Hastings Forum

Looking for any information on the Free Trader Inn pub in Fish Market, Hastings. Particularly around 1900. when my great grandfather was landlord.
Does the establishment still exist, or changed name etc?

Any information would be greatly appreciated

The Free Trader closed in the early 20th century (around1905 I think). I have no idea what happened to it after that. The Free Trader was at 5 Commercial Road and later 7 East Beach Street. Unless the street has been renumbered (a possibility) this building was later incorporated into the London Trader pub, which is still very much in business. You may also find references to it being in East Street. It's a bit too complex to explain, but the geography puts it in both streets at once. Commercial Road no longer exists and its exact course is vague, but it appears to have been absorbed by surrounding streets and renaming.

See the link below.

http://www.hastingspubhistory.com/?page_id=13

According to 'Historic Hastings', Commercial Road was at the foot of High Street, the section between George Street and West Street, and was 'recently renumbered as High Street' when that was first published (1955?). It's listed in the 1948 Kelly's Directory as containing just two houses - a fried fish shop on the east side and the Corner House Restaurant on the west_ _ _

Yes Peter, I have a map that suggests that as well, but the Rising Sun and Pelican pubs were also once listed (un-numbered) as being in Commercial Road, with the Pelican being simultaneously in West Street.

As I said, it's all rather vague and confusing. The National Archives do make errors occasionally due (I guess) to old documents being damaged or hand written illegibly, but I don't think this is the case here as there are other entries for 2 - 4 Commercial Road.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/ ... 68#1-1-368

My guess is that commercial road began at the end of Bourne Street with 1 - 4 then the Free Trader. The road then continued past the London Trader and Jolly Fisherman as far as the Queen's Head (The last two pubs are extinct, but the Queen's Head is now the restaurant by the former Rotunda, now a car park). It continued from the corner of George Street past the Pelican and the Rising Sun pubs as far as the Lugger pub (now the fish and chip shop next door to the Cutter) and ended at West Street. The tiny road between the sea front and West Street by the chip shop may have once been the end of Commercial Road. This may once have looked more natural than it does to modern eyes as the road was much narrower and there were many net huts and other paraphernalia in the area.

There were several other pubs/beer houses at the fishmarket such as the Bakers Arms and the Original Good Woman. Their exact location is unknown, but they may have been in what is now the High Street or were possibly knocked down when the Rotunda Fishmarket was built. The number of pubs and beer houses that once traded in this small area is quite staggering.

The course of Commercial Road probably began to look awkward when they built the Rotund, which may be why they renamed the sea front parts. The Queen's Head became 1 East Beach Street with the Jolly Fisherman at No.3. The London Trader is at 4 - 7 East Beach Street, which is a puzzle as there is another building between the Jolly Fisherman and the London Trader, but perhaps that has its address in East Street.

All this must seem extremely complex to anyone not familiar with the area and its history. It's pretty confusing for those who are familiar with it as well.

I've marked where I think Commercial Road was on the 1878 map in red. The green line is the High Street, the blue line is East Street, the yellow line is George Street, the light blue line is West Street and the purple line is Bourne Street which is where the Bourne is today. The orange blob is the London Trader and possibly the Free Trader.

Perhap someone with better old maps can clarify and correct.

[Attachment: map.bmp (955.35kb)]

Just to clarify a little, by the 1950s, all that was left of Commercial Road was the bit between the High Street and the sea front.

See also http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/ ... 67#1-4-167

Looking at the map again I think the red ;ine should continue a bit further before turning into West Street. I said it was confusing.

What was "The Old Woman's Tap" which was on the site of what is now the Royal Victoria Hotel, and a favourite rendezvous of smugglers.

The old Woman's tap is a new one on me. It may have been a gin house if it pre dates the hotel.

From "Hastings of Bygone Days" by Henry Cousins, a chapter on Two Well-Known Smuggler's Haunts, 'New England Bank', Bopeep, this old inn which stood on the ground now occupied by West St.Leonards Railway Station.Also mentioned is the Old Woman's Tap (where the Victoria Hotel is now)

I did a bit of digging and an old picture of the London Trader shows it to have originally been the taller building at the East end with two small cottages to the west, which now form part of the pub, so it seems unlikely that the Free Trader became incorporated into it after all. Both were beer houses and existed at the same time, so it cannot be the London Trader despite the similarity of name. Beer houses could be all shapes and sizes, who would have thought the tiny Pelican was once a beer house? The Free Trader must remain a mystery for now, but hopefully some light will someday come.

Stumbled on this old post card. The red arrow points to the London Trader, which hadn't taken over the cottages next door yet. The blue arrow points to a building that seems to say Breed's Ales. This doesn't mean this was the Free Trader as it could be one of several other boozers, but it is possible.

[img://www.hastingsforum.co.uk/forums/sf_attachments/524007_416918521653082_100000048120283_1617765_1373071238_n.jpg]