North's Seat

Photos from the Walk

Name:North's Seat - Hill number:5449 Height:175m / 574ft Area:42: South-East England & the Isle of Wight Summit feature:trig point: OS measurement Drop:109m Col grid ref:TQ752154

1787 Sept-Oct - General William Roy set up a 32-feet high scaffold tower supporting a theodolite where North’s Seat is today, or close to it. He was making long-range observations as part of the triangulation survey linking London and Paris that resulted in 1791 of the setting up of the Ordnance Survey, the world’s first official surveying body. Fairlight and Dover were the two key English cross-Channel observation points. The 1787 survey enabled the production of the first one-inch-to-the-mile maps, which began in the 1790s.

1825 - Sir John Herschel took long-range survey readings close to where North’s Seat is today in order to help determine precise calculations for degrees of longitude.
There were two windmills on the west side of Mill Lane on Fairlight Down: one stood at the lane’s 90-degree turn, close to today’s Hillcrest School, the other on the later site of North’s Seat.

1869 April 21 - The Fairlight windmill, a famous landmark visible for many miles around, was burnt to the ground. It was never replaced, and North’s Seat, in memory of Frederick North, was erected in April 1870 on its site at Fairlight Down.

1869 Oct 29 - Death of Frederick North, the highly respected Liberal MP, whose home had been Hastings Lodge in Old London Road. His daughter Marianne became the world-famous botanic artist. The by-election on November 17 was the last election in Hastings to be held with open-air hustings, at the Central Cricket Ground, prior to the 1872 Ballot Act bringing in polling booths.

1870 April - A large seat for 12 people, made by GE Jones of York Gardens, was erected by the famous artist Miss Marianne North on Fairlight Down in memory of her father Frederick North MP, who had died 29 October 1869. North’s Seat, as it was called, was put on the site of the Fairlight Mill, the well-known and valuable landmark windmill built in 1819, which burnt down on April 21 1869.
A sign said “Frederick North, his seat”. The Hastings News suggested removing the scrub hedge which was blocking the view. [This would be a good idea today!] In the years following it suffered much vandalism.
More Vandalism From the Hastings News of 20/06/1879
The News commented on the vandalism continually carried out on Old Humphrys tomb and on Mr North's Seat, at Fairlight Down. Miss Marianne North had instructed that the seat be repaired and repainted.

1938 July - Hastings Council accepted Major Sayer’s generous offer of selling North’s Seat and the acre of surrounding land to the council for £100. The seat had been replaced by a large viewing platform in 1930, which was to be used as a look-out during World War Two. But this was vandalised in 1982 and so was demolished and replaced by two seats, with a large round direction plaque, which is still there.

1988 - The North’s Seat area was added to the Country Park.

Walk to North's Seat

Information on North's seat

25th October 2011 Walk to North's Seat

North's Seat, on the edge of Hastings Country Park, is the highest point in Hastings and on a clear day you can see the coast of France with the naked eye! But bring your glasses, JIC.

Meet on The Stables steps at 10.30. (Top end of The Bourne - buses include 20, 20A, 344, 100 to Lydd)

North's Seat was erected by Marianne North in honour and memory of her father, Frederick North who was MP for Hastings in the mid nineteenth century. Marianne was born in October 1830 and she lived in Hastings with her father (her mother died when Marianne was a child) until 1869. She cultivated the garden and greenhouses at their house in Old London Road: she loved plants. She was also an accomplished painter and musician and with her father lived a cultured, comfortable life full of artistic activity and associations. (There is a Marianne North Gallery at Kew.)

Firehills Walk

I have to confess that this is a bit of a cheek; most of the photos were taken on the recce, rather than on the actual walk, because despite lovely weather all day, a seamist crept in and obliterated the view. Luckily I had some prints of Holman Hunt's 'Fairlight' paintings I was able to share.