The talk will begin at 3pm sharp on Sunday 28th September, 2025, in the Burton Room of the Royal Victoria Hotel, TN38 0BD. Members free, non members £5.
A talk given by Hastings historian Ken Brooks, entitled ‘Burton St Leonards since 1837’
This illustrated talk will look at the development of St. Leonards after James Burton. It will include the Royal Concert Hall, St. Leonards’
Pier, the Bathing Pool, and two cinemas, the Kinema and Regal. Also, he will focus on the destruction of three of Burton’s creations: the East Boundary Arch, the Conqueror Hotel and the Parish Church.
After twenty years as a schoolteacher, Ken Brooks moved into adult education as a tutor specialising in geology, ancient history and local history. In 1992 Ken’s enthusiasm for earth sciences led to the formation of the Hastings and District Geological Society. He was later awarded the Halsted Medal by the Geologists’ Association and published his first book, ‘Geology and Fossils of the Hastings Area’.
This was followed by the local history books, ‘Hastings Then and Now’ and ‘Around Hastings Then and Now’.