The seafront area known as the Stade (below East Hill) is home to distinctive black clapboard structures known as Net Shops. These were built to store fishing gear back in the 17th century, but some now house fishmongers who sell off the catch of Europe’s largest beach-launched fishing fleet, usually hauled up on the shingle behind. All these fishy goings-on keep the Stade very much a working place, with the combined pong of diesel and guts scenting the air.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
27.19 MILES
Leeds Castle, an immense moated pile just east of Maidstone, is often considered the world’s most romantic castle. It's certainly one of the most visited…
16.93 MILES
The famous cliffs of Beachy Head are the highest point of the chalky rock faces that slice across the rugged coastline at the southern end of the South…
6.24 MILES
On this spot raged the pivotal battle in the last successful invasion of England in 1066: an event that had an unparalleled impact on the country’s…
Lewes Castle & Barbican House Museum
25.69 MILES
Now little more than a set of ruins, this castle was built shortly after the 1066 Norman invasion. It never saw warfare, but there were riotous…
11.66 MILES
The ruins of William the Conqueror’s first stronghold sit 5 miles east of Eastbourne, just off the A259. Regular train services between London Victoria…
8.88 MILES
This Georgian town house is a favourite stomping ground for local apparitions, but its most famous resident was American writer Henry James, who lived…
14.55 MILES
Mercifully saved by some clever firefighting when a huge blaze broke out in the amusement arcade on 30 July 2014, it took just over a year for this…
8.96 MILES
Just off Church Sq stands the sandcastle-esque Ypres Tower (pronounced ‘wipers’). You can scramble through the 13th-century building to learn about its…
Nearby East Sussex attractions
0.05 MILES
Shoals of barnacled exhibits swim around the huge Enterprise fishing boat at this Stade museum, housed in a former fishermens’ church. Next door you can…
0.07 MILES
An old-school repository of junk salvaged from various vessels that have sunk in the Channel, plus sections on fossils and diving.
0.12 MILES
This large, purpose-built exhibition venue at the end of the Stade is used for temporary shows of contemporary British art as well as themed installations…
0.24 MILES
On West Hill, a short walk east of the Hastings Castle, is the Smugglers Adventure, where you can explore underground caverns and hear smuggling yarns…
0.42 MILES
This fortress was built by William the Conquerer, and an exhibition in the grounds tells the story of the castle and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
0.98 MILES
Hastings last hit the national news in 2010 when its Victorian pier burnt down. The ballroom at the end, where the likes of The Clash, Sex Pistols,…
7. Hastings Museum & Art Gallery
1 MILES
A short walk west of the train station, this marvellous little museum is housed in a red-brick mansion. Highlights inside include the intricately Moorish…
6.24 MILES
On this spot raged the pivotal battle in the last successful invasion of England in 1066: an event that had an unparalleled impact on the country’s…