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Dalston-On-Sea
It's a mix of Decimus Burton pomp and grandeur, quirky alleyways and great restaurants and cafes. Houses are cheap, it's close to the sea so what's stopping you? Get on down to Hastings and St Leonards...
Everyone is moving. They’re getting out. They’ve had enough of London. The prices. The people. The shit. Those in the know have discovered the next best thing. Only it’s a better thing.
If you adore Dalston for it’s mad mix of people, styles, places and “vibe” you’re gonna love this tip for the top for 2012.
If you want to change gear and you’ve woken up to the fact that life a ain’t all about working your bollocks off, you need to take note. The answer lies 60 miles south of The Smoke. Sitting beside the sea. It’s a paaaaarty town full of artists and all sorts of creative people with fascinating personalities.
People who’ve discovered there’s more to life than high street traffic and hyper-tension. Not faceless accountants. Or bankers out to fuck you (and each other). And it’s friendly. This place is resplendent in its former glory. A mix of Decimus Burton pomp & grandeur and quirky, kooky, funky alleyways oozing intrigue and invitation.
I’m talking Hastings/St Leonards. Where Brighton has its Hove so Hastings has its St Leonards. One blurs into the other.
Look back at what happened to Brick Lane and Hoxton and watch what’s happening to Hastings/St Leonards. As the artists moved in (cos the space was cheap) so the developers quickly followed. This pattern recurs.
Now the artists can’t afford Shoreditch cos it’s too expensive so they’ve moved up Kingsland Road to Dalston.
Fucking Dalston!
Not that long ago Dalston was a desperate dump. Now Vogue magazine tells us Dalston’s the coolest part of the city of London. And to think it all started with “Wah Nails”…
I suggest you ditch Dalston and dive into Hastings/St Leonards. You’ll be quids in. Go to Rightmove or Primelocation and have a look at what’s on the market.
The prices are un-bloody-believable…at the moment. You’ll find a huge period house for under £300K. And by huge I mean 6 or more bedrooms.
Proper huge not estate agents’ huge. For £200K you’ll find a house or flat that’ll blow you (and the cobwebs) away. Think what they’d do with these houses in London Fields or Spitalfields and apply that thinking to Hastings/St Leonards.
Whacking great rooms with sky high ceilings. Period charm. No chintz. All for the price of a studio flat. It’d be easy for to name drop names regarding who’s taking the plunge and moving to Hastings/St Leonards but I won’t. That’d be vulgar.
Believe me you’ll be surprised, shocked and impressed. It’s a veritable who’s who of musicians,producers,writers, stylists, decorators, designers, architects, artists,students,media somethings, social entrepreneurs,online wizards and off line white witches.
Come down when Jack-in-the Green is in full swing and you’ll never want to leave. Not if you “get” what Hastings/St Leonards is all about. The grungy, dirty charm you find in Camden. The eclectics and aesthetics you find in Notting Hill and Primrose Hill. The Taj Mahal,voted best curry house in the country. Authentic Northern and Southern Indian food that ain’t stained orange !
The old town in Hastings takes you back in time and St Clements in St Leonards takes you back to The Caprice (where the owner/chef used to work).
Seems like there’s a new bar or cafe or club or eccentric shop opening every week. Mixed with the artists and the media men & women are the crack dens, the down and outs and the dogs on pieces of string.
The drunks and the drop outs. This is the real world. Not the Cotswolds.
Hastings/St Leonards.
Think of it as Dalston-on-Sea.
If you like it, Pass it on
COMMENTS
why is this article written like this it makes it borderline unreadable you twat
Hey Rag what a wanker you sound calling the writer a twat for the way sentences are broken up and presented.You must have a very small mind and fuck all else to think about.Twat.
I don't get the joke, or is this a serious article? The layout makes it unreadable, is there content missing in between?
I think it's a poem but I'm not sure.
But Alexander Netherton says that Dalston is worse than Mogadishu.
I live here and love it. But it's not cool to go on about it. Plus it's an insult to call it Dalston on Sea - it's Hastings & St Leonards, it's own very unique place.
"Mixed with the artists and the media men & women are the crack dens, the down and outs and the dogs on pieces of string. The drunks and the drop outs. This is the real world. Not the Cotswolds." Nathan, how've you been? What a pile of horseshit that was.
60 miles and a 2 hour commute. There are reasons people live in London, you know? And then retire to places like Hastings.
Great news. Everyone please fuck off out of London.
Dalston is hell on earth. Full of posh Tories from Buckinghamshite who want to be cool. Cunts.
I live in St Leonards and love it.I have been here for 4 years. It has fab light and the seaside location is a dream but there is shit here just like anywhere else and tons of dogshit to be precise in Burton St Leonards. As one of the most deprived towns in the UK, you may well think of ditching your London postage stamp to live here in a Georgian townhouse, but if you do come, join in, look people in the eye, don't wear hoods, make friends with your neighbours, buy local art, attend impromptu parties on the beach, don't wear Hunter wellies, and don't expect Sunday shopping,Wednesday still has half-day closing, and enjoy the beautiful quirks of a creative bohemian town that is charming because it is behind the times and not rammed full of global chains. If you like it on it's own terms then come, but if you're hoping to cash in on gentrification then don't.
Looks like lots of nerves are being touched by this article.Calm down dears.Calm down.
Funny how so many people are full of bolshy comments and chest beating bravado when they hide behind pseudonyms and abbreviated names...well done Al.Maybe they are full of shit and don't want to put their names to stupid remarks.
Forget all of that bitchy stuff, I love Hastings and nice Photograph. Who's the Photographer?
Hastings/St Leonards is bloody brilliant.Whoever lives there is dead lucky.
Hastings/St Leonards.Special place.Special people.Share the love don't keep it a secret.
Aww Leather bag lady...I have Cunter Wellies but hey ho they're dead comfy for walking the dawg! x
We're full, don't come. I knew I should have dug up the A21 after I moved. . .
Ahhh, sorry Fiona - just rampaging like John was. Figured it was time I tried commenting on a blog instead of just jabbing the screen with a dog treat like I normally do when something makes my heckles go up : )
I write for Sabotagetimes and most of my articles are about Hastings and St Leonards and its quirky people, I love living here, I am from Brick Lane in London born and bred and I cant wait to come home to the seaside. So, John are you moving down here then? *You will find my stuff on the front page In the top 20 saboteurs section. Just saying. Like.
Blog rule: If the first comment has a swear word in it, then the following ones have more. I like the words of Leather Bag Lady and Mr Taxi Man... proud to share a town with you.
Mr Taxi Man.I am here already.I love it too.That's why I wrote the piece.
If anyone's serious about leaving the Smoke for the Last Resort, we're trying to sell a 2 bed maisonette on seafront, 2 balconies, 5 mins walk from station, share of freehold and own parking space. Incredible views of sea, beach over the road, eccentric shops and caffs just around the corner, price £129,950 but neg for quick sale (mum moving out to sheltered accom). On Sequence and RightMove- look for Grand Parade. This is genuine - I'm not an estate agent, just need to move my mum! By the way, I was born in Hastings. St Leonards was the pits until a few years ago but it's definitely on the up.
Where's. the crack. den?. It. sounds. lovely. I've cancelled my holiday. To the. Cotswolds.
Hastings is a classic 'Rotten Borough'. Yes it's pretty to look at(In the parts that havent been ruined by corrupt construction/council contracts). The really important facts are that there are NO JOBS here. The jobs that do come up are on a merry go round for the few.The town is on it's knees and Dalston, though not as pretty, is a much better bet
I just left a comment and mis-typed my email. it is as above. Ana
So pleased to read someone else's delightful reaction to a place I love and am proud to call home. No place like it.
for something so miserably badly written this still manages to be startlingly toxic and objectionable in content. Just leave the place alone, you horrible, horrible person. And stop saying "Dalston"
I was moved here under a relocation progam close to 15 years ago now, I have a great ring of friends and have met many many like minded individuals. I completly agree with the above, move to hastings! bring your kids.
Having lived in Buckinghamshire and Dalston and now St Leonards I can safely say, it's lovely when it's sunny and not so lovely when you come across the dog shit, pissheads and hoodies. However Dalston it is not and will never be thank god. There are few jobs but it is commutable, my husband does it 3 and half hours a day return journey. House prices are superb and we live in one of those beatuifl Victorian semis with original features and high ceilings - but note these houses eat up money. The town is on it's knees but I'd rather people come and live who WANT to live here rather than being relocated because London boroughs want their DSS tenants in cheaper accommodation. Basically make up your own mind. It has genuine merits but it is a dump in places plus many pockets of deep rooted social problems.
I agree with Anadris' point - there are NO JOBS and the commute is a killer. But, if you work in an industry that allows flexible working from home or are self-employed then St Leonards and Hastings is a lovely option. Part of its charm, for me,is the seedy side of a seaside town, the off-season gloom and the garish fun fair and tourists come Summertime but it does take a certain pioneering spirit for those of us that left affluent areas of London years ago to delve into exciting new areas and of course the lure of the sea and the big blue skies and long horizons are what really make the horrific train commutes worthwhile. I still get excited when I get on the train at Charing Cross, knowing that I when I get home I will be at the seaside (downhill all the way) and wake up to the sound of seagulls.
interesting read from a remote location- makes me glad I left Walthamstow for Sydney in '97 but big respect for the pioneering spirit many allude to.
I live in St leonards and its a nice place to livempeople are friendly and its one of the sunniest places in the UK. The down side is lack of jobs and the dog pooh all over Bohemia and London road,but you take your chance and find out for yourself.
Hey Roy – join the anti-dog-poo guerillas! http://hastingsonlinetimes.co.uk/hot-topics/campaigns/dog-poo-campaign-goes-guerilla
Bexhill is very nice, just along the coast. I like Hastings too. But is there any work prospects in these places? No.
Dog shit in St Leonards http://www.flickr.com/photos/anonymousbosch/sets/72157627491738346/show/
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