Well, the partial eclipse was a disappointment down here with the cloud cover, and more disappointing news is that the Hastings Old Town Hall Museum is closing (as I hinted earlier this year) on the 1st April 2015, and this isn't a joke, sadly...
I dropped in and had a chat to Rebecca, who gave me the bad news earlier today. The Old Town Hall Museum (website) provides an introduction to the history of the town, with historical and interactive exhibits, and with a number of paintings adorning the walls (some now on display at the main museum), as told in my blog about Early 19th Century Watercolourists in Hastings a couple of months ago. This has happened as a result of the cut in funding from Central Government to Hastings Borough Council, and, if you haven't been for a while, hurry up and visit, because there are some great exhibits, which will need to be found a place up at Bohemia Road, who knows when...
The building has a wonderful history too. It was built in 1823, and offices here became the earliest police station in Hastings, when Hastings Police Force was set up in 1836; the oldest force in Sussex, I believe! The newer town hall in Queens Road replaced the old town hall in 1881; also see my blog of 18th January about that building. Since 1949, the old town hall has been a museum, more recently being reopened in 1999 following refurbishment that was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
We shall have to wait and see what will develop for this Grade II listed building...
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