{"product_id":"9780750997317-the-america-ground-hastings","title":"The America Ground, Hastings","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn informative, illustrated history of a unique area of Hastings\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe America Ground: 8½ acres of Hastings town centre that in the early nineteenth century was an open section of beach, apparently beyond the borough boundary and with no obvious owner.\u003c\/strong\u003e Free from the rules of local authority and taxes, this almost lawless area was gradually occupied by a thousand or more people, many of them squatters, who lived and worked there – until they were all evicted by the government in 1835. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of that beach, which became almost ‘independent’ of the ancient town (like America had of England), but ultimately played a crucial role in expanding the old fishing port into a modern seaside resort.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40943363653729,"sku":"9780750997317","price":11.17,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_30106881.jpg?v=1726731782","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780750997317-the-america-ground-hastings","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}