East Street

The Museum's main exhibition area is in our East Street building, 3, East Street. This building was originally a bottling factory for the local brewery, and it was attached to the shop that is now Help the Aged, in the High Street. The Museum bought the old bottling factory in 1995 and with the help of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, converted it into a Museum in 1998/9, opening it to the public at Easter 1999.

The Museum has changing exhibitions that reflect important aspects of Rye's history. There is a special exhibtion about life in Rye between the Wars, 1918 - 1939, and this will be running from 2005 - 2008. It looks at the developments in housing. This involves the houses that were built on the roads leading into the town, and also the building of new homes for people occupying poor housing and slums within the town. It was the period when Rye expanded well beyond the old town limits. We see the creation of the local hospital and the fund-raising campaign that made it possible to build and then sustain it, and also the changes and developments in the education of the town's children. The other big changes that happened in the period that affected the whole country, such as the coming of electricity and the motor car, are looked at as they affected Rye. There are photographs of these changes, which are very visible today as you walk round the town.

As from April 2007, there will also be a special display devoted to E.F.Benson, the creator of the Mapp & Lucia novels, four of which were set in Rye. E.F.Benson lived at Lamb House from 1919 - 1940 and was Mayor from 1934 - 1937. The display will feature his waistcoat, kindly donated by the Tilling Society, items loaned by the E.F.Benson Society, and other Benson interest items held by the Museum. It will be the first time that these have all been brought together.

There is an exhibtion on the changes to the coastline over the last thousand years and how this has affected Rye, bringing prosperity and then taking it away, as the retreat of the sea, the silt brought down by the rivers, the changes in trade and size of ships all caused the harbour and its trade to decline from the Elizabethan high point. This exhibtion also looks at the project known as the Western Solution, or Smeaton's Harbour, which was supposed to revive the fortunes of the harbour by taking it to what is now Winchelsea Beach, and how after almost sixty years of work, it failed within six months. The remains are just about still visible at Winchelsea Beach today. Rye's shipbuilding industry which thrived between about 1840 and 1918 is explored and you can see many of the tools used and models of ships built.

Rye has changed both a great deal and yet very little, when you look at the photographs of the businesses and shops that occupied the High Street: many of the shops have changed, but it is amazing to see how many remain and still doing the same business, but the buildings are clearly recognizable today as you walk along the High Street. It is in the details where you notice the changes. Sadly the cinema has gone, but you can see its grand opening and also see what plays the old theatre used to have performed in the early C19th.

You can also see Cinque Ports Regalia and the costume of Rye's Baron of the Cinque Ports at the Coronation of George V in 1911.

One of the prime exhibits is Rye's Old fire engine, built in 1745 and in use until 1865. It is one of the very few surviving from that period, with its hoses and lead lined water containers, it is quite complete. Originally it was on a sledge, which enabled it to travel more quickly over the cobbled streets, but it needed a team of strong men to pull it along as it weighs about 56cwt.

For children we have a special Pugwash Quiz which takes you round many exhibits and you can put it in a box. If all the answers are correct, you will go into the monthly prize draw for a signed by John Ryan, the creator of Captain Pugwash.