Buses Wellington Square – early 1950’s. Supplied by Leigh Kennedy

All supplied by Leigh Kennedy. From facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/historicalhastings/

Leigh Kennedy… Two further views of Wellington Square, this time looking up Castle Hill Road. Judging by the clothing and the cars I’m going to say early 1950s ? In the background of both photos is No14 Castle Hill Road, used for 50 years between 1899 & 1949 as the offices of the Argus Newspaper.

Alan Esdaile… What was the name of the drinking club upstairs, about next to the newsagent sign? My dad used to go in there

Roger Simmonds… What happy times !

Peter Ellingworth… Definitely around early 50’s. My grandmother lived in one of the flats between Wellington Square and Castle Hill Passage I think it is. M&D buses : anybody remember where route 12 used to go -Tenterden / Maidstone ? Hastings Corporation were going to build a dedicated bus station dating back to pre war days, but this only came about when Hastings Station was rebuilt.

Peter Ellingworth… Following on, I’ve just had a look around the web and there is a very interesting website ‘The Transport Library’.

https://www.thetransportlibrary.co.uk/

-which features photos many in colour, and very good quality, of a lot of Hastings bus services and the town itself from the ‘50s to ‘90’s.
If the link above doesn’t work, just type in The Transport Library- Maidstone and District – Hastings. There were also some very clear Hastings trolley bus photos in black and white taken in by Derek Giles in 1950, some of which I hadn’t seen before. Am I right in saying M&D route 12 shown in the photo above went from Hastings to Tenterden, via Sedlescombe -Northiam and return ?

Paul Morfey… yes! The mud and dust no 12 as we called it went from Hastings to Tenterden via Sedlescombe and Northiam. I worked as an apprentice electrician for Farley Paines from the basement of no.1 Wellington Square and caught the bus home from there to Northiam every night.

 

 

Remember Dengate buses

photo © https://buspics.net

Lloyd Johnson… Anyone remember Dengate Buses parked in Wellington Square and the bus drivers in their white linen coats?..now that was so 1920s and still around in the early 60s…

Mick O’Dowd… Remember them well!

Nigel Livermore… If you were on your way to Hastings town centre and waiting in London Road, St.Leonards in the fifties or early sixties, you would sometimes have the luck to ride in one of these wonderful old Bedford OBs, driven by an often-elderly gentleman in a flat cap and mac. As ticket-collecting schoolboys, we would often wait long periods to catch one. Memories………

Tracy Birrell… I remember them in the 60’s.

Peter Ellingworth… Wasn’t parking up in Wellington Square supposed to be a temporary measure from pre-war until the proposed dedicated bus interchange that was never built, and then only when the rail station rebuild works took place ?

Marilyn Leslie Holloway… The school campsite was in Beckley and to get into local villages and towns we needed to catch a Dengate bus. Some hills were simply too much for the dear old things in 1965.

 

Tesco Wellington Square Hastings 1968

Hastings Library photo

Jacquie Hinves… Pre Tescos it was Victor Values! Mum would shop there every Tuesday and collect her green shield stamps.

Jane Hartley… Jacquie, Victor Values was along where the old Argos shop is. Tesco was a beautiful hotel with a revolving door

Pearl Phillips… Jane, your right first Tescos was next to Demarcos and book shop just a small one.

Jane Hartley… Jacquie, we always did our shopping in Victor Values where the old Argos building is. The hotel was demolished for Tesco, then the indoor market and now Poundstretcher. I worked for Acres the bakers and helped out in Tesco on their bakery stall. Jane, that’s right, a small store which we also used, then it moved to the hotel site. Victor Value did pink stamps, Tesco had greenshield stamps.

Linda Gowans… From earlier times. I’ve no idea why I have it – never stayed there. Probably via a charity shop.

Amanda Hilton… I had a part time job there from 13-17 loved it

Peter Houghton… Remember it well

Fred Marsh… Had my first Saturday job there, home n wear upstairs, hated it

Eileen O’Toole… Remember it well I think Ronnie Corbett opened it if my memory is right

Yvonne Webster… When at college worked Fri evening & Saturdays upstairs there. Collected enough green sheild stamps to get Xmas presents for the family one year.

Stuart Moir… Shopped there many time when I first moved to Hastings from the big smoke.

Diane Leigh… Remember it well.

Janet Brophy… I remember that, wow

Teresa Goacher… I got my first bra here

Alan Wood… The beginning of the end

Jan Warren… Used to shop there when I lived in Middle Street, early 70s

Amanda Russell… I worked there till it moved …Great memories.

Andrew Hook… Jeans upstairs, £2.50 a pair, never fitted very well.

Chris Baker… First of many in every town! Life eh?

Alan Esdaile… May have just been me but I remember the lights being so bright upstairs, it was painful to your eyes!

Anita Medhurst… Had a Friday evening and Saturday job there

Dick Btown Vinceb… I did part time evening work there while at Hastings college.

 

Executive Hotel photo Wellington Square Hastings

Alan Esdaile… Must have been the steepest stairs in a hotel, that lead up to the ballroom?

Peter Fairless… Well remembered

Leigh Mitchell… Went to a wedding reception there in 1972!

Karen Towner… Mum and Dad had their wedding reception here 1954.

Jackie Willett… Leigh, I had mine there in 1978!!!

Colin Bell… Leigh, I DJ’d many a do there

Leigh Mitchell… Colin, I bet! The reception I went to only had a record player and I seem to recall ‘Dizzy’ by Tommy Roe was on repeat!! I think the couple were on a tight budget

John Gale… Played there…. well i say played 🤣🙉🙉🙉 Gbh/ Wet Paint .. 28.07.1978

Mike Mitchell… Used to rush down there after school on a Friday to get tickets.

Martine Carrington… Used to go the nightclub ( underage ) until it got raided !!! Great nights

Jon McCallion… Do you remember when we used to play there in the band? Good times

Ralph Town… My fave disco…Alan Whitfield and his DC outfit, lots of booze and fun

Jenny Power… Went there to a 21st birthday party in 1969

Peter Ellingworth… My grandmother, a no nonsense northerner, lived in the flats to the right in the passage way back in the 50-60’s.

Tracy Birrell… Was this the Registery Office in the 70’s?

Peter Ellingworth… On closer perusal, it looks like the photo is taken towards the seafront end ( where the buses used to stand), in which case the flat where my grandmother lodged was at the other end of the square where the passageway is.

Alan Esdaile… I remember my mum saying, she went to school in this building when she was 5 and it was called ‘Wellington Collage’.

Alan Esdaile… Am I right in thinking, the step treads up to the ballroom were not very wide, which made it very difficult to cary speakers and equipment up the stairs?

John Gale… Alan, I’ve seen worse. They weren’t too bad tbh … Although when we ‘played’ there we had very little equipment anyway

 

 

 

Muller or maybe the beginnings of Effigy – Executive Hotel 1970’s

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Jon McCallion… Variations of this band but I think this was the first line up?
Iain Coby, Steve Demetri, Jon McCallion, Steve Kinch and Harry the manager. Photo taken at The Executive Hotel, Wellington Square

Steve Kinch….Wow! Thanks for posting this Alan, it’s a reminder of a time that I have very little memory of. Are you sure that this wasn’t the final days of Muller (I never liked that name) with Iain replacing Paul Dove on bass – I don’t recall ever being in Effigy. I think I was possibly still at school at this time, certainly hadn’t started to shave… unlike Steve D who was shaving at 6 months

Jon McCallion….Steve I have a few more pics like this. This was early Effigy I think, and like you i didn’t like the name Muller.

Yvonne Cleland….Can’t have been pleasant to think of your audiences as being Mullered.

Chris Baker….Blimey!  The “manager” bloke on the left was Harry Williams!  Brian (Bear) Williams’ Dad who used to manage The Town Council back in the day.  I never knew he went on to do anything else.  I do recall playing briefly with Steve D and Jon M for a few sessions.  Ian Cobby was a nice bloke too.  🙂

Mark Edir…..I worked the door a few times for student party’s at the executive around the 70’s

Sarah Harvey…..Harry Williams eventually ended up helping out at The Ore Zodiac Community Association, who managed Ore Centre and The Zodiac Centre at the time. Between him and me we arranged a number of fund-raiser discos and gigs, which culminated in the Ore Group Festival in the mid-1970s. Ore Centre was ok for gigs, but the Zodiac Centre in Priory Road (now knocked down and replaced by The Bridge Centre was just like the YMCA for acoustics….the sound bounced around the place like a pinball machine and was just a complete racket at times. Harry helped manage the Zodiac Centre since he lived just along the road in Priory Road itself.

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The Scotch Club Hastings 1967

Supplied by John Busbridge

John Busbridge… Yet another of my haunts! Where was this?

Colin Fox… Is that The Scotch of St. James? In the St James area of London. Well known for 60s music. I can’t remember who ran it, but I know it was the first gig Jimi Hendrix did in Britain in 1966.

Alan Esdaile… Was it Wellington Square John?

John Busbridge… I think that must be the one in London not the one in Hastings as it was very small I think, I vaguely remember it being up two flights of stairs and I think it was very near where Bay Spice is in Eversfield place nearly opposite the Pier.