wardens of St. Clement's. At the top of this burial ground may be seen what is probably one of the original openings to the Caves. The Croft was commenced in 1805, and contains what were then considered some " large and commodious houses." It is still very quiet, but picturesque. Miss Marianne North, the famous traveller and painter, lived there. The late revered Rector of St. Clement's, Canon H. B. Foyster and his wife, lived and died at Croft House, which is now a school. Croft Road appears upon several old maps, and was a common highway from High Street to the Priory Road, from time immemorial.
Before leaving the Bourne Valley the next picture is one of the earliest giving a general view of the old town ; and bears the description, " Hastings taken on the top of Mr. Wenham's House, 1780. Copy of a drawing by S. H. Grimm, in the British Museum."
In Powell's Guide of 1819, a Mr. Edward Wenham occupied East Hill House, in the Tackleway. The author has visited this spot and compared the view with the scene presented at the present time from the Tackleway, The artist intended the houses to represent High Street on the one side and All Saints' Street on the other, with the Bourne Stream running between. There were no houses built in the Croft then, and the gardens represent the slopes to the East Hill, with All Saints' Church and Hastings House, with the tower, on the site of Old Humphrey Avenue ; the present Golf Links above High Wickham, Fairlight Down and Halton, are shewn in the distance.
The Stade was that part of the foreshore from Rock-a-Nore to the present Harbour, and in the jurisdiction of the Corporation under their official called the Pier Warden. It is now covered with the Harbour Works, huts for fishermen's tackle, Fishmarket, the Fisherman's Church, the Dust Destructor, the East Hill Lift, Rock-a-Nore, and Mercer's Bank (see next page).
For centuries past Hastings was dependent chiefly for the coals and other necessaries of life upon vessels of the class seen in the view on page 175. These vessels were a familiar sight until about twenty years ago. They would run ashore on the tide, and lay high and dry, when the operations of unloading the cargo presented a busy scene during low tide. There were several slip ways along the foreshore for horses and carts carrying the coals or other merchandise ashore at the Fishmarket, London Road, St. Leonards, and other places. The business during the 19th century was principally in the hands of Messrs. Breeds and Co., Mr. Will Ginner, and later Mr. W. E. Ginner, Messrs. Thwaites, Messrs. How, Messrs. Putland, etc. Several of these vessels were wrecked on the Hastings Beach from strong winds springing up while being unloaded, until the business was done by rail, when it gradually ceased. The well-
