1066 and all that

As we were all taught at school, William the Conquerer landed on the South Coast in 1066 and there was the Battle of Hastings. It is, of course, slightly incorrect. The invading Norman forces landed at Pevensey, a few miles to the west of Hastings, then proceeded inland and had the battle a few miles to the north of Hastings - at a place now cunningly called Battle. They pretty much avoided Hastings - and having been there today I can understand why.

If you like traditional seaside tat and fried food, then Hastings will have some appeal. It's clearly a town which has been through hard times, but there are signs of improvement - there seems to be a fairly new shopping centre and the Old Town part of Hastings has several lovely back alleys with an eclectic range of shops, bars and cafes. Nonetheless, I couldn't warm to the place - it just seemed, well, sad.

I didn't expect Bexhill, just up the coast, to offer much. It's probably best known as being the butt of several Goon jokes and where Eddie Izzard spent much of his childhood. To be honest there isn't really much there to keep you long, but it does have the magnificent De La Warr Pavilion.

Beautiful and imposing it combines an auditorium, gallery spaces and a cafe/restaurant all overlooking the coast - an excellent arts centre. It's just been recently renovated and, to me, proves that the main problem with buildings is not when they were constructed, but how well maintained they are. A Victorian building can just as easily become grotty as this concrete modernist masterpiece - all that's needed is a bit of TLC.

It's not to everyone taste - but I love it. A work of art hosting works of art.