50 Policemen Called to Domestic Incident at Rye Harbour
Fifty Policemen Attend Domestic Incident at Rye Harbour According to the Rye Observer 50 (fifty) policemen attended an incident at Tram Road, Rye Harbour on Tuesday 20 February in what was reported as a nine hour siege drama. The incident was resolved at 2 am on the Wednesday morning when the man, described as a thirty-nine year old family man, came out of the house and was arrested. A spokesman for the police said “He was not armed and it was not a hostage situation”. He was later released on bail.
All this local activity by the Police begs two questions. One, how can a domestic incident possibly justify fifty officers for nine hours? and Two, where are they all hiding when crimes are being committed in Rye? Councillor Colin Marsh, a member for Rye of the Sussex Police Authority Consultative Group defended the actions of the police saying that “Under the circumstances, with children involved, they did a good job. No one was hurt in the incident and the numbers of officers attending were to cover all eventualities in an unknown situation”.
One wonders what might have happened if there had been a village Bobby stationed at Rye Harbour. He would probably have known the man and perhaps dealt with the situation himself, leaving the other forty-nine officers to get on with looking after other towns and villages and the people they know.
Part-Time Constables
Rye County Councillor, Peter Jones is offering Part-Time Coppers if the Tories come back to power after the General Election. Not a bad idea, the Rye Fire Service has been one of the best fire fighting units in the County for countless
years. On a par with any regular unit, they have won many Inter-Brigade
competitions and their service to this town has be exemplary.
A Police Force with equally quick turn out times would be a great improvement on what we have at the moment. We shall remind County Councillor Jones of this promise if there is a Conservative victory.
Enforcement Order Could Put Kate Out of Business
The planners from Bexhill are at it again. An enforcement notice has been served on Kate Roy of Munro’s in Cinque Ports Street. Apparently an upstairs bedroom window was changed from a traditional Victorian sash to a modern plastic job five years ago, long before the building was purchased by Kate Roy from its former owner Irene Issacs.
Kate was aware at the time of purchase that Rother District Council were unhappy with the window and had demanded it be replaced with a copy of the original but she took comfort from a Department of Environment booklet which stated that dwellings outside the preservation area were not subject to such planning and understood from this that no action could be taken against her.
Now she is in utter despair and claims that the cost of replacing the window will put her out of business.
What power these planners have. None of them live in Rye. I would like to bet money on the fact that very few people have even noticed that the window has been changed. Life is too short to pile unnecessary pressure on a lady who is doing her best to run a small business. Let us support private enterprise, not crush it with stupid rules and regulations devised and enforced by outsiders.
Now Some Good News
Pam & Colin Sayell have just completed refurbishing Occasions of Rye the Party Shop at 60 Cinque Ports Street. The grand re-opening takes place on Saturday 3 March. The shop, which has been a popular attraction at the east end of Cinque
Ports Street for many years, has a new stock of Cards, Gifts and Balloons. Old and new customers are invited along to inspect the exciting new layout.
Spare a Thought for the Farmers
These are tough times indeed for farmers. The Foot and Mouth epidemic puts further stress on the farming community. Life on the farm is hard at the best of times but now the situation for many has become a nightmare. The thought of culling animals that have been reared and tended since birth is horrendous. One disaster after another has hit the British farms and one wonders where things have gone wrong.
Rye’s farmers are a tough lot and will survive these terrible times. We wish them the best of luck in their endeavours and hope the future holds better times and rewards their efforts.
By Popular Demand
Its back – by popular demand. Murder Aforesaid, the Trial of Breeds the Butcher, is to be replayed by the Rye Shakespeare Company at the Town Hall on Friday 9 March and Saturday 10 March at 7.30 pm.
The re-enactment of the trial, which was held in 1743 at a warehouse on the Strand (The Town Hall was being re-built at the time), takes place in the close proximity of the executed Breeds, his skull still remains in the iron gibbet which is housed in the attic of Rye Town Hall.
I was lucky enough to be at the first performance of the play and can strongly recommend it.
Tickets can be obtained from Cranberries price £5 each.
Something Different
There is always something original going on in Rye. On Friday 30 March a Sausage and Mash Dinner at Fletchers House is to be followed by a Ghosts and Ghouls Walk. Sounds interesting. Tickets available from Fletchers House.
Regency Chairs Realise Over £2000
A pair of Regency Chairs were sold at Rye Auction Galleries Antique Sale on Friday 2 February for £2,100. Bidding was brisk throughout the sale and several phone bidders were involved when the chairs came under the hammer.
Another good sale followed on Friday 16 and good prices were realised throughout the day. The Rye Galleries have two sales coming up on the first and third Fridays in March. Good Antique furniture and a large selection of
Tin Plate toys are in the catalogue for Friday 2 March. Both sales commence at 9.30am and will offer approximately 800 lots.
The Herald of Rye
Many years ago I came across a copy of a magazine called “The Herald of Rye”. It was first published in 1897 and was edited by a chap called Harry Davis. On the sports pages it listed Mr. Harry Davis as being the Secretary of the Rye Cycling Club (later to become the Rye & District Wheelers.
I have been interested in Harry Davis since I first discovered his magazine. It always seemed a great coincidence that he edited a Rye magazine and was also Secretary of the Cycling Club because I held both these positions. The only other thing I discovered about Harry was that he lived at ‘Watlands’ on the Udimore Road.
Just recently a very fine photograph turned up at the “Rye’s Own” office. A picture of the 1913 Rye Sports Day Committee listed all the names of the members and there he was, Harry Davis, Secretary. I might have guessed, I was secretary of the
Sports Committee many years later. Now I am half expecting to discover he was an auctioneer in this town! Perhaps some of our readers can cast further light on Harry.
E.L.Drury; R. D. McKenzie; C. J. Fletcher; C. A. Gafford (Hon. Treas.); Harry Davis (Hon. Sec); A. Adams; R. Halliwell; T. Noakes. C. J. Clark; J. Adams; W. E. Colebrooke (Mayor); C. F. Burnham (President); J. M. Jenkins (Ex – President); E. P. Dawes (Ex-President); J. H. Gasson. J. H. Bennett; H. J. Masters; G. T. Jarrett.
Jack Southerden
Jack Southerden was not a Rye man, but he was known to many Rye people, especially those who have had anything to do with cycling. All are
saddened by the Hastings cycling historians recent death. I knew Jack from way back in the fifties, when as a racing cyclist of 40 he was beating riders twenty years his junior in time trial races in this area. Jack continued racing until well in the nineties and was riding as late as last year when he eventually had to give up because of his bad eyesight.
Jack once told me his family came from Jury’s Gap and were coach builders.
He wrote a fine book detailing the History of the Hastings Cycling Club which gives graphic accounts of the very first races in the area, these were on Penny Farthings and took routes from Bexhill to Hastings and must have been quite a spectacle.
Jim Hollands