into the
Brickmaker's Alehouse when we reach
Bexhill, but it's probably better to drop in for a drink on the way back, when we may well need a virtual drink. However, fortunately I've visited here before 'lockdown' so please have a look at the
Steve the Beermeister blog for more about this great little micropub. The
Brickmaker's has had many previous incarnations, but it is named because it had once been run by
Lunsford/Ashdown Brickworks. But, maybe we should go elsewhere for a coffee and cake now...
... and the obvious delightful venue for coffee and cake in
Bexhill on Sea is another wonderful
Art Deco/Modernist building, the
De La Warr Pavilion, now definitely be aware of why I've been writing about local buildings recently, notably this
blog, in this instance! Much more at the
blog if you'd like to know more about this
iconic 1930s architectural masterpiece, but for now we're going there for coffee, unless that isn't your choice of beverage. Whatever we have to drink, they sell decent cakes as well, quite sizeable too, my brother and I often share a piece when we sit out on the first floor balcony, so I suggest we do the same, or maybe just go for a piece each cut in half so that we both have 2 different cakes. Let's go for it! 😉 You get credits for each hot drink on a 'loyalty card' too for a 'buy 9 get one free' offer, and sitting on the balcony provides us with a great view of the seafront, what's not to like?
After soaking in the rays on the balcony, and enjoying our small repast, we shall set forth on the way to
Pevensey, but, if we hadn't stopped in
Bexhill, we would very likely have now had a pot of tea or a beer, depending on the time, at the
Cooden Beach Hotel (
blog), another 1930s building, although very different in style. But we are heading for
Pevensey Bay, and it'll take a bit of virtual effort as mostly shingle beach for the rest of the way, unless the tide is out, and the we can walk on sand more, so let us presume the tide is virtually out for an easier walk and we can reach our third delightful 1930s
Art Deco meets
Modernist building, and one with a slightly
risqué past, The Sandcastle (blog), which sits on the beach handily, so it cannot be missed!
If you'd like to find out more about the intriguing past of
The Sandcastle please have a read of the
blog, because it does have an interesting history, but I thought we'd come away from the beach now for a drink in
Pevensey, we should be ready for that virtual pint of
Harveys Sussex Best before making our way back to
Hastings. And where better to enjoy our well deserved drinks than at
The Lamb Inn (
website), one of the oldest pubs in the country, dating back to 1180, cheers!
It is a long walk back too, but a beautiful day in which to enjoy the gorgeous coastal scenery, the 1930s architectural delights, and a beer or two (or whatever you'd prefer to drink, of course), and probably pop in to the
Brickmaker's Alehouse on the way back too. I also mention these pubs because it is now 8 weeks since we have been allowed to go for a drink in a bar, where did those 8 weeks go?!?
I hope you enjoyed our virtual day out, cheers, and look after yourselves!
