On the East Hill, bordering Hastings Country Park, high above the Old Town and with the most exquisite views of the English Channel, lies one of Britain’s best-preserved and historically exceptional private houses.
Windycroft is built in the style of the Aesthetic Queen Anne Revival and is Grade II* listed in recognition of its quality, craftsmanship and condition, and what is perhaps the most extensive, in situ collection of original Morris & Co wallpaper in the world.
From the Country Park and the long view of the seafront, the house is a gleaming landmark. Red brick with elevations of hanging tiles and red-tiled hipped roofs, both with courses of scalloped tiles, it has served as a beacon for generations of seafaring fleets.
Though typical of the style, its fenestration and plan are intriguingly and elegantly asymmetrical. Projecting bays and balconies with cast-iron balustrades are found along the north and south elevations and the hillside plot exposes sections of the rusticated stucco basement, bringing light into the lowest portion of the house.
Originally two Regency cottages, the house as it is today was created between 1883 and 1891 by Alexander Constantine Ionides and his son Constantine. Ionides the senior was a successful trader of textiles and wheat, later Greek General Consul in London and a renowned art collector and prolific patron of the arts.
