Net And Tackle Stores On Beach Including Groups L To W (Consecutive)

The Net and Tackle Stores (Net Shops) on Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings, probably originate from the 16th century but have been repaired and rebuilt repeatedly over the centuries. The current layout and configuration dates from the 1850s.

Materials and Construction

All structures are wooden framed with light scantling and diagonal bracing to resist wind, clad in weatherboard, though some have vertical boarded sides. They are tarred for protection; many retain an encrusted appearance from numerous tar applications. A limited number stand on concrete bases rising approximately 50 centimetres, and a very few have concrete blockwork cellars dug into the shingle beach. The saddle-back roofs are mostly wood boarded, occasionally clay tiled, with lead or clay ridge pieces.

Layout and Form

The net shops are arranged in 12 rows on the beach, generally facing either east or west. They are tall narrow structures, approximately 2.5 metres square on plan and of varying heights, but generally two or three storeys tall.

Exterior Features

All have wooden doors at each level opening outwards. Many have stable doors at ground level, with single doors above, and some feature small shuttered windows immediately adjacent to the doors. Tackle hoists are mounted on the front elevation of several net shops to assist in lifting gear to upper floors. All other elevations are generally blank.

Interior

The internal framing is left exposed and resembles a generic storage shed. Headroom is generally limited on all floors, and simple vertical ladders nailed to the walls lead to small hatch access to subsequent levels.

History

The first reference to net shops on Hastings beach appears in the Charter of 1588, which granted a lease of the beach for a farthing per foot. Those net shops stretched from Marine Parade to All Saints' Street and were shorter and more randomly placed than the current structures. The formal layout of double rows with space between dates from the 1830s, following the building of the east groyne in 1834. As shingle accumulated on the west side of the groyne, the Council cleared and flattened the beach. In 1835, the Council secured control by ruling that new shops required permission, were to be placed on Council-approved sites in accordance with a predetermined plan, were not to exceed 8 square feet, and were subject to an annual ground rent of 2 shillings, rising to 5 shillings in 1846. Because fishing practices required boats to carry as many as 100 nets each, the 8-square-foot restriction forced shops to grow upwards. In 1844, a permanent Council sub-committee was established for the net shops to ensure "a more systematic arrangement". By 1851, the layout was as it remains today. The net shops were not fixed to the ground, allowing relocation if required by Council or sea conditions.

The tar waterproofing made the shops combustible, and fire has destroyed many over the years. The worst fire was in 1846, destroying approximately 20 shops. The most recent fire, in 1961, destroyed four shops, and the same year two more blew down in gales. The 1950s saw declining use, and by 1958 the shops were reported as "un-tarred and falling to pieces through neglect", facing extinction within ten years. A restoration programme commenced, and several shops were rebuilt in the 1960s, followed by a further restoration project in 1985.