Tree (Benjamin)

Hastings, No.1; St. Leonards, No.2,

£580

Hastings, B. Tree, Library, Hastings, c.1870.
a pair of views effectively forming a continuous panoramic vista of the extensive beach and seafront of the contiguous towns of Hastings and St Leonards. The viewpoint is slightly elevated from above the English Channel looking north, with plate 1, Hastings, to the right, and plate 2, St Leonards, on the left. Looking from west to east, prominent landmarks in plate 2 include the famous St Leonards Arch, London Road leading very quickly into open countryside, Warrior Square Gardens with the railway station just beyond, the church of St Mary Magdalene, the Convent of the Holy Child Jesus, founded by Cornelia Connelly in 1846, and the original East Sussex Hastings and St Leonards Infirmary, built in 1841, now the site of the White Rock Theatre. Plate 1 of Hastings continues along White Rock to Carlisle Parade, with Hastings Station visible in the distance, the Albert Memorial clock tower, completed in 1864, Wellington Square and Pelham Crescent, with Hastings Castle looming over on top of the West Hill, culminating at East Parade where the shoreline is shown dotted with fishing boats and numerous beach huts. What is noticeable by its absence is Hastings Pier, which opened in 1872, not long after these undated prints were most likely published. The Kelly’s Directory for 1867 names a Benjamin Tree as resident at 16 Norman Road West, in St Leonards, and lists him as assistant overseer for St Mary Magdalene..