I want to start this post with a quote from Samuel Jeake (an English writer who lived in Rye) dating back to 1678:

"This ancient town is compact as a little City, stored with buildings,
The town is of beautiful Prospect to look upon any way."

Just as the writer says, Rye is a very small, compact city in the East Sussex region full of beautiful ancient buildings. Rye has some of the most charming houses of England, and if you go out in Rye at late night when noone is around, you could feel as if you are in the medieval times, with all the stone-made tiny houses and old pavements, lovely little teashops and many others you can see around.

It is very clear to me now, but before I saw every part of Rye, I was not that sure about tourists going there and spending some days in this very little town as my friend (she's currently living in Rye) told me. But it's a true fact; people visit this ancient town more often than we can imagine.

the entrance of Ypres Tower

The town was conquered by the Normans in the past and the architectural details show us a bit about it, although a big part of the town was destroyed as a result of wars (mostly with France) and the English had to rebuild the town all over again. At the times of the Norman Conquest, Rye was surrounded by the sea, but today, the coast side is miles away and you can see sheep grazing on the lawns, where once the waves broke. You can go to the coast side anyway (it is not that far), perhaps only for the tide that is happening on this coast line every day (as I know, twice in a day).

Historical Places in Rye:
If you are to visit the town, there are some places that could attract you as a tourist. Ypres Tower (Baddings Tower) is one of those fascinating buildings in Rye, which was ordered by King Henry III. There you can also visit the Rye Castle Museum, the one that can give you the best information about the town's history and the town itself.

the Church of St Mary the Virgin

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is one of the few churches in this little town and can be seen on the Lion Street, located in the heart of Rye. This building was built up in the 12th century when the town was owned by the Abbey of Fecamp in Normandy. The church stands on the highest part of Rye, and its tower is open to visitors, so you might prefer going up to see a great view of the town from there. It is worth climbing! There, on the tower of the church, you will see an old blue clock. The mechanism of this clock can be seen by the visitors from the tower (from the inside) - the clock mechanism dates back to 1561, and its face dates from about 1760! On the clock, a sentence is written: For our time is a very shadow that passeth away...

the Land Gate

What is left from the town walls? Well, there were four gates located on different parts of the town walls earlier, but only one of them survived until today. The four are, The Strand Gate, Postern Gate, Land Gate and Baddings Gate, and the one surviving is the Land Gate. Besides, you might want to take a closer look at the walls, so I offer you to visit the Rye Town Model in the Heritage; it shows the walls well.

Streets of Rye:

At the back is Swan Cottage Tea Rooms

Mermaid Street is a street I would offer you to see; a street which was described in the 1770s as being 'near as steep as the ridge of house' by Reverend John Wesley. The Watchbell Street is also worth seeing, as there was a bell hung in the street to give warning of any approach of French people. Thomas House is known as the oldest houses in West Street, and is all white and brown, as most of the houses used to be in the earlier centuries in this area. For those who like royal things, the house where Queen Elizabeth I stayed during her 3-day visit to Rye can be seen at the corner of Church Square and West Street (the house is known today as the Old Custom House, the house with the crooked chimney). The High Street is another one worth seeing, which runs the whole length of Rye, from the Land Gate to the Mint. The Mint is a very narrow but lovely street where you can see black and white buildings, and Swan Cottage Tea Rooms is where I had a tea after lunch (I do have tea after breakfast, lunch and dinners!).

the Mermaid Inn

The Mermaid Inn is also one thing worth seeing, not because of its appearance but its historical importance. This Inn was used by the Hawkhurst gang of smugglers as a meeting place. Another place they used to meet in, to carouse and smoke pipes, was the Red Lion. The Mermaid Inn is open to everyone so that you can go in and have lunch or just some drinks - unfortunately when we asked for lunch, they were closing the kitchen, I don't remember why. So we chose another place around to eat.

Inside an antique shop

You might see antique shops everywhere in Rye, and I am very satisfied with some pieces I bought in several places. The antique framed Marilyn Monroe picture is my favourite and is now hanged on my wall in my bedroom! Old fashioned bags, clothes, second hand books, mirrors, some little pieces of home decoration and many more! I was all fascinated - hated that I could not carry them all to my own house as it would cost me a fortune!

A very sad story:
The story of Cantator and Amanda is a well-known story about Rye - Even I knew this story before I learnt that this legend happened in Rye. In 1845, when a new railway was built from Ashford to Rye and Hastings, a discovery was made. Two skeletons, clasped together, was found unearthed. The old legend of these two skeletons says that two young lovers, named Cantator (a monk) and Amanda (a beautiful young girl) were forbidden to see each other, so they ran away but were caught and their punishment was to be buried alive. This story dates from the 14th century and is shuddery...

The town's reputation & the rivers:

the Strand Quay and me on the bridge

The town was well known for shipbuilding, fishing and trading in the old times, and it is told that even King Henry VIII asked Rye to send fish to Dover in time for the arrival of famous Anne of Cleves, his bride-to-be. The River Rother is a very famous one in the history and the most well-known river of Rye but now it is not as wide as it was earlier. River Brede is another river where you can see loads of fishing boats around. Strand Quay, where now many private boats moor on the River Tillingham, was one of the centres of Rye's shipbuilding in the past, and there are many teashops and cafes on the quay now - it was lovely!

What else to do in Rye:

the Camber Sands Beach

Around Rye, apart from walking down the streets, the most I enjoyed was a long walk on the coast line - on Camber Sands Beach. There, with the remains of the tide, you can see little boys and girls playing on the wet sands (mostly semi-naked IN WINTER!), dogs running with their owners and youngsters climbing up to the small hills to jump down as a traditional game. It was very windy when I was there and cold, but I survived that one hour we spent there!

If you visit this side of England, I would definitely offer you to ride a horse in a farm or if you know someone in Rye, in their houses. Most people in Rye still own horses and they use them a
means of transportation in the town. As someone who adore horses and ride anytime I have a chance, I wanted to ride one of the horses of my friend's family that I am staying with, but very unfortunately, they were too old to ride, so I had to give up. But they had two lovely horses, Fred and Darcy, and they still keep them and feed them as some members of their family.

Fred and Darcy and me

What else can I suggest? If you like the nature, go and have a walk in the woods - it is very quiet and empty but you will never want to leave this place and will go everyday if you are staying in Rye more than a few days! Don't forget to take some pictures there!

a view from the woods in Rye

Where to stay in Rye?

Me in the garden of the Corner House

There are not many choices as this is a very traditional town - I won't be able to recommend you very high standard hotel rooms but I can recommend you a very lovely and warm cottage house: the Corner House

The owners, Yvonne and Richard Turner, who are the parents-in-law of a very close friend of mine, are very nice people; very hospitable and helpful, and the house is quite bright, clean, comfortable and best of all, the breakfast is free! I stayed there 3 days and 2 nights and did not want to leave! You can reach the heart of Rye from there by a short walk, so I would definitely recommend you to stay at this lovely old brick house which was built more than 100 years ago as the owners told me.

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