From Above…..
And Below!
Thursday, 31 July 2014
Sunday, 27 July 2014
Our fame spreads?
Daily Phuket News - looper23 posted a photo
Though not the most recent of photos, so here is one to bring them up to date; note the lens of the webcam is a bit fogged, because we have just had a cooling shower of rain..
Thursday, 24 July 2014
I'd like to be under the sea In an octopus's garden in the shade . . .
…. if you would too, joint the pier walk on August 12th.
Wade around the pier- adults and children 11 years +
August 12 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
An opportunity to accompany our construction team on a walk right the way around the pier. Find out about the engineering history of the pier and all the current restoration activities. You will need waterproof footwear for this walk!
The walk is free but please pre-book by ‘phoning 01424 435587 or emailing us.
Or just come into The Hub and enjoy (or contribute to) these creations - 
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
History of 'Walking over the waves' without getting wet"
Anthony Wills, of the National Piers Society and co-author of British Seaside Piers (English Heritage, £25), explores the rise and fall of the pier:
"This year marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of the first seaside pier, at Ryde on the Isle of Wight.
"Piers continue to enthral and entertain visitors to holiday resorts up and down the UK.
"You can still go angling on them, catch a steamer, take in a show, feast on fish and chips, play the slot machines, experience the thrill of fairground rides or simply relax in a deckchair and watch the world go by.
"You can even get married on some of them! But why were they built in the first place?
"The coasts of Britain have some of the highest and lowest tides in the world, and piers were initially constructed as landing stages, allowing passengers disembarking from steamers to walk to the shore rather than having to wade through the water, or hire a porter to give them a piggyback ride.
"The shallower the water, the longer the pier.
"Bandstands and pavilions soon arrived, and many piers even had their own orchestras offering classical music concerts to the town gentry.
"Entrance tolls were charged to walk on the pier in order to keep the lower classes away.
"But the arrival of paid holidays saw entire factories arriving in resorts on special excursion trains and making straight for the seafront.
"The pier owners quickly adapted their offerings to cater for them, with concert parties, open air dancing, roller skating, diving displays, rides and amusement arcades.
"By the turn of the 20th century there were more than 100 piers around the coasts of England and Wales, many of them built purely for recreation.
"The First World War prevented further piers being built and during the Second World War many were sliced in half in case enemy troops landed at the end and tried to invade.
"Piers reached the zenith of their popularity in the 1950s, when families traditionally came to resorts for a fortnight's summer holiday; but the arrival of cheap package holidays abroad, where the sunshine was guaranteed, saw their appeal decline sharply.
"Many were taken over by local councils who leased them to charitable trusts run by volunteers.
"These were able to apply for grant aid from the Government and, in particular, the Heritage Lottery Fund, created in 1996.
"Despite the expertise of Victorian engineers such as Eugenius Birch (who built 14 of them), piers are by their nature susceptible to winds and waves, fires and even ship collisions.
"Two of the most recent serious fires were at Weston-super-Mare (2008) and Hastings (2010). Cromer and Blackpool North were badly hit during last winter's exceptional storms, but are up and running again.
"Miraculously, 60 of the 100 built between 1814 and 1905 survive and bodies such as the National Piers Society are campaigning strongly for them to be cared for, so that future generations can experience the thrill of 'walking over the waves' without getting wet."
Sunday, 20 July 2014
Wade around the Pier with the Project Engineer (12th August)
At the next Spring tide there is an opportunity to wade right around the Pier, see hear about the current reconstruction and about the inhabitants of the sea under the Pier.
Suitable footwear necessary, and you will get wet!
Starts 19:00 at the Pier gate.
Tuesday, 15 July 2014
Old Town Carnival Week–lend a hand to create (and maybe carry) a float
The Pier Hub is entering the Old Town Carnival and need your help to build the float! They are running a series of workshops in July, led by Radiator Arts, to create the float which will be inspired by the past and future pier. Come along to contribute to the overall construction of the float and you will also be able to make a souvenir to take home. They also need your help to carry the float on the day of the carnival, Saturday 2nd August. If you aren't able to make the carnival itself you are still welcome to attend one of our workshops.
Carnival capers: float making workshop – all free!
July 12 @ 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm - Ore Community Centre, 455 Old London Road, Hastings, TN35 5BH United Kingdom+ Google Map
July 12 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - Ore Community Centre, 455 Old London Road, Hastings, TN35 5BH United Kingdom+ Google Map
July 19 @ 11:30 am - 1:00 pm - Isabel Blackman Centre WRVS, South Street, St. Leonards, TN37 6AP United Kingdom+ Google Map
July 19 @ 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm - Isabel Blackman Centre WRVS, South Street, St. Leonards, TN37 6AP United Kingdom+ Google Map
July 26 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm - The Citadel Salvation Army Centre, St. Andrews Square, Hastings, TN34 1SP United Kingdom+ Google Map
July 26 @ 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm - The Citadel Salvation Army Centre, St. Andrews Square, Hastings, TN34 1SP United Kingdom+ Google Map
July 28 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm - The Hub
Sunday, 13 July 2014
Newsletter - JULY 2014
'Summer Season'
We have a fun packed summer ahead. Look out for our new 'Summer Season' leaflet with details of our range of activities: there's something for everyone from under 5s to families and adults. These sessions are all free thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Coming up in July we have our regular Thursday morning 'Pier explorer' sessions for families with under 5s; there's lots of songs, games and craft fun. The sessions take place in the Hub, from 10.30am - 11.15am and there's no need to book.
This year we are entering the Old Town Carnival and we need your help to build the float! We are running a series of workshops in July, led by Radiator Arts, to create the float which will be inspired by the past and future pier. Come along to contribute to the overall construction of the float and you will also be able to make a souvenir to take home. We also need your help to carry the float on the day of the carnival, Saturday 2nd August. If you aren't able to make the carnival itself you are still welcome to attend one of our workshops. See our website for dates and venues for the workshop.
We are also running an art workshop every Wednesday in the school holidays starting on 23rd July. Each week we will be using a different art technique to create images of the pier. For those who would like to there will be an opportunity at the end of the summer to display the completed works in the Hub.
To round off July we have a talk on the 'Entertaining History of the Pier' by former pier music promoter and volunteer archivist at Hastings Museum, Andre Palfrey-Martin. The talk on 31st July will look at a wide variety of entertainment on the pier from steam boat trips to rock concerts, penny arcades to fashion parades. To book your place phone us on 01424 435587 or email us.
Construction update
The construction works have now reached the next phase as the work on the parade extension has now been substantially completed. The construction team have moved out of the old pavilion building (internal view above) to new temporary offices. Work on the refurbishment of the pavilion to create the new restaurant can now start. The existing structure is being retained as far as possible; the roof will be recovered, the external walls will be reconstructed with sliding glass doors and new windows will be fitted. There will be two ‘pods’ built on the west side for toilets and kitchen areas; the intention is to clad these with recycled decking. The inside will then be completely opened up to form a spacious restaurant and bar.
For more information about the latest reconstruction work come to our teatime updates at The Hub on alternate Wednesday afternoons between 3pm and 4pm (9th & 23rd July) or look on our website for more information.
The Hub
The Hub, our temporary visitor centre in the old White Rocks Baths entrance building, has been busy with visitors and events over the first part of the summer. We have had several visits from pupils from Christ Church Primary School in St. Leonards who have been piloting some schools sessions for us. If you are a teacher look out in the autumn for more details of these and how you can get involved.
The Hub also played host last month to a repeat talk about the musical history of the pier. Lots of you have also been contributing your memories of music on the pier by adding to our display of old singles. If you have an ephemera from concerts on the pier, such as tickets or posters, our archive group would love to see them. They meet every Wednesday in the Hub from 11.30am - 12.30pm. If you can't make Wednesday mornings leave your items with one of our Hub Interpretation team and we can return the items to you.
Work placements in construction
Hastings Pier is a unique heritage structure and we are delighted to be able to offer young people from the local area the opportunity to do a two week work placement with us. We are one of the few construction sites in the country offering young people who have not yet had the opportunity to work on a construction site a chance to gain practical skills in carpentry. The current cohort are students from Sussex Coast College and they have been assisting TimberCraftUk Ltd with laying the decking. Our first two students Callum Wood and James Childs, who started in June, have since been offered full time apprenticeships with TimberCraftUk. Above is Callum Wood working on a shelving unit as part of his work placement.
If you'd like to find out more about the life of the Hub when it was the swimming baths visit Hastings Museum and Art Gallery to see an exhibition of photographs of the now derelict, but still evocative, space. For further details see their website.
Friday, 11 July 2014
Tuesday, 8 July 2014
Monday, 7 July 2014
Link Road team help with pier restoration
The Newsroom - East Sussex County Council
VOLUNTEERS from the Bexhill to Hastings Link Road team have given their time and skills to help the project to restore Hastings Pier.
Steve Adams, Lea White and Vinnie Fuller, under the guidance of works manager John Standing, spent two days clearing an old Victorian toilet block under the promenade which had been filled with rubbish.
It will now be used for storage by the team working on the multi-million pound project by the Hastings Pier Charity to restore and reopen the structure, which was devastated by a fire in 2010…
Saturday, 5 July 2014
This week’s Local Hero (The Argus)
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11322113.Man_honoured_for_heading_pier_regeneration_project/
Man honoured for heading pier regeneration project
A PUBLIC servant who spearheaded a campaign to save a historic pier is this week’s local hero.
Simon Hubbard, director of regeneration at Hastings Borough Council, went above and beyond to support his community in helping to save Hastings Pier.
As well as being named an Argus Local Hero, Simon has made a “local authority hero” by Locality, a network of community-led organisations.
Simon received his ‘local authority hero’ award at a ceremony in central London on 30 June.
Jess Steele, of the White Rock Trust, who nominated Simon for the Locality award, said: “Simon was enormously helpful in the battle to save Hastings Pier.
“Once we persuaded him (and eventually the whole council) of the potential, they became an active partner.
“Simon steered us through rocky waters to achieve the compulsory purchase order and convinced both local authorities to strengthen our Heritage Lottery Fund application by underwriting the funding gap.
Thursday, 3 July 2014
People’s Pier Is A Project To Be Proud Of, Andy Sawford MP
http://www.labour-southeast.org.uk/hastings_should_feel_proud_of_the_peoples_pier_progress
………..Andy Sawford MP said: "I am very impressed with Hastings. It's a beautiful town with a great community spirit. The work on the pier is exciting and I would love to come back to see it once it's open………….
The Doctor Who connection
In 1950 the atmospheric film The Dark Man featured various locations around the town, including the seafront and Claremont Steps. One of its stars, William Hartnell, was destined to become the first Dr Who in 1963.
http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/local/who-needs-hollywood-sussex-by-the-sea-is-the-perfect-place-for-tv-1-5893530
Some stills featuring the pier, from the film
Available (in parts) On YouTube
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