A total of 14,231 pirates gathered on Pelham Beach, Hastings

The Pirate Queen: (1530 -1603)  Grace O'Malley, famous Irish sea pirate of the 16th century. (Her fame became so great that Queen Elizabeth 1 summoned her to London in order to meet her. The Broadway Show 'The Pirate Queen' was based on her life.)  She was just one of many pirates who helped Hastings regain the record so cruelly snatched from them by Penzance.

She may be Irish, but she looks Pre-Raphaelite - particularly appropriate for Hastings, which Pre-Raphaelite painters such as Holman Hunt, William and Dante Gabriel Rosetti and Edward Lear loved, for its light and diverse scenery.


At the end of the festivities yesterday, thousands of people gathered to watch a magnificent and moving display by the Red Arrows.