Rye Castle Museum

 

 

You are invited to an Open House:

Join us  on August 25th at 6.30 pm for a glass of wine at the Ypres Tower and see the new exhibits, including the Millennium Embroidery.  Details under Events: August.

  

Talks Programme 

The Talks Programme for 2009-2010 is now available. 

 

Children’s Discovery Day

The date is October 24th, the theme is Smuggling.  Watch this space! 

 

 Medieval Garden Diary for July

Our medieval-costumed garden guide, Val Gill, wears a  pretty outfit which tones beautifully with these softly-shaded plants of the July Garden.

Our advisor, Lin Saines, keeps us up to date on what’s happening in the garden and tells us how medieval gardeners used the plants.   Find out more,  visit the Garden and the Still Room in the castle….

 

Captain Pugwash Treasure Hunt 

 Have your children (or grandchildren) tried the Captain Pugwash Treasure Hunt at the Museum?  It is available at both sites. Each month there is a draw from submissions with correct answers and a small prize is sent to the lucky winner. 

More on Captain Pugwash

There is a display case at East Street featuring Captain Pugwash too.  John Ryan, Captain Pugwash creator, lived in Rye for 20 years until his death earlier this month.  His wife, artist Priscilla Blomfield Ryan, as well as his children, were all involved in the animated TV Captain Pugwash programmes, and thanks to them, the exhibition at East Street will shortly be expanded,

 Where Do Museum Visitors Come From?

Lots of places it would seem.  The last 80 Captain Pugwash Quiz submissions give some clues:  About a quarter of the children in this batch of entries live in the Rye area:  Winchelsea, Winchelsea Beach, Beckley, Northiam, Hastings etc and another quarter came from London.  Not surprisingly, 11 live somewhere in Kent,and several each in West Sussex, Essex, Surrey, Hampshire.  Others were visiting from  Suffolk, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Oxford–and as far away as Berwick in Scotland.  There were even children from Germany and the Netherlands who took part.  

How well this profile of young treasure hunters agrees with that of adult visitors is yet to be investigated.  

 

Highlights and Achievements  2008-2009

At the AGM of the Rye Museum Association on July 28, the Chairman, Jo Kirkham, reported on  the substantial  progress and the wide range of activities during the past year.  What follows is a summary, without the  names of the many people who made so much happen.  A separate Who’s Who at the Museum will follow shortly.

•  The Tower is at last warm and dry and access is easier through the re-opened original door
• A  Buildings Committee is working with our architects to ensure proper care and maintenance of the Ypres Tower–a scheduled monument– through a programme of inspections and reports by professional advisors
• Acquisitions this year include:

A portrait of Thomas Lamb, 20 times mayor of Rye, by Allan Ramsay, Royal Painter to King George III
A document with Rye Seal attached dated 1554 recording the sale of part of St Mary’s Marsh (now the site  of  Rye College).  Donations from Rye Town Council and individuals made possible the successful bid at  auction.
Rye Embroidery made for the Millennium in 2000–now in the Tower
Photographs and memorabilia from Tilling Green and Freda Gardam Schools

• Conservation and Documentation continue to be upgraded to ensure we meet MLA Accreditation Standards
• The Medieval Garden has been replanted and opened to the public, with special displays and a Still Room in the Tower for the herbs
• New Displays, organised by Claire Eden, Curator 2008-2009

Rye Seals  from the reigns of four monarchs
Toys  through the Ages
Victorian Rye
 A Year in the Life of Rye Museuma
 Captain Pugwash (to be expanded)
 Smuggling in the Rye area

• Community Events:

Bygone Summers in August which was well supported by Rye businesses as well as the public and raised    £1600.
Discovery Day when Queen Elizabeth I and her entourage attracted a large following along the streets of      Rye   and the Longbowman demonstrated their skills at the Tower
Children’s Activity Days which attracted more and more children and parents
The Christmas Grotto as part of the Rye Festival when children and parents formed a long queue to meet   Father Christmas–and enjoyed bubbles en route
A monthly series of excellent talks and a special visit to Batemans to meet Rudyard Kipling himself

• New Website:   http://www.ryemuseum.co.uk
  This has been relaunched and will be regularly updated. Articles are being edited and new ones written.
• Contributions of Volunteers:  the lifeblood of the Museum!

Thanks to a dedicated band of volunteer stewards both sites–the Ypres Tower and East Street–are open 5    days a week to visitors.  Would you like to join the band?
Volunteers also join publicity and cleaning squads, keep the two gardens immaculate, staff Coffee Mornings,  Craft and Antique Fairs and other fundraising events and help at the excellent monthly talks.
More volunteers help with the Education Programme offering school visits, project boxes for schools, children’s  activity days…and more.

• Quarterly Volunteer Evenings–a chance to exchange ideas and information and get to know other�
   members and staff
• The Rye Museum and Local History Group Journal (latest issue No. 67) continues to appear regularly. Contributions welcome!

….and thats not all!
 

How You Can Help

• If you are not already a member, we invite you to join us
• Come to the launch of the Women’s Tower Project and find out what you can do
• Volunteer to be a steward once a month (or more!) at East Street.  You will meet interesting people and learn more about Rye
• Buy a Rye Museum sweatshirt, Museum publications and books from our bookstall
• Offer your special skills:  fund-raisng, publicity, researching, writing and web skills, making coffee or cakes, craftwork, handyman skills…..

 

 Next:     Prospects for 2009-2010
                Who’s Who at the Museum?