white rock

Courts White Rock Hastings 1978

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photo © Anthony ‘Nan’ Morland

sales advert 1976

Matt Thomas… I have more memories of The Wellington

Christine Burton… I liked the Wellington, good times.

Virginia Davis… I always remember waving to my grandad working in the top right window in Marriott’s from the top deck of the bus. He usually didn’t see me

Peter Houghton… Thank you for sharing this!

David Edwards… I really enjoyed the Wellington.

Stuart Moir… Very long narrow bar .

Andre Martin… Bought out new furniture from Courts when we married back in 1972, and some is still useable, made in Britain and built to last in those days.

White Rock and Robertson Street Hastings – photos

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photos © Hastings Public Library

Bernard Goffredro… What a good idea electric buses I remember them

Carrie Downing-Waite Sawatzky… Busy town in those days

Peter Ellingworth… The then young woman somewhat bemused it seems, looking up at the photographer in the bottom picture looks the split image of my dear late mother.

Alan Esdaile… I was thinking the guy pointing in the first photo, looked like the pier manager Bob Knights?

Peter Ellingworth… The electric trolleybus in the lower photo – taken I would think in the early fifties and before 1956- 57, as that was when the roofs on the buses were painted cream/white, 782 was number 7 in the Hastings fleet.  One of twenty AEC double deckers with Weyman bodywork,  it entered service with Hastings Tramways in June 1940, lasting until closure under Maidstone and District in 1959.  The later batch delivered in 1946-47 were on closure of the much liked Hastings system, sold to other operators such as Maidstone, Walsall and Bradford lasting until 1970.

Peter Houghton… What great photos of the Sea Front The good old day’s

Stuart Moir… photo 2. That’s a really clear image, all brilliantly in focus.

 

Yelton Hotel Hastings – front view photo

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photo: Ray Nickson https://www.facebook.com/groups/hastingstlenspicsandvids

Pauline Richards… Love the balcony on a summers day!!

Stuart Moir… Great place to play when the music scene in Hastings was fantastic, so many venues having live music .

Paul Phillips… Stuart, wasnt it just Friday and Saturday night live bands in The Yelton

Stuart Moir… I think you’re right Paul, Centre Page enjoyed the gigs we played there with full capacity every time .

Paul Huggett… Stuart, certainly was, did 24 gigs there with No Limit in one year, early 90s. Ernie was a strict manager there, but if you got a deal from him, it stuck. No mucking around or “double booking ” nonsense.

Stuart Moir… Paul, They were the best venues in the town, as you so rightly say Paul no problems ever, Ernie was one of the best, we never had to search the country for bookings, the venues and agents phoned us prior to the start of every year, two and three bookings every weekend, played hell with relationships

Mick O’Dowd… The Spiritual home of SMART! Loved going there to see great bands but there was such an diverse mix of punters from the flash to the loony( sorry can I say that?).

Paul Coleman… Worked in the kitchen for a weekend when I was a kid. Left quick when the very volatile foreign chef threw a cooks knife across the kitchen. Missed me by inches! Do your own washin up!

Nigel Ford… Perhaps I’ve said before, owned by Michael NOTLEY (name in reverse) who had a farm in Magham Down near Hailsham that I ploughed at once in the East Sussex ploughing match mid ’70’s.

Bob Searle… Played there lots of times

Bottle Alley entrance, Hastings Pier and White Rock postcard

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Interesting to see the back, in the days when senders could only use a five word greeting or if you wanted to put a full message it would cost you double!

Linda Gowans… Early WW2 economy regulations, maybe to make it easier for censorship? The photo doesn’t look old enough for the early days of postcards.

Mick O’Dowd… What year was this?

Jim Breeds… Mick, The photo is probably 1950s, I would think, or late 1940s. Bottle Alley opened in 1934, so it’s obviously after that. Postage for postcards went up to 2d. in 1940 and stayed at that price until 1957.

Mick O’Dowd… Why I asked is because the couple pushing the pram look a lot like my Mum & Dad. If it was the early 50’s or even late 40’s it could well have been. I was born in January 1949!

Patricia Burgess… Fabulous picture, Thank you for sharing

Forte’s Ice Cream Parlor, 31 White Rock, Hastings c1936

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supplied by Bren Hall

Linda Gowans… I remember the juke box in the 1950s/60s. In my childhood Dad used to give me the money to play something, but I was careful not to pick anything that would stop him giving me any more! Later when I went with friends we could liven things up!

Ju-ju Davies… I believe my dad worked for these delivering ice cream to the pier restaurant on his pushbike

Kay Lobb… I worked there in the mid sixties. The jukebox was the main attraction of eight hour shifts.

Linda Gowans… Kay, You’ve probably served me a milkshake or two!

Colin Clarke-Hill… Brilliant memory. Did the ice cream parlour belong to the Rocco Forte family ?

Kay Lobb… It was run by Ralph Forte, if I remember correctly. Such a LONG time ago. I can remember The Beach Boys, Good Vibrations being played nearly non stop on the juke box. Quite ironic for one of my first jobs I made sandwiches and served tea and coffee…..as I did in my last job!

Colin Clark-Hill… Kay, just wondered if it was the same family as Trusthouse Forte, Alex Polizzi etc but probably not. Maybe distant relations . Beach Boys . Yes!

Glynis Phillips… Yes I remember the juke box in Fortes. Happy days. Some of the best days

 

The Yelton Hotel White Rock Hastings 1990

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photo by James Meredith

the photo featuring the woman with no body!

Andrew Freeman… My old friend the late Johnny Woodhams used to say if you went to the loo here you went to the Yelton John! There are those who won’t get this I guess!!

Ian Johnson… Sunk a few pints in there

Paul Coleman… I worked in the kitchen of the Yelton for a weekend when I was fifteen, washing up. The chef was an Italian I think. Completely nuts with a habit of throwing big kitchen knives across the room when he was peed off – which was most of the time! One came a bit too close, so I walked. Didn’t even bother collecting my wages.
So the Yelton, (White Rock) still owes me!! Lol.

Peter Houghton… I worked there in the 70s before going to the Royal Victoria

Freddie Smith… My Nan and My Auntie Vi used to go their every Thursday. They would always have their Guinness’, with their treats brought from the drug store(the people behind the bar didn’t know 🤣🤣). In the school holidays I would join them, having coke and crisps.

Rupert Gilham… Takes me back

Mark Gilham… Rupert great days. Not forgetting the Chatsworth run by the lovely Paul and Lesley

Mark Randall… That lady was obviously the magician’s assistant when he performed at the Summer Special

Jane Owen Schaumlöffel… I believe it was named by its original owner, Mr Notley

Peter Houghton… Jane, That’s Right.

Karen Riggs… When did the Yelton become the White Rock Hotel?

Janette Morfey… when the current owners took over, they renamed it.

Wellington Pub White Rock Hastings with Ben on the piano 1977

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Elaine Roberts… 50p for a double!

Dave Weeks… Who was Ben ?

Coco Pops… The poor Old Wellington wonder who has the sign???

Graham Marriott… I don’t know but it’s not a pub any more you can’t even tell where it was Alan and Dot Chapman were the best landlord and landlady the pub had in the 1980’s used to go in there after ice skating

Coco Pops… Its now a curry house, Sir are you the owner of Marriott’s who had damage from when they were renovating the pub?

Tony Court-holmes… yet another pub that closed

Alan Esdaile… Russell Field mentioned it on my radio show today.

Dawn Leaney… Ben was an older man and used to play regularly in the saloon bar in the London Trader..l believe on the keyboard and sing.

Alan Vale… Add a zero on the end of all those prices. Great sign!

 

 

 

 

Anyone remember the Esterel Cafe coffee bar White Rock Hastings?

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photos supplied by Dave Trodd

Dave Trodd… I wonder if anyone in the group is old enough to remember this place (see attached pic of the Esterel Cafe on Hastings seafront) which I believe was either the first, or one of the first, coffee bars in Hastings. I have told people about it before, but today I noticed that they’ve uncovered the name on the front. I used to go there with a crowd from the art school at the Brassey when I was about 16 (in 1957). I think it belonged to Chris Paraskiva who has since died. I’d be interested in any information anyone might have.

Alan Esdaile… All I could find Dave is that they had a branch in the memorial  in 1954.

Anne Murray… But before my time. I went to the Brassy as part of my art course at Hastings college of further education. We would go to the Fiesta cafe round the corner (or the pub!). That was the 1970’s.

Martyn Baker… I think I worked here in about 1975. It was “Le Flacon” by then (a French restaurant, run by Greeks who’d never ever been to France!)

Jim Breeds… The only reference I can find to a Café Esterel is at 4 Bank Buildings in 1953. (Proprietor Maj. Sims-Hilditch). Maybe he moved to White Rock later or opened another branch. But now I’ve found this in the paper dated 23rd May 1953, so there must have been two cafes with this name.

Simon Fraser… I went to Eastbourne college with Chris my mother Mary Fraser owned the restaurant next door and the shop next to it. I only know it as the le falcon.

Drew Barney… Nope. Dimarco’s for coffee. Jenny Lind for under age drinking.

Graham Sherrington… Old enough ow yes, and that shop near by that sold rocks and crystal. My wife still has a crystal from it.Had the Lighthouse in the side window.

Caroline Moor… Walked passed yesterday and my friend commented on how gorgeous it looks. xxx

Leigh Kennedy… The shopfront is very unusual and the business, as far as I can remember, has been closed down for decades. Looking at old photos it still has the same colour scheme that it did in the early 1970’s! In 1962 it was a Restaurant called “Le Flaçon”..

supplied by Leigh Kennedy

Ralph Town… Was it known as the Falcon restaurant in the 70s or early 80s or do I have a time and space displacement?

Mick Knights… I remember going to a coffee bar across from the baths for a milkshake after the seagulls swimming club most weeks. That would be late 50’s early 60’s it could well have been this one as I certainly remember the facade.

Alan Esdaile… Not thinking of Fortes, Mick?

Claire Lonsdale… I didn’t know Chris Paraskeva had died. How long ago did he pass?

Wendy Weaver… I think this was the one with the downstairs function room? Great place for a “bit of a do”.