St. Leonards Gardens, is one of the best kept secrets and the jewel in the crown, of our beautiful home town, with views and vistas that are practically unchanged from when it was first constructed nearly 200 years ago.
Tag Archives: Hastings
Seaside Melancholy
My article reflects on the melancholy feeling that engulfs a seaside town during winter. With deserted streets and empty shelters, I have included excerpts from poetic works to emphasize the loneliness and desolation felt. I also touch upon the history and cultural significance of melancholy, while arguing that it is an essential part of the human condition, offering insight into our deepest hopes, fears, and a resurgence of hope after despair.
Adventures of a Hasting’s Flâneur
My leisurely rambles around my home town and the stories that I have discovered along the way.
The Hastings Variation
The Story of how Hastings became the Chess Capital of the UK
The Wreck of the Amsterdam
The story of the tragic voyage of the Dutch cargo ship ‘The Amsterdam’ and its subsequent shipwreck on Bulverhythe Beach in 1749.
The Strange Tale of Whistler’s Mother
How the subject of one of the World’s best known paintings, spent the last few years of her life in Hastings
The Boy who Loved the Sea
When Paula Rego brought her stories to Hastings
The Crumbling Cliffs of St. Leonards (and other tales)
The story of the Unstable cliffs of West St. Leonards
Pre-Raphaelites at the Seaside
The story of how the Pre-Raphaelite artists were inspired by Hastings and the surrounding countryside.
Secret Hastings – A Tale of Two Churches (Part 2)
Secret Hastings – The story of Hasting’s Oldest church, now a picturesque ruin.
Life on the Edge 