Free events at Hastings Pier for Heritage Open Days

The pier is offering a range of exciting free events as part of the national scheme, Heritage Open Days.

On Thursday, September 8 and Friday, September 9, Hastings Pier Charity volunteers will be offering a guided walk of the pier.

The tour starts at 11am and 2.30pm on Thursday and 2.30pm on Friday and each tour lasts for 45 minutes.

Anyone wishing to take part is asked to meet at the pier gates. There is no need to book.

Meanwhile archive volunteers and heritage interpretation volunteers will be in the Memories Room on September 8 and 9 to answer questions, scan old photos you might have of the pier and demonstrate the pier’s new state-of-the-art digital interpretation displays.

On September 8, Peter Cresswell will be in the Birch Room with seven stereoscopes and a selection of amazing stereoscopic images of the Hastings area.

This event will take place between 11am and 12.30pm and 1.30pm until 3pm.

Meanwhile Steve Peak, well-known local historian, will be giving his first ever guided tour of Hastings Pier on September 9 from 11am until 12.30pm.

This tour involves walking on the beach to inspect the structure, so all those taking part are asked to wear sturdy footwear.

There is no need to book for the tour, which is open to 30 people only.

If the weather is bad, Steve will de-camp to the Birch Room for a slide show with archive images of Hastings Pier and its nearly forgotten neighbour, St Leonards Pier.

Hastings Pier is also delighted to announce that local film maker Archie Lauchlan is coming back to present two free film screenings of his documentary Re: A Pier in the Pier’s Birch Room.

The documentary took Archie nine years to make and shows the pier from before the devastating fire of 2010 up to opening day.

Film screening and Q&A sessions will take place on Thursday, September 8 from 6pm to 8pm and also on Sunday, September 11 from 11am to 1pm.

And a selection of teas, coffees and pastries will be available to buy from the Lower Deck Café for a Sunday morning pick-me-up.

For more information about any of these events, visit Hastings Pier’s website www.hastingspier.org.uk

For more about the Heritage Open Days scheme, visit https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/about.