Hastings

Hastings, a seaport in Sussex, lying between two hills, 62 miles south of London by the nearest railway route, and 33 miles east of Brighton. The name is said to be derived from a Danish rover.

In the Bayeux Tapestry it is called Hestinga-caestra. The site of the original town is now covered by the sea. William the Conqueror erected a fort on the western hill, where the castle was afterwards built, andi made it one of the Cinque ports. In 1377 the town was burnt by the I>ench. It received its charter in the first year of Elizabeth, and this was enlarged by Charles II. From 1370 till the last Reform Bill Hastings returned two members to

Parliament, but now sends one. On the western hill there are the ruins of the old castle consisting of two towers, and in 1824 a Norman chapel was excavated. The principal old churches are those of All Saints and St. Clement's, in the Perpendicular style. There are also a Rornefn Catholic college and Augustinian monastery. The town hall was built in 1823, and the Albert Memorial in 1864. The Alexandra Park, 70 acres in extent, was opened in 1882. Some little way beyond the West, Hill lies St. Leonards, the more modern and fashionable part of the united borough. Hastings Pier is 900 feet long, and has at its farther end a large pavilion. At St. Leonards a new pier was opened in 1891. Besides the long line of open parades, there is the Marina, a covered-in parade 600 feet long. Hotels are numerous, and every convenience and luxury tempts the visitor. The coast and inland scenery towards the east are picturesque in the homely English style. Fishing and boat-building employ a large section of the inhabitants, but provision for the wants of invalids and other visitors affords an occupation to a still larger number.