In pictures: This is not the first time Hastings town centre and Priory Meadow has been under water

At Easter on Saturday March 22, 1913, Hastings suffered one of the worst storms in its history. The storm caused widespread destruction along the seafront and actually saw the sea covering the Central Cricket Ground where Priory Meadow shopping centre now stands.

It ripped up roads and sections of the promenade and flooded many buildings in the town centre. Parts of the road and promenade were buried beneath deep shingle.

These pictures add credence to what many have been saying in the past few days – that a large concrete shopping centre should not have been built on a cricket field that was always prone to flooding.

As local historian Steve Peak points out – the area was once identified on maps as Priory Marsh, not Priory Meadow.

Another local historian Brian Lawes, commenting on the Historical Hastings site, said: “The Priory Meadow area was always known to flood because of the Priory Stream culverted under it and the fact that it is below sea level during high tides. It was a regular occurrence over the centuries. Before that, it was Hastings Harbour, that had silted up.”

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