Early morning on the shingle beach known as the “Stade” – an old Saxon term meaning “landing place”, and home to the largest and oldest beach-launched fishing fleets in Britain.
This painting depicts the beach in the “old town” of Hastings in East Sussex. Some of the working boats in 2018 are portrayed in this painting. Many of the fishing boats have twin hulls or have been adapted to remain upright out of the water by the addition of two extra keels.
The row of winching sheds originally formed a base for each vessel many of which contained an engine and winch to pull the boat out of the sea. Today, earth moving machinery is mainly used to manoeuvre the boats into and out of the sea.
Crews use traditional wide-meshed nets which prevent the boats catching too many fish of the wrong size or species. Most of the fish from the boats are taken in boxes to the Hastings Fish Market nearby.
Also in the middle ground of the painting is the Hastings Fishermen’s Museum, the Hastings Gallery and the Net Shops – tall black wooden sheds which were built to provide a weatherproof store for the fishing gear. Part of the Old Town of Hastings is in the background with its many fine old buildings, pubs and unique shops.
The Hastings Fishermen’s Protection Society was founded in April 1831 and preserves the fishing community’s medieval right to work from the shingle beach. The Society provides benefits to the fishermen of the fleet through its work maintaining the safety, security, accessibility and environmental quality of the fishing beach and its environs.
The Fishermen’s Museum is one of the town’s most popular tourist attractions. It is inside a church built on the Stade in 1852, which fell out of use after the Second World War. In 1956 local people concerned about preserving the maritime history of Hastings took over the old Fishermen’s Church. It is normally open every day*, except Christmas Day, and over 140,000 people go through the doors every year.
The RNLI Hastings lifeboat station, based near the Stade, was established in 1858. It currently operates an offshore lifeboat, new in July 2018, as well as an inshore rescue boat. The offshore boat is launched from a carriage which is driven into the sea, and the boat is towed back up the beach on its return, by a caterpillar-tracked tractor. The visitor centre and shop at Hastings lifeboat station is open on most days.
Seagulls, particularly herring gulls, are a feature of Hastings, as with many coastal towns. These clever, beautiful birds follow the fishing boats, are generally good parents and are protected by law. They can be a pest, especially nesting on buildings and being attracted to rubbish bags or human food. Most of the foods artificially fed to gulls are a very poor substitute for their natural diet and this can cause the birds harm.
I have tried to portray the industry of the fishermen with the nature and history of this lively part of Hastings.
The original painting is on display at the Hastings Fishermen’s Museum. The purchase of prints and cards from them will help support the Museum and the Hastings Old Town Preservation Society. For more information please visit: https://www.ohps.org.uk/hastings-fishermans-museum/.
David Marsh ©
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David Marsh, Artist 