When I told friends I was going to St Leonards-on-Sea for a weekend, most hadn’t even heard of it, yet everyone is familiar with neighbouring Hastings. Even locals struggle to define the boundary-blurred East Sussex towns: “I see it as where the pier (Hastings Pier) is,” offered one.
You’d think St Leonards would be the more famous, as while it lacks the battle-led history of Hastings, it was Queen Victoria’s favourite resort. There’s a lot to love, with fine Regency and Art Deco terraces and squares joined over the past few years by multicultural, multifaceted restaurants and an arts and music scene topped with DJs from Norman Jay to Don Letts. Even Banksy came and sprayed a toddler building Tesco sandcastles on the beach.
