Hastings Old Town
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hastings Old Town, is an area in Hastings widely considered a place of historical importance as well as a tourists' destination. Thousands of visitors go to Hastings Old Town for the many attractions and famous events. The old town is home to the biggest beach launching fishing fleet in Britain, the shingle beach has always been known as The Stade (the old Saxon term meaning "landing place") being a maritime center for over a thousand years. The fleet has always been famous and internationally recognized for fishing in an ecologically sound way.
Many events take place every year it the old town such as the Hastings Old Town Week, Jack In The Green, the Seafood and Wine Festival, the Bonfire Procession as well as many other local events and artistic performances. Winkle island is widely considered the old town's most famous gathering point.
A famous and unique part of the old town are the Net Shops: these are tall black wooden sheds which were built to provide a weather proof store for the fishing gear made from natural materials to prevent them from rotting in wet weather. The sheds were originally built on posts to allow the sea to go underneath, however more shingle has built up and the sea does not reach the huts anymore. The beach area, on which the Sheds stand on, built up after groynes were erected in 1834, however the limited space meant the sheds had to grow upwards, even though some sheds do have cellars.
Local historian and author Steve Peak says about the net shops:
- The old town’s Net Shops - approximately 50 black wooden sheds standing in neat rows on a shingle beach are unique. They were built to provide weather-proof stores for fishing gear made of natural materials which rotted if wet for a long time. Today’s materials are artificial and can be left in the open. Most net shops stand on a piece of beach that appeared suddenly after the first of the town’s groynes were erected in 1834. The new beach area was small and close to the sea, so each shop could only have about eight or nine feet square to build on. But all boats had more nets than could be stored in such limited space, so the sheds had to grow upwards. Some have cellars. Many originally stood on posts to let the sea go underneath. Fishermen keep spare gear in the shops. One is a museum.
[edit] Lifeboats
Hastings RNLI lifeboat station, based in the Old Town, was established in 1858,[1] it currently operates a Mersey class offshore lifeboat, as well as a D class inshore rescue boat.[2] The offshore boat is launched from a carriage which is driven into the sea, and the boat is towed back up the beach on its return, by a caterpillar-tracked tractor, waterproofed so that it can operate almost completely submerged.
