… Hastings

Hastings is a beautiful seaside town on the south coast of Engalnd in the county of East Sussex. It is probably most famous for the battle of 1066 when William The Conqueror defeat King Harold to become King of England.

The traditional fishing boats still launch from the beach near The Stade (landing place) just like they have for at least 600 years. The prominent net huts on the beach stand about 25 feet high because of a restriction which only allowed them to be 8 square feet to limit space used between the cliffs and the sea. This just caused the fishermen built their equipment stores upwards to maximise the allowed space.

The town also has a long association with smuggling and pirates. Today, this is celebrated every year in the summer when the whole town seems to dress up as pirates and parade through the Old Town.