Welding Pile 48a whilst it is installed at low water.

Pier Head works; Cranes dancing at dusk

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The Musical heritage of Hastings Pier by Olu Jenzen and Beatrice Rapley

The silent disco on the Hastings Pier was an event that aimed to test the potentials and limitations of telling the popular culture history of the pier through music. It was organised in September of 2015 as part of the Heritage Open Days.

The event was a collaboration between The People’s Pier research project and the Hastings Pier Charity.

Olu and Archie produced a podcast that showcased the musical heritage of the pier from the 1960s to the 2000s, based on research into the pier as a music venue and space for the enjoyment of a wide range of popular culture by the research team in collaboration with the pier archive team volunteers. It featured music, oral history and various seaside sound effects.

the Rolling Stones played Hastings Pier three times in 1964, but also groups such as The Kinks, The Who, The Zombies and artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Cilla Black sustained youth culture on the south coast as well as attracted young people down from London.

Hastings Pier has such a fantastically rich musical heritage – and is quite unique in how it became the host for waves of new types of music such as progressive and glam rock (Pink Floyd, The Nice, Genesis, Hawkwind, Sparks, T-Rex) and onward into the punk period (Sex Pistols, The Damned, The Clash, The Jam) and in the 1990s, as youth musical culture became more dance orientated again – like in the 1950s – Hastings Pier morphed into a rave party venue featuring acts such as the Prodigy.

See The Kinks and read more at http://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/thepeoplespier/2015/10/27/the-musical-heritage-of-hastings-pier/

Makes a good jigsaw puzzle!

As the Pier Head work progresses rotten trusses are cut out and lifted by crane then transported along the Pier for scrap metal recycling.

An Important Part of Pier History–The Hub

Getting ready for the transition to the opening of the pier, use of the Pier Hub is changing to specifically facilitate training, archive research, schools sessions and family activities.

The Pier Hub opened on Wednesday 15^th January 2014 and since then it has been open to the public for 344 days, staffed by 71 volunteers, who have dedicated over 4,000 hours to keep the public up to date with the reconstruction of the Pier.

Over the course of the Pier Hub’s opening time the Learning and Education team have delivered 78 family activities, 28 project sessions, 19 schools workshops, 10 talks, 8 exhibitions, 8 Science-on-sea sessions, 7 Hands on Heritage events, and 6 school theme days - all inspired by the heritage of Hastings Pier.

We have welcomed 12,434 general visitors – so thank you to everyone who took the time to come and meet us and find out about the project – we look forward to seeing you all with your friends and family when the pier re-opens in 2016.

What a great photo! Do you know when?

Find from the Archive
Hawk Trainers flying over Hastings Pier as part of the annual air show that used to take place. We believe this was taken in the late ‘70s/early ‘80’s. Were you there? Can you confirm the date for us? Get in touch: archive@hpcharity.co.uk

Nearly there . . . ! RATs and CATs at Pier Head

Rope Access Technicians installing X bracing.

 

“Cradle Access Technician” preparing trusses and beams prior to replacement with new galvanised trusses and deck beams.

Construction update

Work on the Visitor Centre continues with the fixing the re-cycled deck timber to clad the building.  The boards have been sanded and bevelled and are being fixed in an articulated chevron pattern.

Around the windows and in the doorways there will be blue/grey zinc cladding panels.

The main services to the building are being laid.  Air conditioning, electrics and sprinklers are being fitted inside.  The lift and the ‘dumb’ waiter have been installed.

The construction of the steps and arena seating on the North end will be undertaken shortly.

Reinstatement of the old cast iron balustrade is nearly complete, exactly 100 years after it was originally installed.

The new steel balustrade is being erected along the West side of the Pier with a timber handrail to match the decking.

At the Pier Head the replacement of the trusses, deck beams and bracing continue,  progressing towards the end of the Pier, with only 8 bays to go.

Another view of the “now you see it, now you don’t” railings.

Education Assistant Internship

Hastings Pier Charity seeks an enthusiastic and reliable individual to work with a small team of staff and volunteers to support with the administration of the education and outreach programme.

This is an ideal opportunity for someone looking to gain experience working with a charity and wanting to learn more about education work, funded projects, and community engagement.

14 hours per week, 2 days a week with some weekend working connected to the opening of the pier.

Click here to download Job Application

Now you see it, now you don’t – the new railings beyond the Apron

Replacing -

And the railings around the Apron -

The old finial brought back into use – beautiful!

A View from up aloft–Visitor Centre ‘roof’.

A View that will soon disappear from sight