Hastings & St Leonards became a fashionable seaside resort in the 18th Century - when bathing in the sea was thought to improve your health!
Mix with that the countryside around Hastings & St Leonards and the pure air and the town began to expand to keep pace with the influx of visitors and increase in population.
Bourne Valley, home of the Old Town, spilled over and soon Pelham Crescent (1820s) and Wellington Square were built. Then James Burton, who was responsible for much of the architecture in Bloomsbury and Regents Park districts in London, got on with the business of constructing a seaside resort. He began to build his town - St Leonards on Sea - in 1828.
After his death his work was continued by his son Decimus, who became even more famous than his father. St Leonards on Sea began to attract royalty and nobility from the UK and abroad.
To find out more about Hastings & St Leonards, there is a series of free lectures taking place throughout the Summer by local historian Edward G Preston. They take place at 36 Marina every Monday at 11am until September 2nd.
Jul 29 - Parks and Open Spaces
Aug 5 - Villages
Aug 12 - Blue Plaques and other memorials
Aug 19 - Fishing and the sea
Aug 26 - A little learning - schools
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This page last updated: 25/06/2002