* * 1066.net's 35,000 images and 5000+ pages created and curated over 20 years remain open and largely unchanged as a tribute to its webmaster Ion Castro, who passed away Aug 30th 2018 from cancer. Linking to content is fine but PLEASE get permission if you want to re use anything from here, and thank you. * Ion's obituaries are (Link:) Here
Dorman's Guide | Dorman’s “ A Guide to St.Leonards-on-sea and Hastings; Their Natural Beauties and Objects of Historic Interest in the Neighbourhood” |
|
|
|
Opposite the Royal Victoria Hotel, on the seaward side of the road, was the Royal Victoria Library and James Dorman appears to have acquired these premises at some time in the early 1860’s. In the 1930’s the library and adjoining buildings were to disappear as part of Sidney Little’s seafront improvements. The guide contained all the usual content of such publications of that time including, of course, descriptions of places of interest in the surrounding area but Dorman also devotes four pages to the sport of archery which was played on the archery ground behind the Royal Victoria Hotel to the west of the Subscription Gardens, and is today remembered in the name Archery Road. Dorman reminds us that members of the club were entitled to call themselves the “Royal St Leonards Archers” recognising the favour granted in 1834 by Queen Victoria as a princess and her mother, the Duchess of Kent who were living in Crown House on Marina. In 1840, the Prince Consort, Albert, consented to add his patronage to the club. We are informed that the Royal prizes, to a value of £20 were shot for on 17 August each year - the birthday of Queen Victoria’s mother. Membership was £1 per annum (about the same as a servant girl’s wages for a year). A new, undated edition had appeared by 1865 or 1867, still 102 pages and only minor updates. It still contained the same map but also included half a dozen steel engravings by Newman & Co of Watling Street, London bearing Dorman’s publisher imprint and it’s these that are reproduced here. New, updated editions of the guide were to appear every year or so until the final, eighth edition, in 1877. It appears that from the fifth edition real photographs had been included as an optional extra in the more expensive editions and such editions are now very rare. |
|
|
|
|
High quality prints of these images can be obtained from Ion - use email address below | |