1 Green St Leonards Look Inside v2

David Clarke has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 to be identified as the author of this work. Text, maps and photographs are Copyright ©David Clarke 26 September 2014. th All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted without the prior consent of the author. History Walks or David Clarke do not accept any responsibility for any injuries or losses which may occur on this walk. At the time of writing, all routes follow public rights of way or permitted paths. However, diversions can be made at any time and permissions withdrawn – for which I cannot be held responsible – and care should be taken to abide by any local restrictions since the writing of this walk. With public transport, changes to timetables can be made at any time and it is important to check that the services and schedules are still current before your walk. Unless the weather is wet, when the paths in Combe Valley and Church Woods can become muddy, comfortable walking shoes will be fine; sun protection and a hat for hot days and waterproofs for that hint of rain. Refreshments are available at Tesco’s Hollington. This walk allows walkers to escape to a Green St Leonards and the Countryside Code will help preserve the walk for others. • Guard against all risk of fire • Keep dogs under control • Use gates and stiles to cross walls and fences and fasten all gates • Protect wildlife, plants and trees • Take litter home or dispose of it appropriately • Take special care when walking by and crossing roads • Do not play music loudly or create excessive noise • Do not stray from the designated path Some helpful websites before you start: ▪ Stagecoach www.stagecoachbus.com/plan-a-journey ▪ Traveline www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk ▪ Weather Forecast www.news.bbc.co.uk/weather/ ▪ WhatPub www.whatpub.com Information about the pubs, beers, contact details and opening hours are shown on the CAMRA WhatPub web site at: www.whatpub.com Front cover: Church Woods

History Walks No.1 A Green Walk along the boundary of St Leonards on Sea This guide contains all the step by step instructions necessary to complete the walk successfully although you should always take the correct OS Maps with you in case of difficulty. Additionally, this walk has also been added to the Ordnance Survey Walking Routes and for a complete mapping experience, download the OS Map App and follow the route on your phone.

Green St Leonards Starting on the edge of the ‘New Town’, this walk will take you away from the seafront into an older landscape that was once water (a safe haven for Duke William’s boats) into ancient woodland and a church hidden away from view that has its own Norman connection. No walk in St Leonards can be without its Burton connections and this walk will be no exception but, there is more to St Leonards than James and Decimus Burton and my aim is to walk you through some of the history and the legends that surround the town. I must point out that this is not a flat walk although the start is along the promenade. There are hills, both up and down, muddy paths and a couple of stiles which do make it unsuitable for wheel chairs and pushchairs for which I apologise. Road walking is kept to a minimum and the walk will require a little effort but you will see another side to St Leonards on Sea. The return will be by a more modern method, the Stagecoach bus back to Warrior Square but if you want to walk back and have a drink at the Bo Peep, just as a reward of course, there are walk instructions. Reflections “Just popping in to Hastings Trust on Robertson Street, to view the map and plans of Hastings and St Leonards” were fateful words. Talking to the staff about Hastings, St Leonards on Sea and 1066 Harold’s Way in general, Jon Aldenton, then of Hastings Trust, was rather more specific. We talked about a walk around St Leonards that would explore some of the hidden treasures that are tucked away out of sight. Already earmarked for a book of 1066 short walks, it brought forward the opportunity to write up one of my own walks that would encapsulate the sea, the green spaces in St Leonards and explore the links with the events of 1066. Such a unique place, St Leonards on Sea was at the forefront of seaside design for over 100 years, from its founding father James Burton to that famous Borough Engineer Sidney Little, but its place in history goes back much further. St. Leonards takes its name from the old parish of St Leonard’s Church which ceased to be used after 1428.

The coastline was then a series of headlands, secluded coves and smuggler’s beaches, ideal for landing contraband but by 1830 smuggling was in decline. At about the same time, James Burton was in the process of creating his terraces and promenades and his legacy is plain to see, all the way down to West St Leonards. It was the first new seaside resort for the wealthy and became instantly popular with royalty and aristocracy. Service areas for the new town included shopping, Mercatoria, and laundry, Lavatoria. The railway arrived in 1845 and St Leonards Gensing Road Station (now Warrior Square Station) was opened in 1852. St Leonards prospered and expanded until it merged with Hastings in 1875. The demolition of Burtons’ St. Leonard’s Arch in 1895 allowed the road to develop between Hastings and the new town and when The Hastings Tramways Company opened a new depot at Bulverhythe, a tramway was established along the seafront to Bexhill and Cooden, then called Kewhurst. So often, local walks and commentaries confine themselves to Burtons’ St Leonards, and they are all interesting in their own right, but there is more to explore and discover. There are the connections to 1066, vibrant green spaces and ancient woodlands to discover away from the flat sea front. It is an undulating walk with climbs and descents and views inland that makes you forget, for a moment, the houses and estates, roads and cars that a busy St Leonards on Sea has become. Enjoy the walk and walk back into a little bit of history, take your time and allow a little longer to stand, stare and imagine. Walk Information Length: 3.60 miles Time: 1½ hours Return: 3.40 miles Time 1¼ hours Map: OS Explorer 124 – but full walk instructions are given. OS App Map: History Walks Book 1a: Green St Leonards Out OS App Map: History Walks Book 1b: Green St Leonards Return Transport: Stagecoach Buses to Warrior Square, from Tesco’s and along the prom Refreshments: Grand Parade - Bars and Cafés. Marina - Bars and Cafés. Pubs - Bo Peep. Hollington - Tesco

Walk Profile The Walk This walk starts on the promenade opposite Warrior Square and will continue westwards along the Upper Prom but take a minute to first look across the road. The bus will return you to the bus stop opposite, by the statue of Queen Victoria at the entrance to Warrior Square Gardens. Completed in 1864, Warrior Square was claimed to be the largest and finest in England and it still commands the sea front. Face the sea and, if you are lucky, dolphins and porpoises can be seen, early morning and evening are the best times of day. Back on the Upper Prom, walk towards Marine Court. Continued at Page 21

The complete Guidebook to the walk contains history notes, maps and step by step walking instructions to make your life easier to enjoy the rich history of this Green St Leonards Walk. About the Author David lives in St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, and walks, talks and writes about walking, local history and all things 1066. He is a member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild and considers that his membership of CAMRA, The Inn Sign Society, The Ramblers and the Long Distance Walkers Association to be a perfect match for walking. He is the author and creator of 1066 Harold’s Way, a 100mile long distance walk inspired by King Harold’s epic march to the Battle of Hastings, 1066. Long Distance Walks 1. 1066 Harold’s Way 2. Three Castles and an Ironmaster’s House Books 1. The Saxon Times History Walks around 1066 Country 1. A Green St Leonards on Sea Walk 2. 1066 Battle Circular Walks 3. 1066 Bodiam Castle to Battle Abbey via Vinehall 4. Hastings to Rye and Rye to Hastings 5. Secret St Leonards Walking Trail 6. Pub Walks in Hastings and St Leonards 7. 1066 William’s Way, Hastings to Battle 8. Rock a Nore to De La Warr 9. Pub Walks in 1066 Country 10. A Walk around Rye 11. A Walk around Winchelsea 12. More Walks around Rye

History Walks No.1 A Green St Leonards Walk Along the Boundary of St Leonards on Sea There is more to St Leonards on Sea than the Promenade. There is much to admire along the front but hidden away behind the houses, on the very edge of the town, is a history that stretches back at least one thousand years. Landing places for Duke William’s fleet, a Saxon Manor house, the finest race course in the South-East and a Church hidden away in an ancient wood are all part of the legacy of St Leonards on Sea. Take your time and embrace the history. ‘A Green St Leonards Walk’ is published by History Walks, Marine Court, St Leonards on Sea www.1066haroldsway.co.uk and printed by Instant Print www.instantprint.co.uk £3.00 November 2014, Revised 2017, 2018

For more information about this book and other walks in the series of ‘Short Walks in 1066 Country’, visit History Walks Books and Talks: www.1066haroldsway.co.uk History Walks books are available by mail order from History Walks and from the following stockists: Hastings • Hastings Tourist Information, Muriel Matters House • Old Hastings Preservation Society, History House, Courthouse Street • Hastings Fishermen's Museum, Rock-a-Nore, St Leonards on Sea • The Bookkeeper, 1A Kings Road • Studio 4 Frames, Marine Court Rye • Rye Heritage Centre • Adams of Rye, 8 High Street Battle • British Design British Made, High Street • AHA Stationers, Mount Street Bexhill • De La Warr Pavilion • Bexhill Museum