Happy Christmas!

[seahermit]

Hello everyone. Happy Christmas and hopefully a much better year ahead for all of us. I am just trying to keep the forum alive - it has been very enjoyable and informative in the past, so I hope some people will return and contribute. It's important that we don't give up communicating.

It has been a very strange time (not unprecedented if you go back to the 1600's!). The Covid pandemic seems to have changed people's habits, they don't go out so much and don't participate (but I think it's important to not become insular). A lot of shops and businesses in Hastings have just disappeared, rather changed the atmosphere of the town centre. We used to be spoilt for choice with live music, but that is not ubiquitous as it used to be. The pubs are struggling - on a Friday night recently the huge Wetherspoon pub had about six customers!

And probably like everyone, I have lost sight of numerous people - just disappeared (one or two of my friends unfortunately died).

We have to hope that it will all get better. There ARE some live music events still - at the Jenny Lind and the Stag in the Old Town, both nice pubs. I miss all the open mic poetry/music nights - hopefully it will revive when the Covid business calms down.

I will post any good events if I come across them. One thing that people still seem to do is eat out! Hastings still has plenty of good restaurants and they seem to be very popular (why not, if you are fed up?).

Again Happy Christmas and keep going, try to make the best of 2022.

[Fjh78]

Hi Seahermit.

Merry Christmas and a Happy Mew Year to all!
I too would welcome more visitors and contributors to this long standing site. Over the years it’s been a connection for me to a huge source of local knowledge and history.

Peoples voices, memories and thoughts matter. Sometimes the smallest, most seemingly insignificant piece of info might be the key to unlocking a family mystery, or the missing piece in solving a puzzle in this fascinating historical Town.

Please keep posting!

Felicity

[seahermit]

Thanks Felicity, that's encouraging! Yes, there's a lot of fascinating history surrounding Hastings and it's one of the things which has kept me here for a good few years.

Even in my own patch in St Leonard's, the buildings contain numerous clues to their history and changes which have taken place - if you know where to look. Did you know that the front entrance of the Royal Victoria hotel used to be where the back is now - opposite the Masonic Hall?! What is now the building's front (facing the sea) used to be the rear. It was all remodelled, but you can still see the old tradesmen's entrances (funny little doorways, below ground level because the level of the new sea road was raised).

Happy New Year!