Belmont
From the Hastings News of 01/03/1850
The sale was taking place of the Belmont Estate [the area around what became Belmont Road in Clive Vale]; nine acres of building land and two Italian villas were on offer.
The first foundation stone is laid for the first permanent building to go up on the 'Priory ground', the former America Ground that had been cleared of all buildings in 1836 when the Crown took possession of it. Wealthy London ...
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The high court ruled that the benefits of the Magdalen Charity should remain as understood for many centuries, ie that they were for the sick and poor of the parishes of All Saints and St Clements. The charity had been ...
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The old Warm Baths opposite Pelham Crescent were purchased by the Council for widening the seafront.
Sale of the Castledown Estate, next to the Castle, to a gentleman from the metropolis for his own residence. Did not reach the reserve price of £4,200 at auction.
“Building operations on a very large scale are contemplated on the Eversfield estate, the whole of which, comprising about 400 acres, is about to be laid out for terraces, detached villas, pleasure grounds, etc. The ground is to be let ...
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The former wooden steps at Claremont had been replaced by wider granite ones, the Council was told.
Priory
From the Hastings News of 16/03/1855
Sale of the Priory Farm; Mr Chapman was leaving.
Roman coins were found by Mr John Howell's workmen building the west side of Warrior Square.
The Hastings and St Leonards Towns Improvement Association was founded.
Bigger Gas Works
From the Hastings News of 22/02/1856
The Gas Company was to extend its works as demand was so great.
Priory Water
From the Hastings News of 11/04/1856
Land was purchased at the Priory for water supply extension; the Priory meadows were to be drained.
The foundation stone of the new Congregational Chapel in Robertson Street was laid.
Railway Land Sold
From the Hastings News of 19/09/1856
A sale of surplus land belonging to South Eastern Railway between York buildings and the Hastings Station was held at the Swan Hotel.
First Drains
From the Hastings News of 19/09/1856
The first stone of Hastings drainage was laid near the East Hill by the Mayor.
The first sod is turned in starting build the new Church of Holy Trinity. The site is in Cambridge Road, just above Holmesdale Gardens, on land donated by Cornwallis Estate. But there was a landslip and the site was abandoned. ...
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Consecration of the new Borough Cemetery on the Ridge by Dr Gilbert, Bishop of Chichester. This followed the parish cemeteries being closed by the 1847 Act of Parliament. There had then been a strong row in Council (and establishment) circles ...
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New Gasometer
From the Hastings News of 05/12/1856
A new gasometer came into use, capable of holding 150,000 cu ft of gas.
The foundation stone of the Holy Trinity Church in Robertson Street was laid by Lady Waldegrave. The architect was the famous Samuel Sanders Teulon who designed many other churches, including Rye Harbour. The builder was John Howell. The site cost ...
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A new assembly room [later called the Public Hall] and arcade between Robertson Street and Priory Street were proposed, and a new company was formed.
The new Holy Trinity Church in Robertson Street opened on the apt St Michaels Day, 29 September. The ground had been purchased in early 1857 and footings were excavated by April that year. The chancel was not completed until the ...
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A Mr Jeremiah Skinner takes a 99-year lease on a large plot of land in Western Road, where he builds stables and coach houses. By the end of the century this is a motor business too, with buses and taxis. ...
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A new concert room started at the back of the Castle Hotel in Wellington Square. The hotel was also to be improved. Assembly Rooms opened on 15 December 1859.
The big new Music Hall, also called the Central Assembly Room, lying between Robertson Street and Havelock Road, was opened on Wednesday 12 January. The News said it was "comfortably filled with, probably, the largest company that has ever gathered ...
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A new Hastings Bank opened at 5 Pelham Place.
Hastings Council published an important new map of Hastings and St Leonards by the town surveyor, Mr Laing.
Claremont Steps
From the Hastings News of 11/11/1859
The steps from Claremont to Cambridge Road were to be widened.
Proposed Harbour
From the Hastings News of 04/05/1860
A harbour was proposed to be laid in Hastings, off the Castle. A bill was now before the Board of Trade on the question of levying tolls on vessels using the harbour. A public meeting was held on 31 August ...
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Builders on Strike
From the Hastings News of 27/07/1860
Masons working for Mr Howell on the new Holy Trinity Church in Robertson Street walked out when their employer refused to dismiss a man who was not a union member.
A municipal system of public drinking fountains was completed. They were at the Priory Obelisk, Fishmarket, the bottom of Old London Road and Warrior Square.
A Hastings Council meeting discussed a proposed new pier opposite Warrior Square, but this never came to fruition.
The foundation stone of the Church of St Matthew, London Road, Silverhill, was laid.
Proposed Hotel
From the Hastings News of 05/10/1860
The Hastings and St Leonards Hotel Co Ltd were proposing a first class hotel at the east end of Carlisle Parade, on a Government lease of 92 years.
An obelisk in the town centre had been removed for the erection of the Prince Albert Memorial. A meeting of subscribers was held on April 9.
The debtor, Thomas Troup, was in court over the Warrior Square Estate on 13 April.
The Clive Vale Farm (60 acres) was sold on 31 May for £7,900 [opening the way for development of the Clive Vale suburb].
Land called the Great Brook Estate, in the town centre, was to be auctioned at the Havelock Hotel for the erection of small houses, said the News. This was then farmland. Mr George Clements purchased the Brook Meadows adjoining the ...
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At the Havelock Hotel, 38 plots of land were up for sale at Tivoli suitable for mechanics who had difficulty in obtaining small plots.
Construction of the Queens Hotel had been completed.
The Co-operative Cottage Building Society had bought their first estate, near Tivoli. A draw of four cottages was announced. On 10 July, the News reported that the Society had purchased a field at Tivoli and land adjoining the Halton Tavern, ...
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Hurst Court Starts
From the Hastings News of 17/04/1863
The foundation stone of Hurst Court College, the Ridge, was laid by the pupils of Dr Reed from Dover on 27 March. The land belonged to the St Helens Estate of Thomas Pope [who built the large house called St ...
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A dangerous fall of earth and rocks took place near the Fountain Inn at Marina, due to excavations under the cliff for sand.
A sale of 40 acres of the Vine Farm Estate, Ore, took place at the Havelock Hotel. There were 153 lots sited in the valley between Halton turnpike [Mount Road] and Coghurst Lodge [junction Coghurst Road/Ridge].
The Builder magazine published tenders for three houses next to the Music Hall [later called the Public Hall] in Havelock Road. A tender of £2,260 was accepted. These buildings and another would completely fill the southern side of Havelock Road.
Building Rage
From the Hastings News of 07/08/1863
The News reported on the 'rage for building in the Borough' which was quickly eating away the green of the town, with comment on the need for preservation as well as prosperity.
Silverhill Estate
From the Hastings News of 04/09/1863
Several acres of the Silverhill Estate would be shortly laid out for the dwellings.
Hollington Villas
From the Hastings News of 18/09/1863
The Ashbrooke Park Estate, Hollington, was for sale, with the ground laid out for villas.
Fifty plots of land at the Clive Vale Farm and 36 at the Ashbrooke Farm Estate, Hollington, were for sale at the Havelock Hotel. On 5 August 1864, the News said that large amounts of the Ashbrooke Park Estate were ...
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The foundation stone was laid of the St Leonards Congregational Church, at the junction of London Road and Pevensey Road. It opened for divine service on 27 October 1864.
Property Boom
From the Hastings News of 08/04/1864
The News commented on the boom in speculation on land purchase and house buying, soon to be resumed after a lull. Land at Ore, Bopeep, Silverhill and Magdalen Road was for sale soon.
Work was progressing on the Cricket Ground. The ditch had been filled up and the Priory Stream diverted. Most of the drainage work was complete and the turf relaid. Fire engine number two practised in the meadow to help the ...
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At a Council meeting: Building plans for Brook Street, Cornwallis Street, St Andrews Square, Gensing Station Road and Clive Vale Estate were discussed. Burning bricks near the St Leonards Station was to be discontinued owing to the population increase. A ...
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Archery Grounds
From the Hastings News of 10/06/1864
A public meeting was held on 4 June to save the Archery Grounds from development.
Members of the Council inspected the long-delayed St Andrews Gardens, the public recreation ground, which the council took over in 1864 and which was to become Alexandra Park in1882.
Progress on the St Leonards Turkish Bath, at the junction of West Hill Road and Quarry Road, was going well. It was being built on the site of the Russian Bath and Spa, "slight building" which was destroyed by fire ...
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Tenders were invited for the erection of a Memorial Chapel in Bank Buildings, near the new Albert Memorial. The corner stone was laid on 3 November 1864. It opened for divine worship on 30 August 1865.
The Council asked John Howell to relieve the nuisance of smoke from his large saw mills near the top of the east side of Middle Street, going through to Station Road. The News of 5 January 1865 reported that the ...
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Council meeting on 3 March: A police increase of four men was adopted. Building plans included 16 houses on the west side of Magdalen Road, to be called Oxford Terrace. Stone pedestrian crossings were to be laid at Robertson Street, ...
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Council meeting: Building plans for 3 pairs of semi-detached villas in Pevensey road, a public house near St Mary Magdalen turnpike gate, Friends Meeting House in South Terrace and a new road for the British Land Co continuing Harold Road ...
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Breeds and Co auctioned 78 lots of building land (previously owned by the Countess of Waldegrave) known as Standens Field at the north end of St Andrews Terrace. The want of small and moderate sized dwellings was still being experienced. ...
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Priory Farm Estate
From the Hastings News of 29/09/1865
There was a popular rumour that during the past few days tenants of the Priory Farm Estate [around Cambridge Gardens] had received notices to quit on the 29th, on the authority of the Viscontess Holmesdale. There now seemed to be ...
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The Countess of Waldegrave lay the foundation stone for the new church at Ashbrooke Park, Hollington [St Johns Church, Upper Church Road].
Property Sale
From the Hastings News of 13/10/1865
Property sale 9 October: 16 plots at Old Hollington Corner and Lower Ashbrooke Farm. The plot of land forming the centre of St Andrews Square sold for £350; plus ten plots in St Andrews Road [Queens Road].
The Council decided on an outfall at Glynde Haven for a new drainage scheme for the town.
Clive Vale Estate
From the Hastings News of 09/03/1866
A Council meeting on 2 March discussed the plans for the intended roads on the new Clive Vale estate.
The British Land Company had made large additions to their estate at Clive Vale, and a number of new roads were formed. About 50 building lots near the Halton turnpike were to be offered for sale. The News of 18 ...
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Town Expands
From the Hastings News of 25/05/1866
The News reported on the building progress in the central part of the borough. Areas included Blacklands, Mount Pleasant, Quarry Road and the Great Brook Estate.
Council meeting, 1 June: Building plans including St Pauls Church in Church Road and villas in Ore Lane. The streets and numbering of Halton had been changed.
Bohemia Land
From the Hastings News of 22/06/1866
The News reported that land at Bohemia was sold for development.
Windmill for Sale
From the Hastings News of 07/09/1866
An advert said a windmill on the West Hill was to be sold by auction on 7 September. It comprised "the whole of the plant of a smock windmill", including three pairs of stones and four patent sweeps, plus "the ...
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A meeting was held on 8 December to promote a new public hall in St Leonards. The rooms included a swimming bath, hot and cold baths, Turkish baths, dining room, reading room, and a meeting room for 1,300 people. In ...
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House Plans
From the Hastings News of 08/03/1867
Council meeting discussed building plans for 15 houses at Blacklands, near the entrance of St Andrews pleasure gardens [Alexandra Park], and 13 cottages at Crown Lane, Old Town, the site of the old stables.
More building land at Clive Vale was sold on 11 April and 18 June.
Death of well-known St Leonards builder James Troup, 78, in London. The News of 8 November reported that the Court of Chancery had dismissed Troup's Warrior Square Estate case.
New Post Office
From the Hastings News of 10/05/1867
Many sites were being considered for a new Post Office building. On 6 March 1868 the News reported that the new location of the Post Office would be 1, 2 and 3 Meadow Cottages [later 1 Queens Road], belonging to ...
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Statistics of prosperity - number of new houses: 1861 - 110, 1862 - 138, 1863 - 192, 1864 - 106, 1865 - 103, 1866 – 106. Total 755. In 1851 there were 17,011 residents in 2,477 houses; in 1861 it ...
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Hastings Pier Bill
From the Hastings News of 21/06/1867
The Hastings Pier Bill had passed through the Committee Stage of the House of Commons as an unopposed bill.
Mr Thomas Brassey's new house, Normanhurst, on a very large estate north of Catsfield, was nearly complete.
The memorial stone was laid for the new borough council offices on the corner of Middle Street and Bank Buildings.
Halton House
From the Hastings News of 12/07/1867
Halton House, off Old London Road, was up for sale. It had been built for the prominent local MP Patrick Robertson, who had built Robertson Street. [The house stood where Hardwicke Road is today.]
The new drainage works were now quite completed. The Rev Hatchard had written to the Times with facts about the works.
The foundation stone of the new Unitarian Christian chapel, South Terrace, was laid by Sir John Bourning. It was opened on 6 May 1868. It was built in Roman-Doric style by GE Jones; its architect was G Beck of Havelock ...
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About 150 acres of the St Helens Park Estate were sold as building land at two auctions in October, 1867, opening up a large area for development. On 15 October, 45 acres were sold to Mr Brown, of London. A ...
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St Johns Church, Hollington, was consecrated by the Bishop of Chichester. Designed by Mr EA Wyon; the builder was John Howell, for £3,342.
The new Council offices on the corner of Bank Buildings and Middle Street were opened, and the office at 86 High Street abandoned. Mr Smith was the architect, John Howell the builder.
Hastings House, with its noble entrance hall and approach by a carriage drive, was put up for sale by auction at the Castle Hotel.
There was a dinner for John Howell, the contractor, when the new drainage was completed, but there were unfavourable comments in London papers on the health of the town. Nearly £30,000 had been spent. On 17 July the News had ...
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New town boundary stones: 41 were to be ordered from Alderton and Shrewsbury, at 22s each. They were iron with a shield of arms and HPB (Hastings Parliamentary Body) on them.
Pub For Sale
From the Hastings News of 21/08/1868
The newly-erected pub The Wellington, in Wellington Road, Tivoli [now Duke Road, Silverhill], was up for sale. The district was increasing.
Planning Meeting
From the Hastings News of 11/09/1868
A Council meeting gave planning permission for a new Post Office, Excise Office and Tax Office; plus stables and a coach house in Dorset Place for Wastel Brisco; and six houses with shops in Tower Road.
The sale would take place soon of building land at Silverhill, including a pottery with kiln and six small cottages.
For sale was the Castle Hotel in Wellington Square and adjoining premises to Meadow Road [Queens Road], with 31 bedrooms etc, being the estate of the late Thomas Farncomb. But at the auction it did not meet its reserve of ...
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A Council meeting gave permission for a block of labourers dwellings, in one building, to accommodate 24 men.
Osbourne House was sold at Castle auction rooms for £2,050.
Scrivens Building
From the Hastings News of 12/02/1869
Council meeting: Planning permission was given for 20 cottages in the meadow below Blacklands Church, and flats in Crown Lane to provide 32 sets of rooms for the Cottage Improvement Society [Scrivens Building]. The police were allowed to recruit two ...
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There was a proposal to erect a new parish church at St Andrews for 2,000 people. On 27 August 1869 the News reported that the committee for the new church selected the tender of prominent local builder John Howell for ...
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In the Clive Vale Estate, 43 building plots were put up for sale on 27 May, chiefly in Athelstan Road near the farmhouse.
Ore Church Closes
From the Hastings News of 11/06/1869
The last service was held in the old parish Church of Ore, near the Ridge at St Helens on Sunday 6 June. The building was densely crowded and numbers were unable to obtain admission. The Rector, the Rev WT Turner, ...
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The town's new main post office opened on Tuesday 29 June. It was located on the corner of York Gardens and Meadow Road [Queens Road], on the site of Nos 1, 2 and 3 Meadow Cottages. The News of 18 ...
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A Council meeting approved the building of 13 cottages in Lennox Street and Priory Road, and eight houses on Priory Road, in the garden at the rear of Pynlimmon House. The News of 30 July reported that property and land ...
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