Old man in a barrel

[Betty Alyson]

Does anyone have any information about the clown who used to perform acrobats in a wooden barrel in the sea at high tide below Hastings or St. Leonards pier? This took place over 70 years ago, when I was a small child. His friend would come round with a hat to collect money for the performance.
The pier rail was lined with people who watched with baited breath, while the clown did handstands on the rim of the barrel as it spun and bobbed about on the sea. Sometimes he would make as if he was going to fall in, but he never did, even when the sea was fairly rough. His balance was amazing. His audiences loved him and were very happy to put a donation in the hat.

[C.A Swain]

His name was Biddy the tub man.He sold fish door to door,I remember him calling at our house.
I am sure there are photos of him in some Hastings archives.

[lionel]

A grand ld chap, raised many thousands of pounds for charity.

I seem to remember he lived in Clive Vale, the Old Town Carnival records shoud have details and there was a picture long ago in the fishermans church

[bernie adams hastings east sussex]

biddy stoneham was this chaps name i as a young lad had the honour of pulling biddys tub on a cart in the hastings carnival round the streets of hastings the last one to do so the tub and photoes of biddy can be seen at the fishermans museum rock a nore road hastings

[Norma Mechaly]

I Live in Florida now, but grew up in Hastings as a child, left in 1953, I remember the old man in a tub very well, and just this month in Realm magazine their was a big artical on him and Hastings, which I was thrilled to read about. Does anyone remember Gower's the florist in those days on the corner of Queens rd and Waterworks rd, that belonged to my dad ?

[Geoff]

Hi everyone

the old man in a barrel seems to be a very popular subject. I'd love to write a bit for the history section of the site. If anyone has some dates and photos I would love to include them.

Geoff