Rye Cemetery
In the name of ‘Health & Safety’ they have now torn down the Chapel in Rye Cemetery that was damaged by fire and are turning it into a ‘Historic Ruin’
Many readers have written and phoned us in absolute dismay at the way the Chapel has been ‘ruined’. Here is one example.
Dear Editor
Not sure if your aware of what’s been going on in the cemetery so I thought I’d take some photos, the sign at the entrance claims it to be the makings of a “feature Ruin”, looks more like a ruined feature to me. Perfectly good walls, have been reduced to rubble, the good stones from the outer walls have been bagged up in one tonne bulk bags and removed, only 4 bags left on site as in photo.
Presumably Rother are selling it to some architectural salvage firm for revenue, who knows? It’s a shame such a perfectly sound building has been destroyed, all it needed was a new roof, windows & doors. I was under the illusion that a “feature ruin” would retain the structure of the historic chapel, with the removal of only unsafe masonry, and the buttressing of any weak or unsafe walls. To be honest, it may as well be flattened, and turned into a car park, as was one of the suggestions , any rebuilding t ha t is planned, would be totally new and have no history (i.e. false) , and I don’t think any of us would be proud of that. My only hope is that the remaining chapel does not meet with such an untimely end.
Nick Chillingworth Rye
The photographs are from Nick and illustrate what a mess Rother have made. I would like to know how much cash was claimed from the insurance by Rother, why it was not insured for replacement value and where is the insurance money being spent?
“Rye’s Own” October 2009
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