Tag archives for St Mary in the Castle
World Upside Down
In the space of just over a week, thousands of struggling families across Hastings and St Leonards have learned that the automatic allocation of supermarket food vouchers issued to them…
St Mary Future Tied to Repairs to Pelham Arcade
HUGH SULLIVAN In October last year, Hastings Borough Council started what it called an Expression of Interest (EOI) process to identify a new partner, operator or consortium to take over…
New Year Council Offensive
KENT BARKER Hastings Borough Council has begun 2026 with resolute plans to improve the look and amenities of the town. The initiatives centre on the vacant site at the western…
News in Brief
Town Centre Snail’s Progress Plans to improve Hastings town centre have taken a small step forward, with East Sussex County Council (ESCC) agreeing to advertise Traffic Regulation Orders and delegate…
A Rapidly Fading Jewel
St Mary in the Castle is the architectural crown jewel of Hastings. Built in 1828 as an Anglican church, the building features a distinctive white Ionic portico and a unique…
Pelham Arcade Roof Collapse
Safety Warnings were Ignored PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The arcades in Pelham Crescent at the front of St Mary in the Castle sustained significant damage on Saturday (27 September) after sections of…
New Moves to Save St Mary
KENT BARKER A new steering group has been formed to seek fresh and sustainable uses for St Mary in the Castle. The iconic Hastings building and concert venue has been…
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
Letter Hostile to the Jewish Community Dear HIP I drew the short straw and attended what I knew would be a hostile Hastings hustings, in order to offer snarky live…
Castles in the Air
CHRISTOPHER CORMACK says that the continued closure of St Mary in the Castle is a disaster for Hastings, and that the boarded-up Pelham Arcade in front is a is needed,…
West Hill Café and St Mary in the Castle – ‘Partners’ Sought
A call by Hastings Borough Council (HBC) for “experienced developers and operators” to put forward ideas and proposals “to restore the West Hill Café to its full potential” as part…
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
We would love to hear from write to: Please be aware we may need to edit letters for reasons of space and we will only withhold names if this is…
Batsford Pledges Cultural Future For St Mary
HUGH SULLIVAN Three separate “expressions of interest” to take a leasehold interest in St Mary in the Castle were submitted last month to Dyer & Hobbis, agents for Hastings Borough…
What’s on Your Mind?
We would love to hear from write to: Please be aware we may need to edit letters for reasons of space and we will only withhold names if this is…
Letters 219
St Mary Quite Contrary Dear HIP,Several years ago, there was a proposal to close the road behind the White Rock Theatre and extend the theatre backwards, with an opening onto…
St Mary: Community groups lodge “expression of interest”
A community “consortium” promoted by Hastings Commons and Hastings Creatives has lodged a formal “expression of interest” in response to the intended disposal of arts venue St Mary-in-the-Castle by owners…
Is the Theatre Really Dead?
Kent Barker, HIP’s Arts Editor, asks how theatre provision in Hastings compares with some of the other arts. We are forever hearing what a thriving artistic environment Hastings is. Yes,…
We Have the Talent
Matt Hastings, one of the town’s most successful actors, says a dedicated professional theatre space is desperately needed. Hastings has long been awash with talented musicians and artists with plenty…
St Mary in the Castle and Me
Glenys Jacques gives a personal opinion on why we need to defend St Mary in the Castle. Creative community passions run high in Hastings. Art and music flow through it…
St Mary in the Community
Creatives call halt to disposal, seek link to castle. Under an initiative co-ordinated on behalf of Hastings Creatives group by Glenys Jacques, trustee of Barefoot Opera and long-time collaborator on…
Put St Mary back in the Castle!
Commercial land agents Dyer & Hobbis are continuing to market former church-turned-arts-venue St Mary in the Castle for outright sale or lease on behalf of Hastings Borough Council. However, local…
St Mary on the Market, Opus to Close
St Mary in the Castle, the Grade II-listed church turned arts and music venue beneath West Hill, has been put on the open market for sale or lease. Freehold owners…
VIEWPOINT: A Tale Of Two Towns
John Knowles visits the brand-new Shakespeare North Playhouse and decries Hastings’ lack of both theatres and vision. Fetch Theatre has just returned from a mini tour taking in Tunbridge Wells…
Arts Diary
Audacious Mo Mo El-Kadey has a mini exhibition in the Milk and Hustle café in St Leonards. Mo’s art is “bold, vibrant and captivating. The striking colours of the family…
Save Our Saint Mary
One of Hastings’ most iconic concert venues and arts facilities, St Mary in the Castle, is to close. HIP invited musicians, artists, creatives, venue users and its owner to comment…
Surely a ‘Shoe’-in
Barefoot Opera challenge the notion that opera is elitist by producing high-quality, inclusive and accessible work, usually mixing professional singers with amateurs. Here director Jenny Miller previews their latest production.…
What’s to be done with St Mary? (and who’s to do it?)
Health and Culture portfolio holder at Hastings Borough Council (HBC) Cllr Andy Batsford has a whole host of challenging issues in his in-tray. But top of the pile is surely…
Rock Against Racism Rocks the Castle
HIP’s Rod Webb talks to Ruth Gregory co-curator of the Rock Against Racism Exhibition Tour. It may be the end of an era for St Mary in the Castle when it…
St Mary Trustees terminate lease
Trustees of St Mary in the Castle Charitable Trust announced last week that they will terminate their lease of the Grade II* listed event venue on Hastings seafront in November…
Art Diary
Ivory Tinkling The Hastings International Piano Competition is running at the White Rock Theatre until March 5th. The promoters say that it has quietly become one of the most prestigious…
Arts in Britain: Sleeping Beauty?
A View from St Mary in the Castle By Marcus Weeks Sadly, not a plug for this year’s panto at St Mary’s, but a description of that magnificent venue in…
Ode To Joy
A wealth of literature has been produced recently about the power of singing to improve health and wellbeing. Having read much of the evidence-based academic research on the release of…
Arts Diary
Glitterbug A fundraiser screening of Derek Jarman’s Glitterbug – a lovingly compiled montage of Jarman’s Super 8 footage fused with a multitextured Brian Eno score, posthumously assembled by his friends.…
HIP READ
The British State: A WarningBy Chris Nineham Review by Anna Arnone Parliament, the State, and the PeopleWe are certainly living in very interesting times the recent election result, having delivered…
St Mary Loses Its Friends
St Mary-in-the-Castle, the Grade-II*-listed structure built as a church in the 1820s in neo-classical style as the grand architectural centrepiece of Pelham Crescent beneath West Hill, remains one of Hastings’…
Beloved Clara – A Tale of Love And Loss
Press Release from Hastings International Piano Concerto CompetitionSunday 10 November 3pmSt Mary in the Castle, HastingsAward-winning British actors Lesley Sharp and Sir Simon Russell Beale with pianist Lucy Parham. The…
The Hastings Early Music Festival Lowdown
HIP catches up with Festival Artistic Director Jane Gordon, who has deftly been drawing together world-class musicians (with extremely busy international touring schedules) to converge on Hastings and St Leonards…
The Weir by Conor McPherson
Showing at the Stables Theatre, Friday 20th September – Saturday 28th September; Director Andrew Bruce Preview by Merlin Betts Sitting in the Cutter with a bundle of friends and sipping…
Rhythm, Ritual, Rite Of Passage
Richard Makin reviews otolithography by Rebecca AinscoughSt Mary In The Castle, Hastings: 17 May to 16 August Rhythm, Ritual, Rite Of Passage is a collection of mixed-media works channelled by the artist…
Return of the Fun House Festival
The newly-formed Fun House Arts CIC and St Mary in the Castle are delighted to announce that Fun House Festival, an immersive arts festival for families, will be returning this…
HASTINGS LITFEST NEWS
Springwatch star Lucy lifts the lid on animals’ hidden lives in hometown show By Alison Steel TV presenter and author Lucy Cooke will be demolishing the myths and mystique surrounding…