Hastings Castle

Castle’s remains are quite impressive when you come from the sea. Then, there is nothing but stones. But I advice people to stop and watch around them: imagine architecture, historical eventsopen a book.
In my opinion, that ruin is much more interesting than a well preserved but anachronistic building.

A l’automne 1066, Guillaume le Conquérant pose le pied sur le sol anglais et fait sa première halte à Hastings où il se fait construire ce château. En 1287, des tempêtes sans précédent frappèrent la côte, détruisant entièrement la partie sud du château.
Quand vous pénétrerez à l’intérieur, une tente médiévale identique à celles autrefois installées sur les champs de bataille vous accueille. Là, vous assisterez à une spectaculaire présentation multimédia retraçant la célèbre bataille d’Hastings et l’histoire du château.
Ensuite, vous pouvez poursuivre votre visite par de mystérieux donjons hantés: les enfants adorent…
Enfin, du haut de ces ruines du château, vous profitez d’une vue imprernable sur la ville et les environs.

The best time to visit Hastings castle is when there is an event on like the ‘Jack in the Green’ which happens early in the year. There’s not much left of the original castle — you can see this as the postcards always show the same view of one remaining arch — but when the castle hosts an event it makes the trip worthwhile. On a normal day you would only be able to spend about an hour wandering around, admiring the spectacular views and reading up on the information boards. On a day like ‘Jack in the Green’ expect queues to get in, beer tent plus lots to see. There are paths around the castle, but a lot of the walking area is grass with a bit of an incline. If I were a wheelchair user I might have difficulty accessing the whole site. Wrap up warmly and take waterproofs as the castle is on an exposed cliff looking out to sea.

It’s one of those things you really should go and see if you’re in Hastings but as castles go, there’s not much left so it’s nothing to write home about. For example, Bodiam Castle or even Pevensey Castle is much more impressive as a building but they don’t have the historical value of Hastings Castle. The audiovisual show will keep the kids interested for a while but within an hour tops, you’ll have had enough !

It may not seem like much on first inspection but it is covered in history — the 1066 story is definitelly worth watching (15-​minute documentary). The views are amazing on a clear day. And who knows, you may spot a pirate ship, too. You can get up there by a little funicular or walk up the hill from the main square.

there not alot of it left now and there nothing for children to do there

Very interesting history and a must-​see if you are in or around Hastings. Sure, there is not much left, this is mainly ruins, but the scenery is amazing and you will enjoy this on a sunny day.

If youre interested in looking at old castles then Hastings Castle isnt really for you as there’s not much castle to actually see. But if y oure interested in the History of this place then you’ll have a great time.
Admission is well priced — sometimes there’s special prices where you can get in to the Smugglers Adventures cheap too.
The land itself isnt that large so you wont be spending an awful lot of time here. There is a new ‘visual experience’ — a dvd based tour that’s situated in a nasty looking tent that really does nothign to add to the majesty of a once glorious castle.

intresting old buildings thou not much left
but look into history intresting

I’m a sucker for medieval history in England, and in particular castles. A recent visit to the South coast saw me head to Hastings Castle for the first time.
You can walk up to it, or take the West Hill Cliff Railway (a vertical, carved into the cliff railway built by the Victorians). Even if you are feeling fit you should plump for the railway to experience another of England’s historical gems.
Don’t go expecting a fully fledged castle — what you have at Hastings are a series of fairly spaced out ruins. The most complete remains are the dungeons at the entrance, and are well worth a walk into as even on a hot day they are pretty cold, grim and eery. The castle became ruins for a number of reasons, but principally because of a) time, b) Henry VIII’s sacking of monasteries, c) WWII bombing and d) coastal erosion. Indeed, if you want to see the spectacular results of unchecked coastal erosion over the last century or so then a visit to these ruins will tell you a lot. Over half the castle has been lost, and the vast majority of that is over the last 100 or so years.
So, if it’s ruins, why 5 stars? As I said, I’m a sucker for it all anyway, but to stand among the stones and look out over the channel it is virtually impossible to not allow your mind to wander back all those years, and to appreciate the past and present of this sceptered isle. Also, it gives you a perspective on the future, particularly with regard to the continual erosion we are facing.
There is a large ‘siege tent’ (or portacabin) in the middle of the ruins where you can watch a film about Hastings and adjoining towns in the ‘1066 story’ — worth a watch if you’ve taken the time to go up there.
The entrance fee helps preserve what remains of the castle, and as long as you accept that is what you are paying for, rather than a glimpse of a magnificently kept castle, you won’t be disappointed.