17/05/2026
We are very proud to say that today is the Fishermenâs Museumâs 70th Birthday! Local historian and one of our trustees, Steve Peak, writes ...
"The Hastings Fishermen's Museum in Rock-a-Nore Road is celebrating its 70th birthday this weekend. Its doors were opened for the first time on 17th May 1956, and today it attracts over 90,000 visitors every year.
The Museum was built in 1853/4 as a church, which closed in 1939 on the outbreak of the Second World War. Until the early 1830s there was no ground where the Museum stands today, because the sea was coming up to the foot of the cliffs. In order to protect both the cliffs and the Old Town from increasing invasions by the sea, Hastings Council in 1834 and 1843 built wooden groynes to the east side of where the Shipwreck Museum is today. A large amount of shingle quickly built up here, creating a new piece of âgroundâ in front of the cliffs.
On this new land the fishermen wanted to build sheds in which to store their fishing gear, but there were so many boat-owners seeking a space that Hastings Council had to lay out the ground in rows of plots about eight or nine feet square. Because of the small size of these plots, the sheds that the fishermen built - known as the ânet shopsâ - had to be tall and thin, making their combination of layout and design unique to Hastings. The 40 surviving net shops are now listed as grade II* (grade two star) by English Heritage.
The Fishermenâs Church was to be built in 1853/4 partly on the site of a compound set up on this new ground in 1839 by HM Customs to cut up boats used by smugglers. By around 1850 smuggling had almost died out, and in late 1852 the Crown therefore gave up using the compound and granted a lease of the land which it owned for the church.
The early 1850s were a time of economic prosperity, both nationally and in Hastings, where the arrival of the railways had opened up much bigger markets for the local fishing industry. But instead of giving thanks in a church for their better lives, the fishermen had taken to imbibing alcohol, playing games of doubtful morality and generally having more fun than they had been able to in the recent past. The local religious and cultural leaders became concerned at what appeared to be this increasing decadence, and in March 1853 it was decided that the problem was so serious that what was needed was a âchapel of easeâ (a subsidiary mission church) on the beach where the fishermen actually worked. The feeling was: If they wonât come to the church, take the church to them!
The foundation stone of the Fishermenâs Church of St Nicolas was laid in August 1853 and the Church opened for worship on 26 March 1854, with the Reverend Tom Tanner as its first chaplain. The Crown had granted a 75 year lease of the ground, which Hastings Council took over when it expired, and the Council remains the landlord of the building today. There was seating for 290 people. The popular Tom Tanner - âThe Rev Tomâ, as he was known - remained chaplain until his death in 1880, by which time he had won over the fishermen to accept the presence of the Church. Among the Churchâs visiting preachers was the famous author Charles Kingsley, in 1857.
In 1917 former Hastings councillor James Griffiths gave the Church a font, which is still in use today for dedications. A vestry was built on to the south side of the Church in 1923, being replaced by a big extension in 2001.
The Church had to close soon after the war broke out in September 1939 because it was inside a zone of prohibited access to the public. During the war the Church was requisitioned by the military, who used it as a store. It suffered some damage, including the loss of three newly-painted windows.
The war ended in 1945 and in early 1947 the Rev Leslie Hook, rector of All Saints, had to give up using the Church because he could not obtain a long lease from Hastings Council, which then let it to Butlers Emporium hardware shop in George Street, which used it as a store.
In the early 1950s Hastings Old Town was undergoing major changes, with many traditional old buildings being demolished. A large number of local residents saw this as damaging the character of the Old Town, so in late 1952 they set up the Old Hastings Preservation Society (OHPS) and started several campaigns.
In 1953 OHPS members tried to save one of the last two surviving Hastings sailing luggers, but this failed, and one of them, the Industry RX 94, was burnt on Bonfire Night 1953. This prompted special efforts to save the other lugger, the Enterprise RX 278, built in Hastings in 1912. The OHPS said that the near-derelict Fishermenâs Church should become a museum, and in July 1955 the Council gave the scheme the go-ahead.
Butlers moved their stores out in March 1956, and on 17 April part of the Churchâs south wall was demolished and the Enterprise was hauled inside. The interior of the building was in such a bad state that it had to be almost gutted. But, nonetheless, it was quickly restored and many exhibits were put on display, including the last wooden horse capstan (still in the Museum today). The Fishermenâs Museum was officially inaugurated on Thursday 17 May 1956, when the mayor, Alderman Frederick Hussey, stood on the deck of the Enterprise and declared it open.
The OHPS set up a committee of fishermen and some OHPS representatives to actually run the Museum. In the summer of 1956 a small net shop was put up next to the Museum door for the use of fisherman Tom Willis, the Museumâs first âship-keeperâ On 23 September 1956 a Harvest of the Sea Festival was held, and it became an annual event. Since 1956 special services and baptisms have taken place in the Museum many times.
In August 1958 a life-size helmsman was installed on the Enterprise, with his head made by the famous sculptor Clare Sheridan, a cousin of Sir Winston Churchill. The tall flagstaff next to the Museum was erected by the OHPS in July 1968 in memory of the local shipâs chandler Fred Relph, whose daughter Helen funded it. The large early 19th century anchor next to the flagstaff was brought ashore by two local fishing boats in August 1981.
But in 1992 Council officers said they wanted to commercialise the Museum by removing the Enterprise and installing the latest electronic gadgets. However the Museum director John Burton and I (Steve Peak) together launched a successful campaign to keep the Museum as it was then, and still is today.
Following this acrimonious debate, the Council in 1993 funded a feasibility study which resulted in new options being available to boost and improve the Museum. After Mr Burton retired in 1995 the OHPS and fishermen invested much time and effort in upgrading the Museum, while keeping the existing style and atmosphere. A special visitor in June 1997 was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A major step forward came in 2001 when the 1923 vestry was replaced by a much bigger extension, with full facilities, including large archive and store rooms.
The Museum now owns five net shops, plus five old fishing boats which are standing outside on the beach. A sixth boat has been cut in half to create both a net shop and a cottage.
The Museum is open 364 days a year, from 11.00, and admission is free; donations most welcome. The ship-keeper (manager) is Stephen Pratt, and the Museum is run by OHPS. There are more details about the history of the Museum, of which I am the honorary curator, on my website www.hastingshistory.net."
