Rye Castle Museum

Catch up here on Events,  the Museum Website,  Book News,  Opening Hours,  The Women’s Tower Project and Volunteer Opportunities…..

News Flashes

Change of Opening Times at East Street !

On lst May Rye Castle Museum changed the opening times of the East Street site.  The decision to keep the Ypres Tower site open during the lunch hour all seven days of the week has been so successful in bringing in more visitors that we are now going to stay open at East Street all day –including the lunch hours– i.e. from 10.30 to 5.00 (last admittance 4.30) during the weekends and Bank Holidays. 

However, this site will be closed during the week. We run entirely on the good will of volunteers and this concentration on maximum weekend and holiday opening promises to be a more fruitful way to use their valuable time as stewards. Another boon to volunteers will be a shortening of duty time as we will now have three shifts on East Street open days instead of two.   

Special requests:  Please note that the East Street museum can be opened by special request during the week.  Please contact the Museum: 01797 226728, or info@ryemuseum.co.uk

The Ypres Tower site will continue to open 7 days a week throughout the Summer season, from 10.30am to 5.00pm (last entry 4.30).

A reminder of what is in the Tower

In the dungeon there is a display of Arms and Armour, with helmets to try on, and swords to try and wield.  On the ground floor, cells for prisoners: one containing a cell with Rye pottery, a stillroom with herbs and spices from the Middle Ages which complements the Medieval herb garden in the old exercise yard and a prisoner cell.  On the first floor we have the Rye Millennium Embroidery, beautifully sewn scenes of Rye, and a relief map of the surrounding countryside over the centuries.  From there you can go onto the lookout, designed to look for the enemy!  You look down onto the Medieval herb garden, and across to the Women’s Tower.  This is of the few left, built to keep the women and children prisoners when they were separated from the men in 1837.

What is in the East Street Museum?

This site has displays on many aspects of Rye’s long and prestigious history:   as a  leading Cinque Port,  its shipbuilding, trading and fishing industries;  politics (there are seals from five reigns),  education,  celebrations,  the town’s celebrated pottery,   domestic life and pastimes. There are paintings and photos as well as artifacts.   .  An enlarged and relocated Captain Pugwash display is about to appear.

For more on this site, click on Museum Sites above.

Publications:  The list of Museum books, booklets, maps, postcards and DVDs has just been added to the site.  Click here to see it.   We are not at present able to provide a postal service, but the full range of titles is available at the East Street site and our topsellers at the Ypres Tower.

Scroll down for more Book News.

On being a Volunteer

Far from being onerous,  stewarding  offers a chance to meet  interesting visitors and become better acquainted yourself with our exhibits and Rye’s history,  so if you would be willing to help out, please contact the office  info@ryemuseum.co.uk or ring 01797-226728.  You may also want to ask about other ways to help, for example by joining the Rye Muses who organise events which help raise funds, or the Education Committee, or the Gardening group or . . . . .  The full list of possibilities is quite long!

Museum Events in April and May

We  had three successful and well-attended events in April:  our monthly Coffee Morning,  a very informative, interesting and even entertaining talk by Dr Graham Mayhew (author of Tudor Rye) on the religion-infused lives of Ryers in medieval and pre-Reformation times, and  another informative, interesting and entertaining talk by Donna Bilak , who shared her excitement at what she has found in Rye Museum documents on Samuel Jeake to further her research for a PhD on Restoration Rye.   We’ll be receiving the finished outcome of her efforts in due course.  

And in May we have now had another of our popular coffee mornings and an exciting talk by the man–Albert Granville – whose firm’s crane ship made it possible to raise the Mary Rose after it had lain in the mud and sand of the Solent for over 500 years.  Mr Granville is a master storyteller and kept his audience spellbound.

Make sure these are in your diary for June

Tuesday 8^th June    East Street      7 p.m.  (not 7:30)
Arthurian Herbs, the Pre-Raphaelites and William Morris (Early Start 7pm)
Lin Saines returns after her fantastic talk last season on Rye Herbs to take a fascinating look at herbs connected with the Arthurian legend, the Pre-Raphaelites and William Morris.  The evening includes a  tasting session for willing participants!      There will also be a raffle.   PLEASE NOTE THE EARLY START

 £1.50 members  £2.50 non-members.   All welcome.

Saturday, 14th June 10:30-12:30 East Street
Coffee Morning

Excellent Fairtrade and organic  tea and cafetiere coffee, cakes, interesting table sales: posh trash, books, tombola.  Entry is free on Coffee Mornings and all are welcome.  Besides seeing our exhibits, you will find this a great  place to meet friends.    

 And looking further ahead:

Tuesday 13^th July
Trip to the newly refurbished Bexhill Museum including tour
Join Rother District Curator, Julian Porter, on a tour of the new refurbishment of Bexhill Museum including the new Motoring Gallery and the Costume and Social History Gallery.
This will be an afternoon trip and details will follow nearer the time.

Women’s Tower Project:  Have you bought a brick (or two?), a stone (or two?)

There are still bricks and stones waiting to be sponsored.   Do you have a sponsor’s certificate yet?   You may collect as many as you like!     Rye Town Council at its meeting of 26th October voted to contribute £5000 to the Women’s Tower Project and the process has already begun:  English Heritage has approved plans; we have paid for architects’ plans with the RTC grant;  proper recording, preservation and storage of items kept in the Women’s Tower is  nearly completed . . . .  

 We are most fortunate to have the  services of Linden Thomas,  a  professionally qualified and experienced  conservator,  recently retired to  Rye, to carry out the important work of looking after the items we will want to display in the restored tower elsewhere) and ensuring they are properly documented and cared for.

If you too would like to be part of this project and have not received a leaflet providing details and a form, do visit either of the Rye Castle Museum sites or contact the Museum  ( 01797-226728 or info@ryemuseum.co) You would have the satisfaction of knowing you had helped to save a special building of our town so it can not only be used by Ryers but also provide yet another attraction for visitors. 

Rye Museum Website   

There are now nearly 100 articles and some improvements to design and navigation.  More to come of course,  so be sure to visit– and revisit.   Click on any of the Local History headings and you will be taken to a page headed by a list of subtopics already available.    The newest will always be on top.   Sample the lot, or click on one that interests you.     If you have writing/editing/web  talents or information on some aspect of Rye’s history you would be willing to share, please let us know!  jlfloydeltc@gmail.com 

We are 100 years away from Edwardian Rye.   One new ‘post’ on the site will give you  an idea of the changes in Rye since then,,  Click here to see it. 

 Book News

Do you have your copy of  Rye in World War II?  This was the subject of  Jo Kirkham’s Address at the 2009 Remembrance Day Service at St Mary’s Church, Rye.   Following requests from a number of people for a printed version of the address,  an illustrated booklet  is now available at £3.50. 

Copies may  be purchased at the Rye Heritage Cente  or  at either of the Museum sites.   All proceeds will go to the Women’ s  Tower Project so that this part of Ypres Tower, home of the Rye Museum, can be restored and re-roofed  and brought into active use.  t

New looks at Rye

 A lovely little book for all Ryers:  John Griffiths’  Shapes, Colours and Materials: a look at buildings in Rye, Rye Conservation Society. £6.99.   Buying through the Museum helps the Museum!  

Do you have these yet?

These both deal with Rye before 1660–the result of years of research, deliberately complementary,  must-haves for anyone seriously interested in Rye’s history.  Both available from Martello Bookshop–or ask at the Rye Library

Gillian Draper, Rye: A  History of a Sussex Cinque Port to 1660, Chichester: Phillimore, 2009

David and Barbara Martin, Rye Rebuilt: Regeneration and Decline Within a Sussex Port Town, 1350-1660. Romney Marsh Research Trust, 2009

 

from Edwardian Rye from contemporary photographs by Geoffrey S Bagley (Rye Museum Association 1974)

This summary of  life in Rye 100 years ago is the Introduction to our former  Curator’s book on the subject; he wrote much else about Rye’s history besides. Edwardian Rye is one of the Museum’s  top selling publications and is available at both sites at only £2.50.  It contains many vintage photographs with appropriate explanations.

Edward the Seventh’s reign, 1901 to 1910, was not a prolongation of Victorian character. Rather, it was an even progression of the late Victorians into the new century, the only real disturbance being the South African War with its after effects on the life and thoughts of the British people.

Reigns usually commence with a coronation.  Edward VII’s was no exception other than it somewhat unusually suffered a postponement due to His Majesty’s importunate appendicostomy, an occurrence that must have thrown many an organiser completely off balance. . . .

On 29 January, 2001, a Proclamation of Accession was read from the steps of Rye Town Hall and from beneath the Landgate, ” . . . ‘King’s Weather prevailing2, reported the Sussex Agricultural Express, “with a right royal brilliance . . . . “   Preparations were soon afoot for celebration, and in official celebrations official robes were of importance.

By 4 February 1902, Dover Dyeing and Cleaning Works were writing to Rye’s Town Clerk: “The coming Coronation festivities will doubtless call for the frequent appearance of public bodies in Official Robes.  May we suggest it would be well to entrust us at once with yours, that we may put in hand any Cleaning and Renovation that they may need . .  . .”   On 19 February, a London firm of “Music, Dramatic and Variety Agents” wrote: “In view of the festivities in connection with the approaching coronation of H.M. King Edward VII . . . we beg to intimate that we have a large variety of artistes on our books . . . we can also supply Military Bands and Instrumentalists of every description.”

The Town Clerk received also an intimation from the Lord Lieutenant of Sussex that there was a general desire to celebrate the approaching Coronation by “Bonfires in Sussex.” Enclosed with this official communication was a diagram on how to make a suitable bonfire.

Rye had its coronation festivities well arranged for June, only to overprint on its elaborate programme (price 2d), an announcement that the event was postponed until August. 

August festivities over, the town returned to normality.  When studying Deacon’s Popular Almanac and Directory for 1902 one cannot but be imprerssed by the variety of services available for the convenience of the contemporary inhabitant of Rye.

All the municipal personnel from the Mayor to the Ferryman were listed, as were officers of the law from the Recorder to the Keeper of the Lock-up.  In addition, there was a Sussex County Court in Rye with Judge, Registrar and High Bailiff.  Other amenities were the “Post Office Arrangements”, a Fire Brigade — with a Captain, and ten places of worship.  Ancillary to the latter there was the Rye Cemetery.  “The payments for Interments vary–For Parishiners £1.9s.6d.and for Children and Infants 9s. to 6s.6d.”  Insurance agents were plentiful, numbering thirty-two.  Carriers to and from Rye served twenty-four towns and villages.  For those with a taste for military life there was a local company of the lst Cinque Ports Volunteer Rifles and a Rye troop of thre Sussex Imperial Yeomanry.

Sport was catered for by the Rye Cycling Club, Rye and East Guldeford Coursing Club, Rye Football Club, Rye Cricket Club, Rye Athletic Club, Rye Quadrille Club and Rye Annual Regatta.

There were six Benefit Societies, and a Protection Association of the Licenced Victuallers and Beer and Wine Trades.

Education was cared for by three schools (other than dame) and an organisation for Technical Instruction was in being, producing such classes as  Carpentery and Joinery at Mr Hugget’s Workshoop . . . Shorthand and Geometrical Drawing at the Grammar School   . . .  Ambulance at the Town Hall . . . ”

The diretory included, also, descriptions of day and night tide signals, and “Cautionary Storms Signals”.   Dues on ships and fishing boats were given including those “For Windbound Vessels for each mooring post 2s.6d.”  Crane dues were “3d. per ton, stone and timber; 2s6d. per mast under 100 tons; 3s over 100 tons”.

“Post Office Arrangements” informed that “the box closes at 9:15 p.m. (London) including Sundays, last parcel post 9 p.m.”  The Telegraph Office was “open for the transmission of messages 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on week days and on Sundays from 8 to 10 a.m.”

Rye was, and is, beloved by artists.  A news’-sheet of the turn of the century might convey the impression that they were not always welcome in the town.  It reported that there had been complaints from lady artists, who had been ordered off the pavement by the police. The Police Superintendent assured the Borough Bench that he would see to the matter.  Henry James, who, in English Hours, described Rye as “being in truth a rudimentary drawing lesson” was aware of this aspect of the life of the town, remarking that “There are ancient doorsteps that are fairly haunted  . . .  and where the fond proprietor, going and coming, has to pick his way among paraphernalia or to take flying leaps over genius and industry”.

The Rye of Henry James, and hundreds of his co-inhabitants, has gone forever, particulrly that peace and measured pace not only of Rye and England, but of a Europe wherein legal and fiscal formalities were minimal for travellers.

Memories of that era are worth preserving, be they written or visual.  Here is a little of each, conveying, it is hoped, an impression of a small Edwardian town.

[The booklet contains 59 photographs of Edwardian Rye, each with explanatory text.]

Catch up here on Events,  the Museum Website,  Book News,  Opening Hours,  The Women’s Tower Project and Volunteer Opportunities…..

News Flashes

Talks:  Please note that there will be a second talk this month!  See below

Expanded Opening Times:  Due to popular demand,  the Ypres Tower is now open  7 days a week (not 5) and from 10.30 to 5.00 (no closure at lunchtime).  Last entry 4.30 . 

A reminder of what is there

In the dungeon there is a display of Arms and Armour, with helmets to try on, and swords to try and wield.  On the ground floor, cells for prisoners: one containing a cell with Rye pottery, a stillroom with herbs and spices from the Middle Ages which complements the Medieval herb garden in the old exercise yard and a prisoner cell.  On the first floor we have the Rye Millennium Embroidery, beautifully sewn scenes of Rye, and a relief map of the surrounding countryside over the centuries.  From there you can go onto the lookout, designed to look for the enemy!  You look down onto the Medieval herb garden, and across to the Women’s Tower.  This is of the few left, built to keep the women and children prisoners when they were separated from the men in 1837.

East Street Museum hours will continue as before, i.e. weekends all day, except for lunch times, and Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays in the afternoons. However,  if enough of you volunteer for stewarding (usually just once a month) we may be able to extend there too.   Please scroll down to see the invitation below to Become a Rye Museum Stewa rd.   We need you and it’s a rewarding thing to do

For a reminder of what can be seen at this site, click on Museum Sites above.  An enlarged and relocated Captain Pugwash display is about to appear.

Publications:  The list of Museum books, booklets, maps, postcards and DVDs has just been added to the site.  Click here to see it.   We are not at present able to provide a postal service, but the full range of titles is available at the East Street site and our topsellers at the Ypres Tower.

Scroll down for more Book News.

Museum Events

We’ve already had two successful and well-attended events this month:  our monthly Coffee Morning and a very informative, interesting and even entertaining talk by Dr Graham Mayhew (author of Tudor Rye) on the religion-infused lives of Ryers in medieval and pre-Reformation times.  We’ll try to get a summary for our website up soon.

Still to come this month:

Tuesday April 27 at 7:30 p.m.   3 East Street.  Talks Programme�
A Circle of Friends:  the story of John Allen, Samuel Jeake and Philip Frith in Restoration Rye: Donna Bilak

Donna has been researching John Allen and other friends of polymath Samuel Jeake II in Restoration times for her Ph D dissertation.   Some of this research has been done at the Rye Museum.   Donna will share some of her interesting discoveries about 17th century Rye people and events.  There will be a raffle and llight refreshments.

Admission is £1.50 for members, £2.50 for non-members.  

And put these in your diary for next month:

Saturday, 8th May 10:30-12:30 East Street
Coffee Morning

Excellent Fairtrade and organic  tea and cafetiere coffee, cakes, interesting table sales: posh trash, books, tombola.  Entry is free on Coffee Mornings and all are welcome.  Besides seeing our exhibits, you will find this a great  place to meet friends. Women’s Tower Project

Tuesday 11th May 7:30 East Street   Talks Programme
  ‘And so we raised the Mary Rose’ by Albert Granville

Albert Granville was involved with the raising of the Mary Rose.  He will tell us of the experience and the artefacts they found. There will be a raffle and light refreshments.

£1.50 members  £2.50 non-members.   All welcome.

Women’s Tower Project:  Have you bought a brick (or two?), a stone (or two?)

There are still bricks and stones waiting to be sponsored.   Do you have a sponsor’s certificate yet?   You may collect as many as you like!     Rye Town Council at its meeting of 26th October voted to contribute £5000 to the Women’s Tower Project and the process has already begun:  English Heritage has approved plans; we have paid for architects’ plans with the RTC grant;  proper recording, preservation and storage of items kept in the Women’s Tower is  nearly completed . . . .  

 We are most fortunate to have the  services of Linden Thomas,  a  professionally qualified and experienced  conservator,  recently retired to  Rye, to carry out the important work of looking after the items we will want to display in the restored tower elsewhere) and ensuring they are properly documented and cared for.

If you too would like to be part of this project and have not received a leaflet providing details and a form, do visit either of the Rye Castle Museum sites or contact the Museum  ( 01797-226728 or info@ryemuseum.co) You would have the satisfaction of knowing you had helped to save a special building of our town so it can not only be used by Ryers but also provide yet another attraction for visitors. 

Become a Rye Museum Steward

 The extension of our opening hours (see above) means more volunteers than ever before are needed to welcome visitors at the two sites.     The many slots are now nearly all filled (in part because a few people are taking more than one shift in the month) but we would be grateful for further offers of help either on a regular basis or on an ‘emergency’ list.   A bit of simple arithmetic will reveal why we need all the help we can get:

 At East Street there are seven shifts a week to cover,   and some volunteers prefer to serve as one of a pair.  (Hours are 2-5  Monday, Thursday and Friday,  and 10:30 – 1, also 2-5 Saturday and Sunday.)  If each person does just one shift a month (i.e. a morning or an afternoon),  we  need 54 volunteers to cover 28 two person shifts on this site!  

At the Tower we are fortunate to have several regular guides but they need relief of 1 1/2 hours for a lunchtime break and the aim is to have two volunteers a day willing to cover this short periiod because lunchtime visits are popular.    For a 30 day month that is 60 people willing to give just 1 1/2 hours of their time!   The open-at-lunchtime arrangement is proving well worthwhile financially so– Do you see why we need you?

Far from being onerous,  stewarding  offers a chance to meet  interesting visitors and become better acquainted yourself with our exhibits and Rye’s history,  so if you would be willing to help out, please contact the office  info@ryemuseum.co.uk or ring 01797-226728.

You may also want to ask about other ways to help, for example by joining the Rye Muses who organise events which help raise funds, or the Education Committee, or the Gardening group or . . . . .  The full list of possibilities is quite long!

Rye Museum Website   

There are now nearly 100 articles and some improvements to design and navigation.  More to come of course,  so be sure to visit– and revisit.   Click on any of the Local History headings and you will be taken to a page headed by a list of subtopics already available.    The newest will always be on top.   Sample the lot, or click on one that interests you.     If you have writing/editing/web  talents or information on some aspect of Rye’s history you would be willing to share, please let us know!  jlfloydeltc@gmail.com 

We are 100 years away from Edwardian Rye.   One new ‘post’ on the site will give you  an idea of the changes in Rye since then,,  Click here to see it. 

 Book News

Do you have your copy of  Rye in World War II?  This was the subject of  Jo Kirkham’s Address at the 2009 Remembrance Day Service at St Mary’s Church, Rye.   Following requests from a number of people for a printed version of the address,  an illustrated booklet  is now available at £3.50. 

Copies may  be purchased at the Rye Heritage Cente  or  at either of the Museum sites.   All proceeds will go to the Women’ s  Tower Project so that this part of Ypres Tower, home of the Rye Museum, can be restored and re-roofed  and brought into active use.  t

New looks at Rye

 A lovely little book for all Ryers:  John Griffiths’  Shapes, Colours and Materials: a look at buildings in Rye, Rye Conservation Society. £6.99.   Buying through the Museum helps the Museum!  

Do you have these yet?

These both deal with Rye before 1660–the result of years of research, deliberately complementary,  must-haves for anyone seriously interested in Rye’s history.  Both available from Martello Bookshop–or ask at the Rye Library

Gillian Draper, Rye: A  History of a Sussex Cinque Port to 1660, Chichester: Phillimore, 2009

David and Barbara Martin, Rye Rebuilt: Regeneration and Decline Within a Sussex Port Town, 1350-1660. Romney Marsh Research Trust, 2009