Rye Castle Museum

Congratulations to the Ryesingers on their 40th Anniversay ! In their honour we have put together a display of posters and other items from their 40 years of singing.  The photograph, taken in Rye Castle/Ypres Tower, shows four founder-members, Lesley Brownbill, (conductor),  Jo Kirkham, Susan Manktelow, and Carole Osborne. The Ryesingers have been loyal supporters of the … read more

The Cross of Sacrifice display at the Ypres Tower Among the recent additions to the Ypres Tower displays is the model for the Cross of Sacrifice which Sir Reginald Blomfield (1856-1942) designed for the Imperial War Museum to commemorate soliders who lost their lives in the Ypres Salient during WWI.   but have no marked graves.  … read more

There have been many writers in Rye over the centuries but it was from the late nineteenth century onwards that writers came to live in the town. By then it was more accessible because of the railway and it was seen as an unspoilt place of great charm. Henry James’ decision to live in Rye … read more

Benson’s Sense of Humour For the main Benson articles click here. This recipe was contributed by E F Benson, Mayor of Rye to the book A Cargo of Recipes:  Procure a small piece of glass (any broken window will serve) about 1 inch square. Pound this in a mortar till its consistency is of the finest … read more

  ‘Geoffrey Bagley, Esq. Ryer Extraordinary’ This was the subtitle of a 1973 Down Rye Way column  by the then editor of Rye’s Own, Christopher Davson.  And as you will see from what follows,  Geoffrey Bagley really was  ‘extraordinary’.        The article  begins:     ‘ It was with some trepidation that your reporter stepped aside from Church Square into one … read more

E.F. BENSON (1867 – 1940) : A Brief Biography by Allan Downend,  Secretary, E.F. Benson Society and former Curator, Rye Museum Click here for an  example of Benson’s sense of humour: Pancakes à la Borgia E.F.Benson was born at Wellington College on July 24th 1867.  Fred, as he was known to his family, was the fifth … read more

by Brian Purdey  Napoleonic Threat An example of a very rare species arrived in the military district of Hastings and Rye in the early Spring of 1806 – a successful British General! In fact it is fair to say that at the time Sir Arthur Wellesley was the only really successful general officer that his … read more