Divining the future
By David E P Dennis In these uncertain times we seem buffeted by events. Covid regulations vary almost from day-to-day. World politics, terrorism, Brexit, chaos in travel and the aircraft industry, working from home, information technology, global warming, sea level…
Hastings Live Music… an introspective
Is it as vibrant and as creative as we think it is? Gareth Stevens and Mike Willis assemble a small group of musicians and promoters to discuss this and other questions. I remember the first ‘pinch me’ moment about my…
Subculture Vulture
Hastings has traditionally welcomed those who march to the beat of a different drum. This may be why, historically, subcultures have thrived here. There is an unyielding spirit of rebelliousness that stretches all the way back to days of smugglers…
Lockdown Blues? Go Easy on the Booze…
By Helen Drake, Co-editor, Features Several weeks ago, whilst relaxing on the beach enjoying the beautiful sunshine in what, at the time, seemed like a never-ending summer, I overheard a man walking by saying to his companion, “It’s usually two…
The Last Gypsy blacksmith The end of an era?
The symbol for the Sussex Weald is an anvil. Many of our woods survive because they were used to create charcoal for blacksmithing, an ancient craft that lives on in artworks and gates and fences. So why is Hastings Borough…
Desperate homes for desperate people
By David E P Dennis People need homes. The Prime Minister says we must “build, build, build” and Conservative Housing Minister Jenrick proposes massive changes to planning law, creating an inexorable juggernaut that will crush the hopes of objectors, as…
Delving into hastingsdotconnected
Part two of an exploration of Hastings online communities that have one foot securely planted in actual geography, unscientifically chosen by Ben Bruges (HIP Features Editor) and members of the HIP family. We have had a look at the sharks,…
The Genius Who Lit Up Hastings
By David E P Dennis It took the Briton Francis Crick and American James Watson 880 words to define DNA for their joint Nobel prize and yet, in just 80 words, the genius scientist Michael Faraday ‘invented’ the entire world…
Delving into hastingsdotconnected
Part one of an exploration of Hastings online communities that have one foot securely planted in actual geography, unscientifically chosen by Ben Bruges (HIP Features Editor) and members of the HIP ; There’s a whispering and a cursing between those…
Fishing For A New Future
Gareth Stevens investigates the state of the Hastings & Rye fishing fleet Once you set aside the obvious historical battle that is at the heart of our town’s outward identity, I am sure like me you think of the fishing…