Historic venue closes citing ‘devastating’ pandemic impact

A historic arts venue in Hastings is closing to the public due to the “devastating effects of the pandemic”.

St Mary in the Castle, a 200-year-old building on the seafront, had been under the care of the St Mary in the Castle Charitable Trust since 2013.

The trust, which was established to ensure the building’s maintenance and preservation, said it has been unable to renew its lease with Hastings Borough Council after it expired at the end of October.

“Unfortunately, the trust is unable to recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic without further financial subsidy to allow St Mary in the Castle to return to pre-pandemic operations,” it said in a statement.

“We projected this would not be until Spring 2023.”

The trust said pandemic led to fewer venue hires and lower audience numbers, leaving the venue unable to cover its costs. 

A spokesperson for Hastings Borough Council told Sussex Live that the council “simply does not have the resources available to support St Mary in the Castle,” despite efforts to save the venue.

“We met them on a number of occasions and gave them £18,000 last summer,” the spokesperson said.

“However even this, a grant of just over £50,000 from Arts Council England and over £87,000 for Covid recovery from the government through Hastings Borough Council appears not to have been enough, given the ever-increasing costs of running venues.”