This section deals not only with the long and fascinating history of Rye Harbour but also with the Nature Reserve of recent times. If you are interested in a particular period or wish to jump to the Nature Reserve, use the navigation bar above. If you would like to see everything available, simply scroll down. … read more
Before Richard II died in 1189 he had conferred Cinque Port privileges on Rye. By 1229, Rye was supplying ships and men both for the King’s expeditions and the defence of the realm. Henry III spent money repairing sea walls and in 1249 ordered the building of ’the Castle of La Rye’ as an important … read more
By Tudor Times (1485-1603), Rye had a large estuary and harbour. At its peak, over 300 ships could be seen sheltering in the Wainway, a large creek formed on the Marsh, protected by a shingle head. The period was a time of change with the opening up of new foreign trade routes and newly … read more
In the 13th century there occurred a series of violent storms spread over 100 years. These storms destroyed the town and port of Old Winchelsea that stood south of Rye (a site probably about half a mile out to sea); this was to the advantage of Rye. The shore line disintegrated allowing the sea to … read more
John Smeaton Smeaton’s Harbour is a modern but misleading name for the New Harbour of Rye, an expensive 18th century project which aimed to join the waters of the Rother, Tillingham and Brede into a new channel at what is now known as Winchelsea Beach where remains of the outer channel, the east pier and … read more
The arrival of the railway captured much sea trade. The first railway to Rye was a single track line, carrying the Lord Mayor of London on a visit to Rye in May 1850. The railway was finally opened to the public in 1852. In 1851 a swing bridge to take the railway was completed across … read more
Rye Harbour Today Rye is still a small seaport. Its harbour is a mile from the sea on the River Rother with moorings within the river system of the town. The River Rother is joined by the rivers Tillingham and Brede at Rock Channel. Use is restricted to high water periods (about 5 hours) … read more
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 … read more
