Understand
Hastings is most famous for the battle that took place there in 1066 between King Harold's English and William the Conqueror's Normans. The town lent its name to the battle...although the battle actually took place in nearby Battle
The town grew from its medieval origins into a Victorian seaside resort, and the majority of the town's architecture dates from this period. Today, along with St Leonards on Sea, Hastings forms a fairly large urban area on the south coast of around 100,000 inhabitants.
Nestled between the rugged beauty of the East and West Hills, the town's main attraction is the medieval Old Town, with its narrow passageways, antique shops, boutiques, cafe's and Europe's largest beach-side fishing fleet. The town also boasts a hill-top castle, two funicular railways, the Georgian church of St. Mary's in the Castle, 18th-century fishing net shops, and access to Hastings Country Park--a 660-acre area of woodland glens, beaches and cliff-top views. Away from the Old Town, Hastings largely retains the character of a Victorian seaside resort, with seafront squares, grand Victorian facades, elegant parks, and a pier. However, the town suffered from the post-war decline in the seaside tourist industry in England, and, while there has been significant recent investment in regenerating the area, parts of the seafront certainly have seen better days.
