Rye Castle Museum

Rye Museum on Facebook

Did you know there is now a Rye Museum page on Facebook?   Our thanks to Jamie Kirkham for setting it up for us. All you need to do to see it is type Facebook Rye Castle Museum in a Google search box.

Rye Museum on the BBC

And did you know the BBC has recently been here to film our Ypres Tower for a programme on Great British Ghosts to be shown in October?

 

Special reduced prices continue

Joint admission to both our sites (Ypres Tower and East Street) was reduced during the summer to only £4.00 (Concessions £3.00) while admission to the East Street site was reduced to only £1.50 and these reductions will continue through October.  Admission to the Ypres Tower is £3.00 (Concessions £2.50)).  The Ypres Tower continues to be open daily 10:30 am to 5:00 pm, with last admission at 4:30.  3 East Street  is open Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, 10.30 am to 5.00 pm with  last admission at 4:30.

For more details — group bookings and what to see at each site — click on Museum Sites at right.

 

Tower Project Fund

Thanks  to all who have been working to raise funds for the restoration of the Women’s Tower!  Recent contributions have come from Paul McCartney who donated a CD set sold at auction,  professional musician alumni of Rye C9llege who presented an excellent concert on our behalf (for details click here), Year 9 students of Rye College who offered a short play (The visit of King George I), a collection of stories as well as baked goods and games on  9th July;  the Mermaid Inn;  Rae Festing who lent her lovely garden on 30th July for a most successful Coffee Morning which raised over £500 (after expenses) ,  members and friends who have  bought stones  or windows for the restored tower,  and those who have helped with income generating garden group visits, paranormal society visits and ghost walks.

Thanks too to those who have  filled jars with 20p pieces.   Depending on jar size these yield between £25 and £50 per jar! If you too could fill a jar or buy a/another stone we would be that much closer to our goal of £100,000!

 

Thanks to all the book donors!

In July News  we asked for more books to fill the gaps on our shelves.  Many thanks to all those who have given so generously.  We continue to sell regularly during the weekends and events at East Street which means we always welcome donations of good quality fiction and non-fiction — and there are always new titles for our regulars to browse and buy too.

 

Publications and Souvenirs

Click on Publications  at right for recent additions.  Besides books,cards,  postcards (e.g. Captain Pugwash) and DVDs we now also have models (St Mary’s Church and Ypres Tower, WWII replicas, dolls and more.

 

 

 

 

 

Rye-grown Professional Musicians Return to Help Rye’s Hospital and Museum

Eleven former students (1970 – 1990s) of Rye College (then Thomas Peacocke) who are now professional musicians came to Rye to give  a  hugely successful Charity Concert on the afternoon of 15th May (3 p.m.) at the College in aid of Rye Hospital and Rye Museum’s Women’s Tower Appeal.   They were enthusiastically received by a large audience as the review extracts below makes clear — and they raised £1404.00 which has been divided between the two causes.  What wonderfully talented performers and what a lovely thing for them to do for the Rye community! (Photos  by James Kirkham of Rye and District Camera Club)

How did it happen?  About a year ago Lois Benton, former head of music at Rye College; Jo Kirkham,  Chairman, Rye Museum Association, and two professional musicians resident in Rye, Rebekah Gilbert  and Anne Whiteman, got together to contact former music students: What about returning to Rye to perform a Charity Concert?   Result:  seven singers and four instrumentalists, all now professional musicians,  said Yes!  (Their details are below.)

Local reporter Marion Lovell had this to say about the concert::

This unique concert featured former pupils who all studied with the much loved Head of Music, Lois Benton.  ‘If music be the food of love, play on!’  Long before the music began the hall echoed with reunion greetings amongst staff, parents, teachers and governors.  The former head, Ray Fooks came with his wife, and the Mayors of Rye and Winchelsea with their wives too.

And then the music:  Each of the eleven performers had been asked to choose a five minute programme which demonstrated their technique and love for a particular style.  This formed the ‘proper’ part of the concert and was truly splendid.  These were young professionals at the top of their game.  (They are listed below.)  There were songs by Handel, Debussy, Elgar, Beethoven, Grieg, Quilter and Rossini, sung by a counter tenor, two mezzosoporanos, a contralto, a tenor and two baritones.  The Wurlitzer had a workout with Bach, a jazz saxaphone sonata and the double bass played a lovely adagio.  The one who had the most notes to play was the pianist, David Alexander, who besides  his own solo by Rachmaninoff accompanied just about everyone else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But there was more to come, after the interval:  acting as well as singing, duets, trios and a finale by the company.

Anne and Gary had a flirtation involving the Faery Queen.  Catherine and Joachem showed what happends when you accept an invitation to walk on your wedding day.  Rebekah, Amy and James jazzed up and improvised nasty Mack the Knife; Steven let the Wurlitzer’s hair down, after an allegretto by Frank Bridge, with Lefebure-Wely’s Sortie in E flat complete with percussion effects;

 

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David, Rebekah and Anne were Three Little Maids from School — with panama hats (hilarious); and Jonathan led the ensemble with a bit of Gilbert and Sullivan, with Britain ruling the waves. Rebekah, Amy and James jazzed up and improvised nasty Mack the Knife; Steven let the Wurlitzer’s hair down, after an allegretto by Frank Bridge, with Lefebure-Wely’s Sortie in E flat complete with percussion effects;

David, Rebekah and Anne were Three Little Maids from School — with panama hats (hilarious); and Jonathan led the ensemble with a bit of Gilbert and Sullivan, with Britain ruling the waves.

 

 

We were promised the possibility of an encore which was vociferously demanded.  Unaccompanied and conducted by Lois Benton as in days of yore, the ensemble launched into ‘I do like to be beside the seaside’ with a bit of audience participation.  When it came to the last repeat, the curtains opened and up came the Wurlitzer from the pit.  It was a tremendous moment enjoyed by absolutely everyone.

It was a very happy way to spend a Sunday afternoon and the present Head of the College, Anne Cockerham, hoped that it would not be too long before the group came again.  The large audience went home with smiles and a song in their hears knowing that they had been to something unique which also benefited Rye Hospital and Rye Muaeum.

The Performers

Pianist David Alexander,  not only performed but also accompanied  accompanyed all  the musicians. He studied at the Royal College of Music and regularly appears  as a soloist at major London venues.

Baritone Jochem van Ast and mezzo Catherine Parkin (née Collison) both left Thomas Peacocke in 1987 and studied at the Guildhall School of Music. They both perform  regularly at the Royal Opera House and with opera companies around the UK.

Counter tenor David Sheppard studied in Wales and currently works with both  the Welsh & English National Operas as well as appearing with numerous  early music ensembles.

Tenor Gary Marriott is a well known voice in the East Sussex Music scene,  performing both opera and oratorio, specialising in baroque and classical  music. Another well known voice is contralto Anne Whiteman (née Davis), who  studied music in Sussex and is now Head of Music at Frewen College as well  as a soloist with many early music groups.

Organist Steven Martin graduated from the University of Exeter and went on  to read for a PhD at Bristol. He is an organist and choir-master and is  travelling all the way from Devon for this concert.

James Cruttenden studied double bass at Birmingham and now teaches at Vinehall School and Eastbourne College.

Also appearing were mezzo Rebekah Gilbert (née Smith) who studied at the  Royal Academy of Music; saxophonist Amy Leak (née Metcalfe) and well known  local publican, baritone Jonathan Breeds.