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The Ypres Tower and Town Walls
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By the early 14th century, Rye was one of the most important ports on the South Coast, and with the start of the Hundred Years War with France, was very vulnerable to attack by raiding French warships. In 1339 the French attacked the town, and burnt 52 houses and a mill. It was at about this time that the mayor and corporation made a start on the town walls and gates, aided by money (”murage”) granted by the King. The Landgate dates from about 1340.
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In 1381, the town was granted a charter to build a stone wall, although this was not completed until several years later. The new wall enclosed the town except where steep cliffs provided adequate defence to the east and south. There were four gates: the Landgate, Strandgate, Baddings Gate and the Postern Gate.
| The town was again attacked by the French in 1449, and despite the walls, some buildings were burnt. This was the last time the town’s medieval fortifications were tested. They were modernised with the addition of cannon during the 15th and 16th centuries, but subsequently fell into disrepair. Only the Landgate survives today, together with a few fragments of the town wall, notably behind the car park in Cinque Ports Street, and Ypres Tower, now one of the two buildings of Rye Museum. |
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Nobody is quite sure when Ypres Tower was built. It may have been part of a royal castle built sometime between 1230 and 1250, during the reign of Henry III. Certainly a castle was planned for Rye at that time, but there is some doubt whether it was ever erected.
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It is more likely that it was built at the same time as the town wall and gates, during the reign of Edward III or Richard II in the late 14th century. Its architecture is of that period, and some details of its construction are similar to those of the Landgate. |
