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West Street, Rye was home to several notable
Rye Castle Museum Art and Literature writers over the years. American-born Henry
Rye Castle Museum James, author of literary classics The Portrait of
a Lady and Turn of the Screw, lived in the house
The Ypres Tower Rye and Winchelsea both have long for 18 years and entertained many eminent
associations with art and literature, inspiring figures of the day including Rudyard Kipling
The Ypres Tower and Ford Maddox Ford.
the many great artists and writers that either
lived or spent time in the towns. One of the After James’ death in 1916, the house became
most celebrated was Flemish Baroque artist Sir the home of brothers A.C. and E.F. Benson, the
Anthony van Dyck, who made several detailed latter achieving fame for his series of Mapp and
drawings of Rye and became the leading court Lucia novels. More recently, Rumer Godden, the
painter in England. Indian-born novelist and biographer, author of
J.M.W. Turner, one of the greatest masters of Black Narcissus, A Kindle of Kittens and The
British watercolour landscape painting, took Diddakoi lived at Lamb House between 1967
inspiration from the area’s land and seascapes, and 1974.
as did the influential American-born artist Between 1923 and 1939, Jeake’s House on
James Whistler. Mermaid Street was home to Conrad Aiken,
Also the renowned Edward Burra not only lived an American Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. Aiken’s
in Rye but was given his early art classes in Rye daughter, Joan, was born in the house and went
by Miss Bradley in 1921 when he was just 16. on to become the celebrated children’s author
His good friend the Surrealist Painter and War of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and other
Artist Paul Nash also lived in and around Rye, popular stories.
Iden and Dymchurch. John Fletcher, the noted Jacobean playwright
John Breeds’ gibbet was born in Fletcher’s House in front of
An artists’ colony was established towards the
end of the 19th century and Lamb House in St. Mary’s Church. A contemporary of William
Shakespeare, Fletcher succeeded the Bard as
The Ypres Tower was built about 1249 to across the Marsh and view what was once one house playwright for the King’s men. Between
defend Rye against attacks from across the of the most important harbours in the country, 1928 and 1943, the poet and writer Radclyffe
Channel and is the oldest secular building open so important that Elizabeth I visited the town Hall lived in several houses around town
to the public in Rye. It is one of the highlights in 1573 and called it Rye Royale. The Women’s including the Grade 1 Listed King Charles in
of this beautiful East Sussex Cinque Ports town Tower is also open and you can see and hear the High St. where in 1928 she published her
with its enchanting cobbled streets, medieval how Victorian women prisoners were kept. best known work “The Well of Loneliness”.
church and beautifully preserved historic Rye Harbour, home of children’s writer Monica
houses from medieval, Tudor and Georgian The Tower is open daily (except Christmas Day), Edwards, was fictionalised as Westling in her
times. Rye is almost suspended in time and April to October 10.30am to 5.00pm and series of fifteen Romney Marsh novels and
has a uniquely unhurried atmosphere. November to March (weather permitting) many of the Lone Pine stories created by the
10.30am to 3.30pm. In all cases last entry is children’s adventure writer Malcolm Saville
The Ypres Tower has served the town as a 30 minutes before closing. A virtual tour were set in Rye. Romney Marsh itself was the
castle, private dwelling, Court Hall, gaol and is available. inspirational location for Doctor Syn, the
finally now as a Museum. Inside you can see smuggler hero of novels by Russell Thorndike.
where murderer John Breeds was held prisoner, Please see the website at
and what happened to him, where prisoners www.ryemuseum.co.uk for further details
were chained and the cells in which they were or email info@ryemuseum.co.uk
incarcerated. You can see a smugglers’ lantern
and a relief model that shows the changes to
the Romney Marsh coastline and the defences
against Napoleon. A smugglers’
lantern
Visitors can try on medieval helmets, feel
the weight of medieval weapons and see the
uniforms of the Cinque Ports Volunteers.
From the Tower balcony you can look out
photos: Rye Castle Museum
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