Tarred and weatherproofed
One of the most distinctive sights Hastings, on the south coast of England, has to offer is its historic towering wooden sheds which, as far back as the 16th century, housed and protected local fishermen’s nets and boat sails from the elements. Today they are shops selling nets.
The grade II* listed black sheds with their pitched roofs (there are some 30 of them) were built to house fishing gear which, before the days of plastic, would rot if left exposed to the weather. The sheds’ lofty height was due to lack of space on the small beach known as The Stade, so they were built upwards instead of outwards and tarred for weather-proofing.
As well as modern nets and fishing accessories, today some of the three-storey huts also sell freshly caught fish, brought ashore just a few yards away.
(Acknowledgements to Historic England and the Hastings Chronicle for the information.)
Tarred and weatherproofed
One of the most distinctive sights Hastings, on the south coast of England, has to offer is its historic towering wooden sheds which, as far back as the 16th century, housed and protected local fishermen’s nets and boat sails from the elements. Today they are shops selling nets.
The grade II* listed black sheds with their pitched roofs (there are some 30 of them) were built to house fishing gear which, before the days of plastic, would rot if left exposed to the weather. The sheds’ lofty height was due to lack of space on the small beach known as The Stade, so they were built upwards instead of outwards and tarred for weather-proofing.
As well as modern nets and fishing accessories, today some of the three-storey huts also sell freshly caught fish, brought ashore just a few yards away.
(Acknowledgements to Historic England and the Hastings Chronicle for the information.)