'Filling up on the good stuff' with Crafted at Powdermills
I love somewhere to stay that’s a little bit different, and running Get Hastings is very rewarding but is also hard work and stressful at times - so I jumped at the chance to pay a visit to Crafted at Powdermills in Battle. The team behind Crafted describe it as a ‘life-friendly hotel where you can be yourself and fill up on the good stuff’. Deep into the winter months, the good stuff was exactly what I needed so I didn’t take much persuading.
There Was Only One Way to Settle This... An Evening of Hagstone Stunners Wrestling Cabaret
If you’re a child of the 70s or 80s, the word ‘wrestling’ might conjure up thoughts of Big Daddy or Giant Haystacks and Saturday afternoons huddled round the big telly, booing whilst slurping a carton of E numbers through a skinny straw.
Richard Upton: On just never seeing property the same as everyone else
Richard Upton is a creative entrepreneur, a visionary, a lover of art, architecture, sculpture, people, history and community. He is passionate about the ‘quality of place’ no matter whom or what the place is for. He is from humble beginnings in Stepney, East London. “There wasn’t a lot of money at home but there was love. So I’ve always been entrepreneurial out of necessity and adversity,” he says.
Crispy Salmon Recipe
Shiosai's Sanjay Sherchan offers up his CRISPY SALMON recipe for you to make at home
TULLIS RENNIE
Tullis Rennie is a sound-explorer of many parts: part improvising trombonist, part electronic musician and part composer. Often to be found performing live around town, sometimes accompanied by digital animations and alongside many local collaborators. I chatted with Tullis about his work, background and musical style.
Alice and Audrey: a debut novel by Mel Elliott
Photo by Charlotte Steeples Interview by Tess Swan Get Hastings editor, Mel Elliott has recently punlished her debut novel about...
Craig Masson: Hastings' Own Interior Design Master
Craig Mason almost ‘broke the internet’ with his fake bamboo and he gave the dogs at Battersea a pop-art inspired room that was fit for a King Charles Spaniel, but it was his pub in Edinburgh that had Interior Design Masters on BBC1 sending him back to us in Hastings. Most definitely their loss, our gain I say!
Eating Out at Winnifred's
When chef Benjamin Cumberpatch invited myself, photographer, Steve and designer, Laura to come for dinner, we jumped at the chance.
Exhibition: Michelle Roberts - Red, Blue, Up
Red, Blue, Up is a major new exhibition of paintings and drawings by Bexhill-based artist, Michelle Roberts. It features a wide selection of Roberts’ works from the last 15 years. Through this detailed yet joyful execution, her works are underpinned by her unwavering precision and control, as she dissects shapes, forms and patterns across canvas and paper.
Four Walk to the Cove
Myself, Get Hastings designer Laura and photographer Steve were all set to walk to The Cove in Fairlight for our meeting to kick off the next issue, and let me tell you, it’s not easy thinking about springtime when temperatures are low and days are dark and short but as soon as one issue hits the shelves, work starts on the next.
7 Magnificent Shops
I’m forever harping on about how lucky we are here with our abundance of great, interesting and well-curated independent shops. In this feature we celebrate seven of them that we hope, cover some of your Christmas bases for gift buying this year.
A Garden in Hastings: a documentary about Glenn Veness’ incredible garden
Glenn Veness and his wife, Kathy, are a couple on a mission. A mission to create peace, love and happiness amidst a suburban council estate in Hollington.
I was buzzing earlier this year when I popped my Glennstonbury Festival cherry.
Brook Tate
If you’re local to the Hastings area and you haven’t heard of Brook Tate yet, do you even have ears?
Whether he is painting, writing, teaching maths, singing or dancing, Brook Tate is a force to be reckoned with: an insanely talented creative and proud human being with the courage to be vulnerable in front of audiences, as well as being unapologetically himself
Kid Kapichi: Hastings' Royalty
It’s the Wednesday morning following Jack in the Green and everyone is exhausted due to five days without water – and what does any sensible Hastinger drink when there’s no water? Beer!
Holy Mackerel!
It was a few years ago that I first experienced ‘Mackerel Day’. It was blissfully warm and I’d been on the beach in front of Marine Court with friends and family and some small cans of gin and tonic from the shop. It was late afternoon, the light was soft and the beach was full of people enjoying the good weather, scared it wouldn’t last.
Galleria Recipe: Pan-fried Halibut Supreme
Gianluca Tozzi and Jack Booth opened Galleria seafood bar in 2020 during the small gap between lockdowns. Their aim was to support the localfishermen and women by serving up dishes where seasonal fish and veg is the star, as well as showcasing some of the best English and European wines with their relaxed yet intimate space
Ben Fenton: on Painting and Mental Health
Ben Fenton is a Hastings-based artist, known for his abstract paintings of local architecture and coastline landscapes. In this interview, Ben opens up about his long-term mental health struggles, his relationship with the area and the sea — and of course, his art.
Bottle Alley: Pillars of the Community
‘Never eat shredded wheat!’ a helpful person yelled to aid with the confusion of which side of the pillar was South West and which was North East. It was a sunny Thursday morning in August and an army of volunteers had come together to paint Bottle Alley, an initiative organised by creative collective, ZEROH. Spirits were high and people of all ages were eager and ready, yielding rollers, paint trays and brushes, awaiting their instructions.
Polo Piatti
Is he a mint with a hole? (No, but he does carry them around in his pocket). Is he a German hatchback or a game for posh people on horseback? No! He’s actually a genius Argentinian composer and pianist living in Hastings and he’s one of the loveliest people I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing.
On the Couch with Sue Tilley
When you think of the word ‘muse’, several people come to mind: a mid-nineties rock band, obviously Kate Moss in all her forms, the Pre Raphaelite poser, Elizabeth Sidall and last but not least, St Leonard’s based Freudian nudie, Sue Tilley.
Waxing Lyrical with HotWax
When I got into the car the other morning to take my kid to school, the radio defaulted to BBC 6 Music and I immediately heard something I recognised. It was ‘Treasure’ by HotWax and once the song finished, Lauren Laverne was gushing about them being the ones to watch out for in 2023. At this point, I had already interviewed the band for Get Hastings but even in that short period, their potential had grown so much.
On Air with James Endeacott
“Why!? What’s he done?” Louisa, the landlady of the Tower pub asks when I mention that we’d like to take some photos to go with my interview of James Endeacott, the subject I had left sitting on a sofa in front of a pictorial shrine to the Arsenal football team.
