St Leonard’s is a browser’s mecca – everything from very upmarket arty galleries to basic junk.
We often take the route described below – it takes about half a day to do it thoroughly. There are many other interesting shops along the way, and many charity shops, which I have not covered individually. This post only covers St Leonard’s – I will do another on the Old Town shortly. Opening times for some of these places are erratic, but you are usually safe on a Saturday.
The walk actually starts in Hastings, because I didn’t want to leave out the places on the seafront – and it is nice to have a walk by the sea on a sunny day.
Start at the end of Robertson Street, and walk along the front past the British Heart Foundation furniture shop. You sometimes see nice bits of mid-century G plan type stuff in here.
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Arthur Green’s |
First, the Arthur Green’s Antique Centre. Fans of Victorian shop architecture should visit this place just to look at it – it is a beautiful, original gentleman’s outfitting store with all the original fittings. They have a varied stock, mostly small bits, lots of china and glass, some vintage clothes. Prices are average. The shop is in the same old hotel block that served as the set for the 2012 film Byzantium. See previous Battleaxe blog post.
Next, there is the similar, but smaller and plainer White Rock Antiques Centre.
That’s it for a bit. The desperate can stop off at the White Rock Hotel for a coffee or pint break – the front terrace is very popular, or alternatively cross the road and walk along the sea front, viewing progress on the pier renovation works (if any), until you get past Warrior Square. There is a seafront cafe by the loos – warm weather only – or cross the road back again.
We tend to stop for coffee at Smiths – they do excellent food too, but the cafe does get hot and crowded. It is almost next door to our next shop – Stuff by the Sea. The name is currently just chalked on a clothes bin outside this large, inexpensive vintage clothes shop – ideal for a rummage.
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Stuff |
Round the corner into London Road, and up the hill.
Opposite is the large London Road Antiques Centre, with a London Underground
theme. This is well worth a browse – a fair bit of reproduction stuff,
but many gems as well, and prices are very reasonable. It is right next
door to the Love Cafe – popular with many, but every time Philosopher and I have been, the service has been too slow.
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London Road |
Carry on up London Road, cross over Norman Road, and turn right into Kings Road, heading for Warrior Square Station. This attractive road is full of funny little shops, many of which, unfortunately, do not
stay very long. At the moment there is a new posh wine shop, a couple of galleries, a biker’s shop, a high-class dress exchange, a goth/fetish shop, a nice art supplies shop and many random charity and second-hand shops.We tend to walk up the right side of the road, investigating everything of interest, and back down the other.
Firstly, on the right, the enormous Kings Road Bazaar has been around for a long while. This is mostly full of junk, but we have found many little gems over the years, and it is always worth a poke about. Almost opposite is its higher class cousin – Kings Road Antiques. This has a varied stock and usually some interesting things – not cheap though.
Back down London Road, and right up Norman Road. Interestingly, the bottom stretch of Norman Road going down to Warrior Square has become very Middle Eastern, with many Turkish shops and cafes. The upper stretch is becoming very arty, with its own shopping website. First, Xanadu vintage, next to the Little Larder Cafe, is excellent, if a bit cramped. (the same can be said of the cafe!). Opposite is Shop – this used to have nice retro stuff, but is now mostly gifts and high-end retro style homeware, with the delicious Michala’s Cute Cakes Cafe taking up more and more room.
We particularly like the Baker Mamonova Gallery, which has recently moved into a large new space in what was an old cinema. It specialises in twentieth-century Russian art, and many of the paintings are
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Baker Mamonova Gallery |
stunning. There is now also a Gallery Cafe on the premises. However, the prices are eye-watering – we’d need to win the Lottery to afford anything out of here.
Next door, our friend Patrick Robbins has moved in, vacating his old premises at the top of the road. His new place, now called the Fleet Gallery, is bigger, lighter and very attractive. Several paintings in our house came from Patrick, but now he has moved a bit upmarket.
As with Kings Road, shops tend to come and go, and move around a bit. We like one very high-end mid-century shop – I think it is ‘Antiques on Sea’ but at the moment it has no name outside, and Gensing Antiques, which is a chaotic mass of stacked up paintings, kept by a very talkative old guy. We can’t go in there too often because we never come out empty handed.
There is also the Hastings Antiques Centre, which deals in older stuff,
the Wayward vintage haberdashery shop, and several more, including a
strange junky place at the top of the road.
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Gensing and Wayward |
We turn left at the top of Norman Road, and go down East Ascent at the back of Marine Court. If it’s hot it is nice to have a picnic in St Leonard’s Gardens. Then down onto the front, and left along the colonnade. Much of this has got a bit run-down looking. Poffley’s Cafe is opposite the Azur – somehow we have never got over the loss of the wonderful Post Office Tea Room, and don’t go to Poffley’s, although I hear it is fine. Once past Poffley’s, you reach the Arts Forum Gallery, and then a variety of little places underneath Marine Court, including the classy Burton Gallery. Probably our most expensive piece of glass, a large vintage Mdina bottle vase, came from here.
By this time we have usually had enough – we walk down to Warrior Square and get the bus home!
Here a few more pictures!
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Arthur Green’s interior |
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Stuff |
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Gensing Antiques – all those pictures! |
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Norman Road Street art, with a bit from Scrabbleman – it says ‘I’m mad as hell’ |
A very enjoyable trek through St Leonards…..and an introduction to one or two shops that I've managed to miss on my travels!!! I do love the cafe in Shop….and quite like the Jempsons cafe in Kings Road as well.
When I'm on my deathbed, I hope I'll have the strength to ask for a Jempsons jam doughnut – they are one of my favourite things in the world!
This is now on Hastings Online Times (HOT) http://hastingsonlinetimes.co.uk/hastings-life/shops-things/st-leonards-rummage