alexandra park

Folk Evening – Hastings Carnival – Alexandra Park 19th July 1975

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Peter Thomson… Yes, I was there. I recall Graham Barrett and Dave Kent were there also, amongst many others. Great evening.

Pete Prescott… wish I had seen this man live. wonderful artist ! Check out “the Bantom Cock ” brilliant !

Peter Thomson… I know comedic standards have shifted with time but he has to be responsible for some of the least PC lyrics. “I love a good bum on a woman, it makes me smile”. How sad that I’m not allowed to find this funny any more.

Status Quo – Hastings Beer & Music Festival – Alexandra Park Hastings 1st July 2006

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supplied by Barry French

Who remembers going to this?

Nigel Goodman… Sat at home with windows open listening

Sandra Cunningham… Yes brilliant night xx

Dawn Leaney… Remember it well!

Virginia Davis… Yes. Went to all three nights that year.

Tony Davis…  I went with my wife Claire and think i spent most of the evening bouncing up and down with my hands on her shoulders. Very short set from what I remember but did enjoy it

Graham Belchamber… Yes excellent night

Mick May… Yes good night

Wendy Weaver… Very short set but brilliant. Danced a lot had a really good night.

Mike Mitchell….  Seem to recall the crowd were still calling for an encore as their bus, watched their bus leaving…

Steve Thorpe… Was there, they played some tracks from Rockin all over the world I seem to remember

Here’s a short clip from Andrew Clifton…

Clifford Rose… Yes – I took my son and he become a Quo fan.

Conan Howard… I could hear them in St Leonards that night , I sat in my back garden and enjoyed it.

Keith Veness… We were there. Was a great Gig

Nigel Ford… Yes, Cathy & I were there, still have the beer plastic cup, I think. Haven’t been since.

Rark Modrigues… I remember hearing it all around town! The volume meant you couldn’t escape it! Back in the day when they put on established acts at the festival, which entices the non drinker and slanting the pendulum in the direction of “music”. In my opinion of course

Willie Wicking… Marshled that night with Hastings Bonfire was a great night remember that huge black coach turning up wow what a treat for our town

Who remembers the maypole, slide and rocking horse, in the Alexandra play park – 1973?

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photo © Sarah Morrow

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631429148066838

shared photos © Sarah Morrow

Mick O’Dowd… Memories!!!

Judy Atkinson… That could be me! There used to be one in the playground near Red Lake school. And a witch’s hat

Jackie Willett… Yes the maypole! I spent most of my childhood hanging from it! The best was when you took your pole over the top of everyone else’s then they started walking and pulling! You could fly up and round practically horizontal! The only way to stop would be to scream or just throw yourself off! My hands always had blisters and we loved it! I don’t recall any injuries (not sure how!) Happy days!! I take my grandchildren to parks now and apart from swings, I think they are quite boring! Everything just wobbles! Imagine if they bought back the maypole now? Oh god, I’m old!

Kathy Harding… My sisters and i spent a lot of time playing on this in the park as we lived nearby, we loved it!!

Kathy Wood… Oh that was the most amazing thing. Getting grazed and bruised was the sign of having a fab time

Jacky Mattelaer… I remember the one near Red Lake school very well. Spent a lot of time playing there

Mick O’Dowd… Jackie, Me too! I lived just up the road.

Jacky Mattelaer… I lived in Rye road, 2 doors from the Kings Head. Happy days

Jane Hartley… Loved it, my favourite

Dennis Torrance… The roundabout there spun around hanging on tight for less injuries lol felt quite sick afterwards lol. Same for most of rides there

Angela Frances Gardner… I loved this we used to swing really high. Such fun!

Lauraine Brown… Favourite. Had loads of fun and scraped knees in the play park.

Dennis Torrance… No fear of anything at that age I used to climb the west and east hills to now look and shudder

Rosie Paddington… Oh yes! There was one of those where I grew up in Chislehurst. The rowdier boys tended to monopolise it!

Alan Esdaile… Bangs on the head, blisters, cut knees, dried blood, bruises everywhere. The only worry was to hide the holes and tears in your trousers! Wonderful days.

Dennis Torrance… So true Alan

Allan Mitchell… I remember those days

Pauline Sims… I remember those days – that could have been me too!

Tracy Birrell… I do. The proper childhood days, when children were allowed to be children.

Graham Sherrington… the rocking horse im going back to the early 60’s walking around hastings on ones own not a care in the world

Phil Dance… When a slide was a slide, swings swung as high as you could make them, horses bounced too high sometimes and rocked off their mechanism, roundabouts spun so fast you were thrown off, and sitting on the maypole handles whilst someone spun you around. Cuts, bruises, grazes, broken bones, scuffed shoes and torn clothing. We knew how to play hard

Jan Chandler-Smith… Broke my foot on a seesaw! My cousin got off and I went down with my foot wrapped underneath! It was a Sunday afternoon and my Dad took me to the cottage hospital in Crouch End but they couldn’t do anything. So we had to go back on Monday and get ambulanced to Whittington Hospital for my broken foot to be set in a plaster cast. Still have the bump to prove it! XX

 

 

 

Alexandra Park Hastings – boats

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Tracy Howell… Why they ever changed, kids would of loved. I did

Lyn Farkley Appleyard… Tracy, We were ALL happy with things kids (and even adults) never experienced. Life experiences will never be replaced by any computer game……..

Angela Frances Gardner… I loved the rowing boats in the park. So sad when they were taken away.

Sandra Cunningham… My cousin Jo used to work on them in the 60s x

Pauline Sims… Good times!

Lloyd Johnson… In the 1950s I remember building a Jetex model of the Bluebird boat. Alan Mitchell and I took it to the boating lake ,luckily it was on a long piece of fishing line. We lite the fuse of the Jetex motor and it went off like a rocket and then dived under the water at high speed….smoke everywhere!…

Alan Mitchell… I remember it well !

Amanda Russell… I remember watching fireworks there…over the boating lake…it was awsome.

Lyn Farkley Appleyard… Sheer bliss……

Bernard Goffredo… And now it is a filter bed for water instead of being something built for the Public to enjoy

Linda Boiling… remember them well. Shame we don’t have them anymore

Allan Mitchell… Good times!

Tony Qunta… Such a shame! Bad idea taking them away, just like it was a bad idea replacing the cricket ground with a shopping area!

Mick O’Dowd… I spent many hours here as a lad. On the boats and sailing my pond yacht (whatever happened to this hobby?)

Marilyn Spence… “Come in number 2!”

Tracy Birrell… My first boyfriend rowed me across the lake on a date.

Dennis Torrance… I remember well iced over in 63 playing on the boats happy times and fireworks there Wednesday nights and ice cream hut there small block of ice cream in a wafer

Keith Veness… Great time there

Ashleigh Humberstone… This park is unfortunately so drab. Nothing like this now. Play Park is just terrible go home with nothing but rope burn, wish they would get rid and build a better one!

Alan Esdaile… still looking for photos of the maypole.

 

Her Majesty The Queen funeral – Monday 19th September 2022 on the big screen in Hastings

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Hastings Borough Council...

There will be a big screen in Alexandra Park on Monday 19 September showing the funeral of Her Majesty The Queen from 10am.
Hastings Borough Council is organising the event, in partnership with Love Hastings, the Business Improvement District for Hastings, who are paying for the screen.
The screen will be set up in the park near the bandstand. There will be no seating provided, so anyone wishing to come along and watch the service should be prepared to stand for the duration or bring a chair or rug, or to sit on the ground. Please also dress for the weather as the event will be outdoors and uncovered. Anyone who needs assistance should make themselves known on arrival at the event, there will be support and facilities available.
Toilet facilities in the park will be open and nearby, and the Eat@ café which operates from close to the bandstand will be open and serving refreshments. There will be stewards to help on the day, thanks to Hastings Borough Bonfire Society for providing these.
More information is available online: