Month: May 2004

Smuggling

Reproduced from “Gentle Breezes”

Kent and Sussex were hot beds of smuggling for centuries, and to judge by reports, still are. Originally, wool was smuggled out to France, rather than other goods coming in. The reason was that we produced high quality wool, but had not the means of processing it. The French and Dutch did. In 1622, it was made a hanging offence to smuggle out wool. The government then imported French and Dutch weavers and other trades to process the wool. That is why we have many large houses of Dutch style in our area. Many parishes have their Cloth Halls, The Weavers, and so on. Continue reading Smuggling

Thomas Peacocke Pupils Getting Rye to Bloom

By Jim Hollands

Doubters have said that Rye will not be capable of winning the ‘Britain in Bloom Competition’ at the first attempt. Don’t let the pupils of the Thomas Peacocke hear them. Continue reading Thomas Peacocke Pupils Getting Rye to Bloom

Wharehouses At The Strand

From a water colour by Austin Bloomfield

The warehouses at The Strand still stand today. They are a reminder of Rye’s maritime past when many ships used to dock in The Strand and unload their cargos of grain, timber, basic slag, coal etc. into these and other warehouses and yards dotted around the area. Continue reading Wharehouses At The Strand

Pride In Rye In Bloom

Town Manager Yolanda Laybourne organiser of Pride in Rye Week and
Lorna Hall the flag bearer for Rye In Bloom have been working hand
in glove to get the town spick and span for the three big competitions,
Rye, South-East and Britain in Bloom that are just around the corner. Continue reading Pride In Rye In Bloom

Heartbreak Hill

Three Hundred March – 1000 Sign

Three hundred people, including Rye M.P. Michael Foster, The Mayor of Rye Councillor Paul Carey, both our District Councillors, Granville Bantick and Sam Souster and almost every member of Rye Council, marched from the Postern Gate Surgery, via the appropriately named ‘Deadman’s Lane’ to the foot of Rye Hill, a hill that will no doubt have its name changed to ‘Heartbreak Hill’ if East Sussex County Council and PCT do not relent and allow the proposed move of the Postern Gate Surgery to be re-directed from the Memorial Care site to the old Ferry Road School location. Continue reading Heartbreak Hill

Mum’s Dad’s Babies Swim at Rye Pool

 

On Friday’s at the Rye Swimming Pool there is more than splashing going on, there is singing, gurgling, cooing and yes, you guessed it, some yelling but mostly smiling babies and parents as they support their little ones in the pool under the watchful eye of instructor Ruth Heyes. The parent baby group was formed by Community Nursery Nurse Linda Brown with the help of Simon Richardson who works at the centre. Continue reading Mum’s Dad’s Babies Swim at Rye Pool

1832 Reform Map of Rye to be Auctioned Locally

 

The map of Rye above is but the central section of of a steel engraving from Samuel Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary reflecting the boundary changes introduced on the enactment of the Reform Bill of June 7th. 1832. Continue reading 1832 Reform Map of Rye to be Auctioned Locally

The Jane Ann of Rye in Arundel 1898

By Ron Dellar

Almost two years now out of Rye – two years trying to get used to living here in West Sussex (it is different to East Sussex!) but two years in the course of which I have, on various occasions, been seen lurking round corners in Rye and two years in which time I have made a start in building a new life far away from the plots, plans and devious scheming that were so much part of my life in dear old Rye!

(If anybody would like to know more about my days in Rye and the good and maybe not so good things I got up to, I would be delighted to tell it all, the way it was…….) Continue reading The Jane Ann of Rye in Arundel 1898