Hastings Histories

15/04/2023

🚨🎧New Episode Released! 🎧🚨

🦁⚽️The History of Hastings United⚽️🦁

In our fifth episode we will be exploring the history of our beloved local football team, Hastings United. We will go all the way back to the clubs origins in the 19th century, discuss the highs and lows of the next 100 years, and reflect on what makes Hastings United such a special club.

What different forms has the club taken over the years? What impact does money have on the lower league game? How has women's football developed in our town and elsewhere? What can Hastings United tell us about the larger history of the beautiful game?

This episode was create in partnership with Leon Pettit, the creator of the brilliant website
www.hastingsfootballhistory.co.uk
Hope you enjoy - feedback is always welcome!

https://hastingshistories.buzzsprout.com/1933508/12651098-the-history-of-hastings-united

In our fifth episode we will be exploring the history of our beloved local football team, Hastings United. We will go all the way back to the clubs origins in the 19th century, discuss the highs and lows of the next 100 years, and reflect on what ...

02/03/2023

Hastings Histories will be returning in April 2023… 🎧

Been quiet over the past few months as I have been travelling. It’s been wonderful seeing more of the world - but nowhere is as lovely as our beloved Hastings of course!

‘The History of Hastings United’ is due to be finished late April once I’m back in the UK. The interviews and research has been finished, just need to put the episode together. Then I have two or three more ideas in the pipeline for the remainder of 2023…

You’ll be hearing more from the podcast soon. Perhaps the episode will tie in nicely with HUFC being in the playoffs…?

26/11/2022

It’s great to see that more and more people are discovering this podcast! Getting lots of new downloads even though we’ve not had a new episode out for a while - keep sharing it with people you think might be interested.

The interviewing and research has been done for the next episode - should be due out over the Xmas period.

Watch this space… 🦁⚽️

11/10/2022

Got the ball rolling on one of our next episodes - The History of Hastings United!

Already spoken to a few people, started the research and have an excellent guest lined up. I’ve got a basic history of the club sorted… but I want to add some more social history/anecdotes.

Do you know any interesting stories from the club’s past? Can you think of any examples of ways the club has interacted with the community, or been involved in the wider story of English football? Any surprising, quirky or fun facts/stories?

If so - get in touch!

24/09/2022

Hello everyone, been a busy month - I’ve started a new job and had a hectic schedule. But fear not my fellow local history buffs, there are three more episodes with guests now agreed and more ideas in the pipeline!

We’re aiming for two more episodes this year and have another lined up for mid 2023. If you have any idea of future episodes (or even better if you have a suggestion for local experts to appear on an episode) then drop me a message.

The kind messages sent over about the current episodes have been really appreciated, thank you everyone that’s listened and engaged so far. Don’t forget to recommend the podcast to any friends you think would be interested 🎧

24/08/2022

🚨🎧New Episode Released!🎧🚨

🐟⚓️The History of Hastings Fishing Part 2 - Within Living Memory⚓️🐟

This is our second episode on the history of the Hastings fishing community. This time we take up the story post WW2 and continue to explore the changes seen to The Stade, developments in the practices of fishing and the challenges faced by the industry in the modern era.

Who owns The Stade and what rights do the fishermen claim? How has the practice of fishing evolved and how have these changes affected our oceans? What impact has government policy had on small fishing communities like Hastings?

This episode was created in partnership with Mick and Steve Barrow. Mick spent started fishing in Hastings in the 1970's and was a prominent member of the lifeboat crew. Steve is the local boat builder and is well known regionally for his craft.

You can find it on our blog, on all podcasting apps, and using the link below. Hope you enjoy - feedback is always welcome!

https://hastingshistories.buzzsprout.com/1933508/11189788-the-history-of-hastings-fishing-part-2-within-living-memory

This is our second episode on the history of the Hastings fishing community. This time we take up the story post WW2 and continue to explore the changes seen to The Stade, the methods of fishing and the challenges faced by the industry in the mode...

22/08/2022

Have you enjoyed the podcasts so far? Well, we've got a favour to ask...

We're about to release our fourth episode and have several more in the pipeline. We've had a lot of positive responses but we're always looking for ways to improve.

Please could you take a few minutes to complete this feedback form? It's really quick and you only need to answer the questions you feel are relevant. All comments and thoughts welcome - it'll be a huge help in improving the podcast going forward.
Thanks in advance! New episode out in a few days...

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfchMA46cIIWWxVmAiUwqTqZkuvYnyP9FEQj109e50jn-BaCw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to complete this feedback form. I'm always looking for ways that we can improve Hastings Histories and your thoughts, comments and ideas are very much welcome. This project was created as part of my masters degree in Public History. However, I've fallen in love w...

21/08/2022

🐟 New Blog Post! 🐟

Thanks for all the feedback and kind comments about the most recent episode on fishing in Hastings. Part 2 of this topic is now finished and due to be released next week!

In the meantime we’ve publish a new blog examining the history behind the complex issue of the ownership of The Stade. We hope you find it interesting. Keep your eyes pealed for the new episode coming soon.

https://hastingshistories.wixsite.com/blog/post/who-should-own-the-stade

The fishermen’s fight against financial might. The Stade is the name for the stretch of shingle beach in Hastings Old Town. ‘Stade’ is the old Anglo-Saxon term for landing place – this name alone tells us that the area is rich in history! Shingle beaches may not necessarily seem like valuabl...

05/08/2022

Already had lots of people get in touch about our new episode - people are hooked!

This is the book I mention in the podcast by Steve Peak. It’s an excellent read. The Fisherman’s Museum has a fair few copies in stock so if you’re about in the old town this weekend pop in and get a copy.

There’s also a great oral history that covers more recent periods called “Voices from the Stade”. Again, highly recommended. A few of the people in that book appear in our next episode 🎧

04/08/2022

🚨🎧New Episode Released!🎧🚨

🐟⚓️The History of Hastings Fishing Part 1 - Beyond Living Memory⚓️🐟

Our third episode is now live - and it's quite the catch. We explore the history of the Hastings fishing community from doomsday till WW2 and get a fair bit of old town history along the way. A perfect episode to release during Old Town Carnival Week!

We look at the practice of fishing in Hastings and how it evolved over time - but also explore the lives of the fishing community more generally. What was it like in the 19th century old town? Why has the Hastings fleet survived all these years when so many have disappeared? What challenges have they faced - from both land and sea?

This episode was created in partnership with the Hastings Fisherman's Museum - I hope it inspires you to pop down and visit them in the Stade!

Part two - "Within Living Memory" - will be with you by the end of the month...

https://hastingshistories.buzzsprout.com/1933508/11080695-the-history-of-hastings-fishing-part-1-beyond-living-memory

In this episode we’ll be exploring the history of the Hastings fishing community from the Doomsday Book until WW2. We’ll look at the work of the fishermen, the community in the which they lived and the challenges they faced.How has fishing changed...

30/07/2022

We’ve very nearly finished our next episode…

🐟⚓️The History of Hastings Fishing Part 1 - Beyond Living Memory⚓️🐟

In this episode we’ll be exploring the history of the Hastings fishing community from the Doomsday Book until WW2! We’ll look at the work of the fishermen, the community in the which they lived and the challenges they faced.

How has fishing changed in Hastings over the years? What was it like in the 19th century old town? Why has the Hastings fleet survived all these years when so many have disappeared?

This episode is created in partnership with the Hastings Fishermen's Museum and it’s been fascinating to create.

Watch this space….

20/07/2022

🚨New Blog Post!🚨

We’ve had a great response to the latest podcast about the America Ground. However, a few people have mentioned that it’s quite tricky to actually visualise what the area looked like as it developed.

We agree - it’s much easiest to get a good grasp of the story when you have some images to help you along the way.

So, to compliment the podcast, our latest blog post tell the story of the physical development of Hastings town centre through images and maps!

We hope you find this useful. The aim of this blog is to visualise how the area changed over the last 1000 years. If you want to get a good sense of the people that lived there and the challenges they faced - give our second episode a listen!

https://hastingshistories.wixsite.com/blog/post/what-did-hastings-look-like-in-the-olden-days

Exploring the physical development of the America Ground through images. Since making the podcast, I’ve been down to America Ground several times and tried to imagine how the area has changed over the years. It's hard to visualise it! 1000 years ago, I would have been standing in the sea – looki...

07/07/2022

The hardest thing about making these podcasts is deciding what to include - there's always so much to say that each episode could easily run to several hours long!

We've decided to launch a website/blog to go alongside the podcast. This site will connect together all the social media accounts and contain links to all the episodes. The part we're most excited about though is the new blog - we'll be publishing a blogpost to go with each new topic.

In each blog we will choose a couple of themes from the podcast and go into more historical detail - including historical sources, academic debates and links to further reading.

The first blog post is already up - about Jack in the Green - and the next one about America Ground will be there soon.

We think this will be a useful companion to the podcast - hope you find it interesting!

https://hastingshistories.wixsite.com/blog

Click here to check out our episodes. We will be releasing a new one every few months so keep your eyes peeled for new content!

29/06/2022

A great response to our second podcast so far - thanks to everyone that has sent over comments and questions!

Not listened to 'The History of Hastings America Ground' yet? You can find it on all major podcasting apps and also here: https://hastingshistories.buzzsprout.com/

We're joined on this episode by Steve Peak, a local historian who has written a book on the topic. The book goes into far more detail than is possible in a podcast - so if you enjoyed listening why not buy his book:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-america-ground-hastings/steve-peak/9780750997317

Buy The America Ground, Hastings by Steve Peak from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.

27/06/2022

🚨🎧New Episode Released!🎧🚨

We’re really pleased to be able to share this new episode with you all - The History of Hastings America Ground.

This episode tells the story of the part of Hastings town centre known as The America Ground - an area of land that grew from the sea and was outside of the control of the council. We’re going to be finding out about the lives of the people who lived there - plus the rise, fall and rebirth of the area. We will be joined by Steve Peak, a local historian who has written an excellent book on the topic.

You can listen using the link below or by searching for us on any major podcast provider.

We hope you enjoy! Please do let us know your thoughts - all feedback welcomed.

Episodes 3 and 4 already underway….

https://hastingshistories.buzzsprout.com/1933508/10861316

Did you know that part of Hastings town centre is known as 'The America Ground'? Perhaps you've seen the mural on Robertson Street or heard the speech at the start of the bonfire procession? This episode tells the story of the part of Hastings kn...

22/06/2022

🎧New podcast out next week: The History of Hastings America Ground🎧

It’s taken a while but the second episode is ready to be released! We’re really excited to share this one with you so keep an eye out for it early next week.

The podcast tells the story of the part of Hastings known as the ‘America Ground’ - an area of land that grew from the sea and was outside of the control of the council. We’re going to be finding out about the lives of the people who lived there - plus the rise, fall and rebirth of the area.

In the meantime - here are some maps and images that might well come in handy when you’re listening to the podcast next week.

Image 1 - Hastings as it may have looked soon after 1066. You can see the castle on the cliff top, but most important for our story is the fact that the priory valley then formed a natural habour where ships could safely dock.

Image 2 - A map from 1746 showing the proposed 1580 Elizabethan ‘haven’. Hastings was at this point based in the bourne valley, focused around what is today the High Street and All Saints Street

Image 3 - An 1829 map of the ‘America Ground’. Large parts are industrial sites owned by the Breed family, but mixed in with that are a lot of residential properties.

Image 4 - By 1836 most of the buildings shown in image 3 were gone. This plan from 1850 shows the proposed redeveloped overseen by Patrick Robertson.

Image 5 - The America Ground today. The part in red shows the area we will be discussing in the podcast.

It might be helpful to refer back to this post when you listen to the podcast. All images come from the excellent book “The America Ground Hastings” written by Steve Peak. You’ll be hearing more from him soon…

13/06/2022

Have you ever watched the beginning of the Hastings Bonfire procession? If you have, you might well have heard this speech:

“The Hastings Borough Bonfire Society will now process onto the America Ground which was formerly sea. William the Conqueror sailed where we shall march today. The prosperous harbour of the cinque ports of Hastings was here until storms destroyed it 700 years ago. By 200 years ago the sea had become land and merchants and people built warehouses ropewalks and homes on it and they prospered. The corporation of Hastings had no jurisdiction here but tried to enforce their rule.

The people rioted and raised the stars and stripes of the United Stated of America in defiance. The borough retreated. The ‘Americans’ stayed independent until the Kings commissioners claimed the ground for the crown. The stars and stripes with the borough arms added was presented to the corporation of Hastings as a friendly gesture by the people of the America Ground in the last years of their occupation. It symbolises that spirit of enterprise and independence, determination and goodwill which characterises the people of the America Ground to this day. We declare our first passage through the territory of the America Ground, may this be the first of many”

The speech paints quite the picture - who were these 'Americans'? What is their link with Hastings? Did they really hold a rebellion under the flag of the USA?

We'll be exploring this story in detail in the next episode - coming soon!

Image from: https://www.hbbs.info/
Video of the speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ktsMToUagk

30/05/2022

Ever noticed this mural whilst walking down Robertson Street? Perhaps you already know a bit of the background to Hastings America Ground - but how much of the famous local story is actually true?

The next episode of Hastings History will be released at the end of June. We’re delighted to have collaborated with the brilliant local historian Steve Peak on this episode. We’ll be releasing more historical teasers over the next month to build up to the episodes release - so keep your eyes peeled!