St Leonards-on-Sea (commonly known as
St Leonards) has been part of
Hastings,
East Sussex,
England, since the late 19th century though it retains a sense of separate identity. It lies to the west of central Hastings. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a hotel, an archery,
assembly rooms and a church. Today's St Leonards has extended well beyond that original design, although the original town still exists within it.