Rye Castle Museum

   History of Rye Harbour            Dungeness

The Local Nature Reserve (LNR) at Rye Harbour was established in 1970 by East Sussex County Council (ESCC) under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949. It lies almost entirely within the Rye Harbour SSSI, see map, which is generally flat and low lying with no natural feature above 6m. The high points are the crests of shingle storm ridges built up over hundreds of years by the combined action of tides and storms. The low points are the sheltered areas between the ridges where saltmarsh developed on the regularly inundated land.

The influence of the sea has been greatly reduced during the last one hundred years by man-made sea defences. In addition, the naturally high water table has been lowered by a drainage system emptying into the rivers. These two factors have enabled a traditional agriculture of grazing with some arable. The loss of wetland has been partly offset by the extraction of the largest shingle ridges, creating pits.

Within the Nature Reserve there are many habitats resulting from a variety of soils; a gradient of salinity; varying degrees of exposure to wind and flooding by the sea; water level; and different management practices.
Â
 The main habitats can be broadly described as: inter tidal; saltmarsh; reclaimed saltmarsh; drainage ditches; shingle ridges; sand; marsh; pits; scrub and woodland. Consequently there is a great variety of species with 3,007 recorded to the end of 1997. These include many that are considered rare and endangered.

The area also contains considerable historic interest with military fortifications from the 16th, 19th and 20th centuries, a lifeboat disaster and evidence of man’s early and continuing efforts to defend the land from the sea.

 This flat, open and historic landscape, with its low level of development, proximity to the sea and network of footpaths is popular with visitors. It can provide a very special experience.

There is a good network of footpaths that enables much of the Nature Reserve to be visited from access points in Rye Town, Winchelsea Beach and Rye Harbour.

There is a small, unmanned information centre in the car park at Rye Harbour and four bird watching hides to help the visitor see some of the wealth of wildlife here.

 

Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve 

 

The FRIENDS was founded in 1973 to raise money in order to improve and enlarge the Reserve and to do so by encouraging interest in the conservation of wildlife and scenic beauty within the area.

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve protects a rich and varied fauna and flora among the shingle ridges, salt and grazing marshes, gravel pits and lagoons at the mouth of the River Rother. You are welcome to visit at all times free of charge.
 

A Safe Haven for many years, Rye Harbour has been a nesting place for birds such as Common, Sandwich and Little Terns as well as Ringed Plover and Redshank and is a noted ‘stop-over’ for other shorebirds, many of which can be seen to advantage from the hides at the Ternery and Wader Pools and at Castle Water

Conservation work at Rye Harbour involves caring for a large part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which covers 728ha (1800 acres). Work includes creating islands, cutting invasive willows, grazing grassland, building fences and creating new habitats such as shallow margins around the old gravel pits.

Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve contribute to the work of the Reserve in a variety of ways. It runs the Lime Kiln Cottage Information Centre, created the Wader Pool near the River, made a major contribution to the purchase of Castle Water by the Sussex Wildlife Trust, part-funds the Nature Reserve wardening, has constructed four bird watching hides (one with wheelchair access) and actively helps with all the conservation work.

Members are kept up to date with the Reserve’s progress by regular Newsletters which also give details of guided walks, lectures and other events. Guided Walks, led by the wardens, are detailed at Lime Kiln Cottage. You do not have to be a birdwatcher or a botanist to understand and enjoy the Nature Reserve in their company.

By joining the Friends you can do something now to preserve these important wildlife habitats and the unique character of the area.

To join the Friends and support the Reserve please send a cheque (minimum £5) with your name and address to us via snail-mail. Our address can be found at the bottom of this page.

Become one of our 1500 Friends around the globe and help us to conserve and enhance the amazing environment which is Rye Harbour.

For more information please visit http://www.wildrye.info/reserve/friends/

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve
2 Watch Cottages
Nook Beach
Winchelsea
East Sussex
TN36 4LU

All donations greatly appreciated!

Introduction to Rye Harbour History