It Started In 1889
The Rye Museum Association cares for thousands of objects spanning nearly a thousand years of local history.
A selection of our finest pieces are on display across our two sites — the medieval grandeur of Ypres Tower at Rye Castle, and the town-focused galleries here at East Street Museum — but many more items from the collection are held in our secure vaults, carefully preserved for future generations.
Whether it’s fragile textiles, archival documents or rare ceramics, these objects remain protected and available to researchers by appointment.
Can’t make it in person? You can explore a selection of our collection online.
Highlights
List hilghlights
In-depth Articles From Our Displays
Written to join and for further referance from our East Street Museum displays.
Our History
Foundation
Leopold Vidler, who founded the first museum, was also the author of A New History of Rye (1934). He served as Mayor of Rye from 1927–28 and was the museum’s first and only curator at Battery House.
Award Winning
Geoffrey Spink Bagley served as Honorary Curator for 38 years, from 1954 until his death in 1992. He greatly expanded the collection, changed displays each year with volunteers, and won an award for the museum’s work in 1975.
Boozy Beginnings
The museum’s East Street site opened in Easter 1999—45 years after the post-war reopening of the Ypres Tower. The building was formerly a bottling factory for beers and was converted with help from a successful Heritage Lottery Fund bid.
Rye's Pyramid
The Ypres Tower, which houses part of the museum, was originally built as a prison and later served as the town’s jail. Its pyramidal tile roof was destroyed during an air raid in 1942 and was never replaced.
