A nostalgic step back into Hastings by Robert Cornish, son of Reverend Philip GP Cornish, rector of St Clements Church from 1937 to 1940.
John was 7, I was 9. "Mummy, Mummy," we said, "the guns are out on the promenade!" "Right," she replied, "Shropshire!" So we left our beloved Hastings in 1940 and never lived there again.
What a wonderful time we had while we lived in Hastings! The house was red, probably eighteenth century and the high walled garden climbed steeply up towards West Hill. A terrace at the top supported a row of carefully pruned pear trees, below it a garden path included a sheltered arbour where the rector, for this was the rectory, might compose his sermons or simply watch the fishing fleet of some 26 luggers returning with their catch. They were fat, tubby little boats, tarred black and each had a four sided rhombus shaped sail at the stern.
They must have caught other fish except sprats - but it is just the sprats I remember!
We were allowed great freedom to wander, perhaps up West Hill where we climbed the hazardous sandstone rocks, growing bolder as we grew older, the cliff side curiously supported by old tar barrels filled with sand. Or we might go eastwards, usually with our mother to the first glen or even further to Fairlight, coming back on the bus. Once our father took us, making us run after ginger nut biscuits like a pair of retrievers!
We lived in the High Street, an intriguing place. Opposite was the First In Last Out pub - we never saw the inside of that, and a sweetshop with Nestle bars of chocolate from a ha'penny upwards. There were two cakeshops - a square iced cake for tea was a penny - Mr Songer an upmarket grocer, and the post office where we bought tubes of glue to make cut out models in our nursery at the top of the house. The road was narrow in the High Street, only one single deck trolley bus could pass through at a time. We learnt the hard way; never jump off a moving trolley bus against the way it is going. You'll fall flat on your face if you do... and I did!
Back to top of page...
< Foyle's Back | Street life >
This page last updated: 25/06/2002