facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/1066MusicBluePlaques/
1066 Music Blue Plaques is a group formed by three local music fans, Jim Breeds, Tony Davis & Andy Gunton. The group came together after a Facebook discussion regarding the lack of commemorative Blue Plaques celebrating musicians who used to live in the Hastings area, and important local music venues which have closed down. We decided to see if that situation could be corrected, and set out to explore the possibilities of getting some Blue Plaques erected. After contacting Hastings Borough Council and getting their approval and support for the idea, we are now in a position to move things forward. We are currently looking at a handful of potential sites for commemorative Blue Plaques, and are now ready to start fundraising for the first of those, being Poly Styrene in St Leonards, and John Martyn in Hastings. Suggestions for other potential sites are welcome, so please message us with your thoughts. We already have Hastings Pier, The Crypt, The Tubman, the De La Warr Pavilion & the Witchdoctor/Cobweb Club on our list by the way. Please bear in mind that all Blue Plaques have to have the permission of the building owner & possibly Planning Permission too, so not all are possible. All Blue Plaques will be funded by a separate Crowdfunding appeal, which will pay for the manufacture & fitting of each plaque. Yes, we know that the ‘1066’ name is both corny & overused, but it does encapsulate the area we are looking to place Blue Plaques in, and is easily recognised & understood. Stay tuned for news of our upcoming Crowdfunding appeals and how you can get involved to make those Blue Plaques a reality.
Andy Gunton… Exciting news! Our first Crowdfunder appeal, for a Blue Plaque to be put on Poly Styrene’s former house in North Street, St Leonards On Sea, will go live tomorrow morning (Saturday) at 9am! This is an image of what the finished plaque will look like. We’ll post a link to the Crowdfunder appeal page here tomorrow morning.
Pete Houghton… That’s great news
Andy Gunton… We’re now live with our Crowdfunder appeal for the Poly Styrene blue plaque. Please have a look & please donate if you can. Also, please share & let your friends know, so that we can reach as many potential donors as possible. Thanks for your support 
Update: We have already reached our £500 target! This means that anymore money donated will go directly to St Michael’s Hospice, as our costs have now been covered. Thank you.
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/blue-plaque-for-poly-styrene-of-x-ray-spex?
Andrew Clifton… Will have to go and see it.
Paul Bryant… That’s fantastic.How about one for John Martyn who lived in Cobourg Place
Andy Gunton… Paul, That’s the next one on the list
Paul Bryant… that’s wonderful news.
Graham Sherrington… bloody hell she lived local!!!
Andy Qunta… Nice lady! I remember writing songs with her back in the ‘80s in my flat in London.
Tracy Birrell… I was born in 1957 also, and grew up in North Street. I never knew that…..we may have even played together.
Mark Rutter…Tracy, Poly didn’t grow up in the Hastings area, but in Brixton, London. Her mum is from Hastings though and they used to visit for family holidays. Poly moved to St Leonard’s in 2004
Jan Warren… Saw a documentary about Poly Styrene last week, very interesting, didn’t know she’d lived in Hastings.
Andy Gunton…The Blue Plaque is up! Yesterday was the big day – Apart from 3rd July being Poly Styrene’s 64th birthday, it was also the 45th anniversary of Poly seeing the Sex Pistols on Hastings Pier, an event that led to the formation of X-Ray Spex. And then there was the first public screening of Celeste Bell’s film about her mothers life, ‘I Am A Cliche’, at the Kino Teatr in the evening. So it seemed like the perfect day to unveil the plaque celebrating & commemorating Poly Styrene’s life. If you want to see the blue plaque for yourself, you can find it in North Street, St Leonards On Sea. 1066 Music Blue Plaques would like to thank the following people for helping to make this idea come to fruition: Karen & Terry for allowing us to put the blue plaque up on the wall of their house. Kevin Boorman & Hastings Borough Council for pointing us in the right direction & for their help in the early stages of our campaign. Andy Miller & Nick Booker of Booker & Best for giving their time & expertise free of charge. Everybody who donated towards the Crowdfunder appeal. Apart from helping to raise the money needed for the blue plaque itself, you also enabled us to donate £350 to St Michael’s Hospice, where Poly died in 2011.Thanks also to Celeste, Poly’s daughter, for coming along during the unveiling & for giving us her support throughout our campaign. Now it’s onto our next blue plaque – John Martyn in Hastings Old Town.
photos Mark Richards
Stephen Moran… Fantastic! Many congratulations to everyone involved in this brilliant campaign!
Lucy Pappas… Wonderful! xx
Leigh Wieland-Boys… Great news!
Andy Qunta… Excellent!
John McCormack… Superb xx
I was born in 1957 also, and grew up in North Street. I never knew that…..we may have even played together.