This cosmopolitan town is home to the largest beach-launched fishing fleet in Europe, the remains of the first castle in England to be built by William the Conqueror, a preserved Old Town and a strong local arts community. Hastings is also home to the largest beach launched fishing fleet in Europe.
Built in the immediate aftermath of the Norman invasion, Hastings Castkewas one of the first of many motte-and-bailey fortifications constructed across England
St Clement’s Caves were formed around 14,000 BC, during the last Ice Age. Ever since, these mysterious caves have had a fascinating part to play in the history of the area. St Clement’s Caves have served as a home, a hospital, an air-raid shelter and a ballroom, but most famously it was used by smugglers.
Blue Reef Aquarium Get up close to countless species of marine life at Blue Reef Aquarium Hastings – from sharks and stingrays to seahorses and clownfish. Journey through naturally themed habitats, including an underwater tunnel with sharks.
The Shipwreck Museum is an independent charitable museum in the historic Old Town of Hastings. The museum has artefacts from many ships wrecked in the English Channel from the Goodwin Sands in Kent to Pevensey Bay in East Sussex, including the Amsterdam, a Dutch East Indiaman of 1749, and the Anne of 1690, a warship of Charles II. There are also exhibits of fossils found in the local area.
The West Hill Lift retains its original wooden Victorian coaches, and also runs through a tunnel, very unusual for a funicular. The lift's charming lower station is in traffic-free George Street which is full of continental-style cafés. The West Hill itself offers some of the town's most remarkable views, stretching round to Beachy Head in the west and out across the Channel, the busiest sea lane on the world. Better still, you can enjoy these sights from inside the West Hill Café. The East Hill Lift is the UK’s steepest funicular railway is not only a structure of national importance but also a source of immense local pride. It provides access to Hastings Country Park which overlooks the Old Town and Rock-a-Nore. It was in the country park that Hastings resident John Logie Baird, the inventor of television, got the inspiration which led to his first TV experiments.
Hastings Country Park was formed in 1974 and covers 660 acres, featuring Sandstone cliffs, glens covered with gorse and trees, footpaths, nature trails & picnic areas.