Nice to see another local business getting involved with events in the town. Rush Witt & Wilson, the Estate Agents at the old Vidler’s building, have taken part in almost every organised occasion in Rye this year from the Raft Race to Bonfire Night.
They provided help in running the Rotary / Rye Wheelers Charity Fun
Cycle Ride and made a spectacular job of providing a ‘stocks’ outside their offices where their own staff were locked in and bombarded with wet sponges, all for Children in Need.
Rye businesses have, over the years, been famous in their efforts to attract trade to the town. Just after the War there was an annual “Rye Trades Exhibition” where all the leading shops would have stands to exhibit their wares and demonstrate all types of production methods of articles actually manufactured here. The potters of Rye Pottery had a wheel going with demonstrations of turning throughout the week long show.
Deans Toy Factory in Tower Street are remembered for their amazing tableaux that graced the Bonfire processions of the late fifties and early sixties and around the same time, Hollands & Sons the Television people in Cinque Ports Street were putting on big events for their customers, one memorable occasion was the Bingo Special at the Rye Congregational Hall which filled not only the top floor but the ground floor as well, the two being linked by very early closed circuit television.
Rose Anne’s annual Fashion Shows at the George Hotel were looked forward to with eager anticipation by those lucky enough to get an invitation.
From the December 2007 Issue of “Rye’s Own”