Don't Forget, Photo ID required for Coming Elections!

Thanks to the habitual liar, ex-PM and lawbreaker Johnson, you now need photo ID if you want to vote at the local elections, and for Police & Crime Commissioner, on the 2nd of May 2024, and whenever the General Election is held. If you turn up at the polling booth without photo ID, you won't be allowed to vote, so get it now if you don't already have an acceptable method of ID, and don't want to lose your right to vote.

Acceptable photo ID includes an original (not photocopied) Passport, Driving Licence, Older or Disabled Persons' Bus Pass, Freedom Pass, other Concessionary Travel Cards and SmartPasses, PASS Card, and EEA ID cards. For full details of acceptable photo ID go to the Electoral Commission website.

If you don't have any photo ID that qualifies, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, providing you are on the Electoral Register, at the Government website.

If you want your name to be added to the Electoral Register, go to the Government website, where you can register online, or, again, lose the right to vote.

This policy was introduced last year, if you want further details, and of how it went for elections last year and by-elections, go to this Parliamentary Research Briefing.

For further details go to the Electoral Commission website. 👍

Don't lose your right to vote, please! 

More than Half a Million!

Indeed, I've passed half a million page views for the Steve on Hastings blog, many thanks to everyone who has read something here, I trust some of it has been informative, let's hope I live long enough to make it a million, cheers m'dears! 👍

500,760 and counting... 😁

Hastings Town Centre: Another Public Consultation!

You may have already had a leaflet drop through your letterbox, but, yes, another public consultation, this time, from this week until the 1st of March 2024, and called Hastings Town Centre Public Realm and Green Connections.

We are being asked to share our opinions of the Public Realm and Green Connections project, which suggests 'green corridors buzzing with biodiversity connecting Hastings town centre to the seafront.' See below, not sure about crossing the road though, could be interesting:

During the period of consultation there will be drop-in events with slightly different venues, depending on if you read the leaflet, or you look at the website (Hastings Town Deal), including, tomorrow (27th January), from 10.00 to 16.00, according to both sources, a public exhibition in Priory Meadow Shopping Centre.

Tuesday week, the 6th of February from 12.00 to 17.00, according to the leaflet, there is another public exhibition in Hastings Community Hub, in the Queens Road Hastings Town Hall (Priory Meadow entrance). Whereas the website suggests this is again in Priory Meadow Shopping Centre. At least not far away from each other, I'm sure it will be easy enough to find the event. 😉

Then, on Wednesday the 21st of February, according to both sources, there will be pop-up consultation events at Asda, Battle Road TN37 7AA from 13.00 to 15.30, and at Tesco, Church Wood Drive TN38 9RB from 16.00 to 18.00.

More details can be found at the East Sussex County Council website.

To complete the online survey you need to go to the website, which must be completed by 23.59 on the 1st of March.

Or paper copies of the brochure and survey, plus freepost envelope, can be found at the following sites, remember, the survey must be submitted by 23.59 on the 1st of March:

Hastings Library, Brassey Institute, 13 Claremont TN34 1HE;

The Observer Building, 53 Cambridge Road TN34 1DT;

Summerfields Leisure Centre, Bohemia Road TN34 1ET.

Remember, this is your chance to have a say, and you have until 23.59 on the 1st of March 2024 to share your opinions. 👍

I Haven't had a Moan for a while...

I haven't had a moan for a while, but, Hastings Pier remains closed, presumably until Easter or thereabouts, who knows?!?

Oh yes, and irresponsible cycling! Not just banned in central pedestrianised areas, but in Bottle Alley (where my first image suggests I was annoyed earlier) and the lower Promenade, on pavements, and in Alexandra Park, and that includes those bikes with enormous wheels/tyres and MOTORS (surely a bike with a motor is by definition a motorbike and should be licenced and using the road, not pavements and pedestrianised areas?!?), and shouldn't they stop at zebra/pedestrian crossings and traffic lights, and shouldn't they not go the wrong way down/up one-way streets...

Social order is falling apart at the seams... 😟

Seafront Saunter

I had a wander along the seafront to West Marina Gardens earlier, and back to the town centre, but the statue of Harold Godwinson and Edith Swan-neck reminded me of a blog I wrote 9 years ago, plus follow-ups. I wonder if Harold did live...

Oh yes, and Hastings Pier is closed, what a surprise! 😒

And, I meant to say recently, but forgot to report, that since it's grand refurbishment and reopening (blog), HMV is closed again for refurbishment, floods, eh!?!

Festive Cheer!

By Steve the Beermeister:

Happy/Hoppy New Beer/Year! I wandered around Hastings over the last few weeks, particularly the 'old town' with its better variety and choice of pubs, but I've included a photograph above of the tree in Priory Meadow shopping centre, taken fairly early in the morning.

I started in the town centre, it's where I live, but now walk eastwards, past Iceland, to the old town, where the first pub you reach opposite the seafront, with its other side in George Street, that is the Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA (website), which sells 4 cask ales from Sussex and Kent brewers, normally Harvey’s Sussex Best (website) as a regular; sadly they no longer appear to be getting ale from Bedlam Brewery. Plus side, they do now take cash again.

I missed drinking the 7.5% Harvey's Christmas Ale (website) on my last visit, indeed, which I last drank 4 years ago now (blog), but a bit strong to start off the session! However, I did recently drink there, from another East Sussex brewery Long Man (website), their 4.3% old ale Old Man, which I joked about many years ago about a young member of bar staff at the Dolphin Inn serving up 'an old man Old Man' - amused me at the time, sadly I've lost the image of her pulling the pint... Anyway, Old Man is brewed using darker malts, of course, with Bramling Cross and Fuggles hops, producing a fine version of an old ale, dark and bitter sweet, nice one...

Carrying along George Street you reach 2 of the 5 Shepherd Neame (website) pubs in the old town, if you like their ales, you may say 'blessed' with 5! Above is a photograph of Ye Olde Pumphouse, 64 George Street TN34 3EE. It looks old, but was actually built 1955/56, opening in 1956, but using older materials; I suggest reading Hastings Pub History website for more details. Indeed, the first pub that Shepherd Neame acquired in Hastings was The Freemans in Wellington Place, now Jempsons/Rye Bakery, which was their pub from 1928-1958 (blog).

What I did drink at the Pumphouse was the cask Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale (5.0% cask ale - 7.0% in bottle). An amber winter ale, not as impressive as the Harvey's version, no surprise bearing in mind the strength, but a gentle surprisingly easy to drink bitter sweet beer.

Virtually opposite, is another Sheps pub, the Anchor Inn, 13 George Street TN34 3EG (website), a much older pub (blog). Here you get the regular  ales, sometimes the impressive 5.0% Bishops Finger, and the pub is famed for its Sunday roast dinners/lunch!

At the eastern end of the street is another older Sheps pub, the Hastings Arms, 2 George Street TN34 3EG (website), which I have written about before in my older blog. Actually, I visit here quite often, and I really do need to update this blog more with information about pubs I've written about in the past in that older blog; usual Sheps beers served here. They have a locally popular, thus heavily subscribed Curry Night on Tuesdays, and Tapas Night on Thursdays. Also, I regularly meet up with people I know coincidentally at the Sheps pubs in the old town. 😁

Turning left up the High Street, and up on the left is the Jenny Lind, 69 High Street TN34 3EW (website), which I have written about a number of times (eg blog). Here I drank:

A wee bit confusing, because it was in a Long Man glass in this image, but the ale is actually from yet another East Sussex brewery Three Acre (website), and is their 5.1% Chocolate Oat Stout, with the added chocolate flavour coming from added cacao apparently, not just chocolate malt. Does what it says on the label, smooth, chocolatey, with a dry roasted malt finish, strangely nowhere near as heavy as I thought it would be, nice!

Further up the hill, and on the right is the First In Last Out (FILO), 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY (website), with its own brewery, and which I've written about many times (eg blog). Usually meet up with people I know here, indeed, arranged to meet up with a couple of friends here last Thursday, and another friend, Russ, always comes down once a year to visit me, and we always drink here, if not eat here (although it was the Albion where we ate at the Thursday before).

I have imbibed a few of their different styles of ale here recently, best bitter (3.8%), pale and hoppy (4.2%), and the stronger Gold (4.8%), but I'll discuss here their 4.6% Cardinal Sussex Porter. Brewed with chocolate malt and roasted barley this is a very deep dark red, and tastes like it should, with a smooth finish, nice one.

Go behind the FILO via the alleyway by its side, and car park, and you reach The Bourne, once a river, now a sewer below ground, and a road above, cross the road and nip up a side road to All Saints Street, if you turn left and carry on up the hill you come to another Sheps pub in the old town, The Stag. However, I turned right and down to the Cinque Ports Arms (above), 105 All Saints Street TN34 3BE. This pub was originally known as the Chequers and dated back to before 1642, but apparently hasn't been a pub continuously since then. For more information about the history of the pub go to the excellent Hastings Pub History website.

The have had 3 ales on when I've visited before, but it is usually 2 cask ales, including the ubiquitous Harvey's Sussex Best (above), and, replacing the Fuller's ESB that used to be a regular here, now they sell Fuller's smaller sibling, London Pride. Needless to say I had a pint of both, and a nice chat with Tony, who I found sitting at the bar when I arrived, cheers Tony!

Carry on down the hill and you come to the Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN (website), which sells 2 cask ales, and an array of crafty keg beers. The cask ales are usually from very local brewers, but I own up that I've forgotten what I drank here; I made no notes, oops, sorry! 😕

Anyway, carry on down and you'll reach Rock-a-Nore Road at the bottom of the hill, turn left and you come to the Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW (website), which I have to own up to being my favourite among many very good pubs in Hastings; but they sell some of my favourite ales and ales from some of my favourite breweries, notably pale, dry & bitter!

Anyway, recently I've had some very decent dark ales here too, including Titanic Plum Porter and Pomona Island Horngus Mild, but you'll guess from the image above, many excellent pale bitters too. Not just one of my favourite ales Citra, from one of my favourite breweries Oakham Ales (website), both of which I've written about many times before, but many also from another of my two favourite brewers; including Kocasco (4.2%) from Mallinsons (website), brewed with Kohatu, Cascade and Columbus hops, and a few from Kent Brewery (website).

The final Sheps pub in Hastings old town is back to the west of The Bourne and is the Royal Standard, 19 East Street/East Beach Street TN34 3DW (website). The building dates from 1707, when a shoemaker lived there, and was a beerhouse from 1822, and has been a fully licensed pub since 1856. As you'd expect, the usual Shepherd Neame ales are served here, although there wasn't Bishops Finger for my last visit, sadly.

My final seasonal pub is the Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR (website), which I have written about quite a few times, eg blog, and which, incidentally, begins a 3-day Dark Beer Festival today, Friday 5th to Sunday 7th January 2024. It will be opening at 12.00 noon for these 3 days, and further information can be found at their facebook page.

I have been intending to write a blog about dark beers, and have been knocking back quite a few recently, but I'll leave that to after I visit over this weekend. However, I have to mention at least one excellent crafty keg I've had there recently, the 12.5% Our Barley Aged Imperial Stout (above), brewed in Glasgow by Overtone Brewing (website). They used 12 kinds of malt in the mash, and this was brewed in collaboration with Lochlea Distillery, aged in a selection of their ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso barrels... Oh yes, and Magnum hops used!

From my notes now: "Very very very dark! Brownish head, rich and thick/full bodied. An aroma of roasted barley, and smooth, rich and chocolatey taste... Very decent!"

HI HO! 🍻