The gardens may have needed rain last week, but the Monkbretton Bridge repairs didn't - and the dry weather meant that, unbelievably after all the commotion, the width restriction which began on Wednesday was cleared by mid-day on Saturday. If it had rained, Ralph Olesen of ESCC tells us, it would have been a very different story, because the waterproofing has to go down on a dry "deck"; but the contractor's men worked like mad to take advantage of the weather, and we would like to congratulate everyone concerned on getting the worst over so unexpectedly quickly. Readers will remember that the original D o T notice of the width restriction said a month; this was modified by ESCC to ten days; how really splendid to find something being completed so far ahead of time, for once!
Even over four days, the restriction caused some problems, particularly for the occasional truck, presumably with an illiterate driver, backing desperately round King's Avenue or Bryan's Corner. But the signs have now been taken down, and Mr. Olesen hopes that even when the actual resurfacing is done there need be no restrictions though there will, inevitably, be delays.
There is, of course, still work to be done both on the bridge and to the road each side of it, so the traffic lights will be with us for a while yet, though Mr. Olesen says they may be down for the Bank Holiday weekend traffic. Some New Road residents would, we gather, be rather glad for them to be there permanently - they are at present able to cross the road safely for the first time in years.
We passed on to Mr. Olesen complaints which had come to the GAZETTE about the Conduit Hill handrail. The actual rail, now about half-way complete but temporarily abandoned, is made of square-section iron and is very uncomfortable to the hand for anyone pulling themselves up the hill by it (the holes in the standard bollards are square, but they could still carry a round rail?). He says he will have a look; and he is having the bent-round section of rail at the bottom cut off flush with the bollard, since it could have been a potential danger to a running child.
Rye Royal British Legion is looking for survivors. August 4th marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of WW1, and the Legion would very much like to hear from all those in its area who fought in that war.
Some they will already know about, long-standing and respected Legion members; but they think there may be others living in Rye and the villages who are perhaps no longer able to get at out and who would value a visit, at least, (we quote from the Legion's national magazine) "to make sure that all is well, letting them know that their efforts and achievements in the First World War are remembered and appreciated still".
Whether anything more than simple visiting is planned may well depend on how many fighting men (and women?) from WW1 do contact the Legion, but we are sure no-one will be bullied into taking part in events unless they want to. The Legion is anxious that no-one shall be neglected or in need of help which its members could give - if they knew. So if you, or a neighbour or relative living locally, wore the King's uniform before 1918, do please get in touch with the Branch's Hon. Secretary, Mr. P. Jenkins, at Pett XXXX (and for Pett, remember we now dial 0424 81...).
We hope to have a report in due course on the result of the Legion's search.
2.
Our feedback on the new timetable is that the middle-of-the-day hourly service is working well, but the commuter trains gave grounds for complaint last week - not helped by the signalman being off sick on Tuesday so that the passengers for the early trains had to be bussed to Ashford via Appledore and Ham Street, which took rather a long time. A shortage of coaches on the trains from Ashford meant that some people were standing all the way to London, with a day's work ahead of them. This can presumably be sorted out, and we hope to have a more cheerful report on the commuter front next week.
In order to allow pupils to catch the afternoon train at the earlier time, Thomas Peacocke School is borrowing five minutes from the lunch-hour so that school can finish at 3.55, as an experiment to start with; of course, all the pupils who go home by bus also have to cross the line, but most of the buses leave late enough to allow for this anyway.
Clifford Foster has now received the new timetable plus (already!) a supplement, and he tells us that the train times Adams gave in the May Fixtures are correct - something of a relief, we suspect, since in order to have the times in the May issue he had to take them from a source not entirely official! Rye Station now has available all the timetable booklets for our area except for the Eastbourne / Brighton line (perhaps they have that one too by now, but they hadn't on Monday).
(We are grateful to Mary Lestocq for this report, and for showing us the superb photographs she took of the operation.)
Rye Harbour lifeboat shed made a move on Thursday. This was carried out by all crew members, notably Philip James with one of his lorries and a crane brought in for the occasion.
On Wednesday evening the shed was sawn off all but four of its wooden supports and its floodlights and flagpole dismantled. It was left teetering on the remaining stanchions overnight until the crane had a firm grip on the situation. The boat shed was then cut free and travelled to its temporary home at the head of the slipway road.
Alongside is the new Unimog launching truck which also arrived at the Harbour last week. This has the ability to tow the boat far in excess of the present Landrover - not only to the end of the river, but right down the shingle dunes, through a muddy stream and finally across the sand to the sea at low water. Apart from the time it will save, it will completely cut out the manual heave and shove at speed to launch the boat, which used to leave the crew already exhausted before they set out on their mission to save others.
The move from the slipway was necessary to clear the site so that rebuilding can begin on the new shed (on which we have already reported - GAZETTE no. 70). There is still a lot of money needed for the project, and Nick Martin of Phipps & Co, Landgate Chambers, Rye, is in charge of "The New Rye Harbour Lifeboat Shed Fund". It seems that the people of Muddeford, near Bournmouth, have succeeded in raising every penny required for their new building. Perhaps Rye Harbour can do the same - with just a little help from our friends?
The latest issue of the RNLI magazine "Lifeboat" records lifeboat services during last August, September and October. The Rye Harbour lifeboat was out on August 4, 10 (three times), 25 (eight times), 28 (six times) and 30th. Lochin Marine's Brede-class boats were out as follows: five times at Exmouth, four times at Fowey, five times at Girvan, four times at Oban, once at Poole (where its predecessor had been out six times before the October change-over), and once "on passage" to a new station on 8 September.
- 3 - THE RYE GAZETTE, 23.5.1984
Three Rye ladies had, comparatively speaking, lucky escapes last week. On Wednesday morning Mrs. Madeleine Landau of Hylands Yard was knocked down by a lorry which unexpectedly decided to back just as she was crossing the High Street behind it; a passer-by was able to shout a warning to the driver, and Mrs. Landau was not seriously hurt - she is now back home after a day or two in hospital. Also spending a couple of days in hospital has been Mrs. Olivia Parkes of New England Lane; driving near Peasmarsh in Sunday's rain with her sister Miss Edna Phibbs, she struck a greasy patch of road and put the car into a tree. Both ladies had to be extracted by the rescue services; Miss Phibbs was allowed home after treatment, and Mrs. Parkes was due to leave hospital yesterday. Two recent accidents of this kind along the Udimore ridge landed passengers in hospital with broken legs, so we must all be relieved that Mrs. Parkes and Miss Phibbs were spared worse injuries.
The removal of a mirror at Touchstone (109 High Street) has revealed a glimpse into the past of more than sixty years ago. Pasted on the wall behind it were two bus timetables and a railway goods pricelist. In 1921 it cost 20/5d (just over £l, of course) to send a great big 112-lbs parcel more than 200 miles, and at the other end of the scale a 2-lb one could go up to 30 miles for just ninepence - less than 4p! The East Kent Road Car Company's buses ran from Rye to Hastings (White Rock) four times a day and three times on Sundays in each direction; the journey took an hour, and 1/6d (74p) would take you the whole way.
The second timetable is that of R & J Bennett & Co, of Tenterden, whose services were timed to connect at Rye with the Hastings train. Their Rye booking office is given as Wright & Pankhurst, opposite the station gates. This was, of course, before the terrace of shops opposite the Post Office had replaced the coal yard; the station gates vanished rather more recently.
Railway police promptly saw to it that the gate shutting off the North Salts footpath from the track was mended after recent vandalism - following reports on its condition from both Mrs. Parkes and Mr. Menhinick, whose Crime Alert areas it separated.
There have been a series of thefts in the villages, including £5,000-worth of brass lectern (5' tall, but it dismantles into three pieces) from Westfield Church, and £150-worth of frozen food from the garage of a Guestling house.
This seems to be the place to add a rather different story. Recently a Rye shopper found himself without the £30 he had carried in two notes in his jeans back pocket. He called back along his route with faint hope - no-one had picked it up in the shops he had been in. Finally, as a last resort, he rang the police station. They had it. It had been handed in by a local lady who had seen it fall out of his pocket but had not known how to get hold of him. Replying to his letter of thanks, she said "I was brought up to be honest..."
A display starting on Saturday in the window of the Anglia Building Society is bound to catch many eyes, for it will include a beautiful hand-made quilt which is to be raffled at the Rye WI Promotion Fair in the Town Hall a week later.
The Fair is a rather special event this year, part of the WI's national membership drive and intended to show off "the largest women's organisation in the world".
As well as the usual stalls, with goods on sale made to the demanding standards of the Institute, there will be a gypsy pedlar, a WI book stall ("lots of super cookery and craft books at very reasonable prices") and an exhibition of WI crafts. By coincidence rather than prearrangement, Playden WI is also holding its summer fair on 2 June, just across the road at the FE Centre, so a trip up Lion Street that morning will be doubly rewarding.
4.
The Hacking Darts League, founded before the war for clubs based within the Rye Borough boundary, has raised a good deal of money over the years for the Royal East Sussex Hospital. This year for the first time it was decided to make a donation to the Friends of Rye Memorial Hospital, and last Tuesday at the British Legion Club a cheque for £1,000 was handed over.
This represents money raised by the League over the past two years, from playing fees of 20p a match and an end-of-season raffle; it is surprising how the money mounts up, but then there are 26 teams in the League, each with five members. Most but not all the clubs are based on pubs in the town, and it was Alec Stec of the Old Bell Social Club who won the knock-out tournament held on Tuesday; the Shield which is held each year by the winning club is, we are told, now full up and due for a Mark II replacement, but it is certain it will be treasured as a historic relic, since it was won on three occasions during the war by a team from the Home Guard.
At its recent meeting, the Town Council discussed what could be done about dogs fouling the pavement and other public places - the Town Clerk, we are glad to hear, received many letters on the subject, perhaps in consequence of a report in the GAZETTE some weeks ago? Anyway, the Council asked him to find out from Rother whether there was a byelaw on the subject still in force in the town, and he received the answer this week.
There is a byelaw, still valid, made "for the good rule and government of the Borough of Rye" in 1970, when Phil Ellis was Mayor and John Smith Town Clerk. It says:
• No person being in charge of a dog shall allow the dog to foul the footway of any street or public place by depositing its excrement thereon. Provided that a person shall not be liable to be convicted of an offence against this byelaw if he satisfies the Court that the fouling of the footway by the dog was not due to culpable neglect or default on his part.
• For the purposes of this byelaw the owner of the dog shall be deemed to be in charge thereof unless the Court is satisfied that at the time when the dog fouled the footway it had been placed in or taken into the charge of some other person.
• Any person offending against the foregoing byelaw shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £20.
To the layman, it is not clear whether the owner of a dog let out to run loose can be convicted under this byelaw, and these dogs are very often the offenders. And does it apply to pavements only, or to public places in general? We are thinking of the churchyard, where at least one dog is regularly invited to relieve itself on the grass and others also make a habit of so doing - the neighbours are well aware whose dogs they are, and if the byelaw does apply...? Anyway, the Town Council will presumably be discussing the matter further now they know the legal position.
We notice that in the window of the pet shop in the High Street there is a handy little picker-upper designed to ease an embarrassing situation for dog-walkers. But we do wonder what, having picked them up, the owner is supposed to do with the contents of the gadget? Drop them tidily in a litterbin? Surely not!
Shrove Tuesday's Pancake Race raised £387 for Community Centre funds, and the committee would like to thank all those who supported them once again in this entertaining and lucrative venture. We are sorry to hear that, for lack of instructors, the Dog Training and the Karate classes have had to close; the main hall is therefore available for hiring on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
5.
The Civic Service in St. Mary's on Sunday had an unexpected contingent in the congregation - 24 American visitors from Minneapolis. They were on a five-day visit to Rye arranged by Robert and Geraldine Bromley, who had also fixed them up with four days in London. Rye's new Mayor, Roger Breeds, had entertained them to a reception at the Town Hall (with the town plate on display) at the start of their visit, and when he mentioned the special service on Sunday they insisted on rearranging their programme so that they could attend.
And there was a bonus. One of the party, Mrs. Sherri Bergsten, had been an opera singer; she was choir-mistress at her local church, and had sung before the President. Would she, asked Geraldine, care to sing in church, if it could be arranged? She would indeed; it was arranged, and since Ryesingers were unable to take their usual part in the service this year, Mrs. Bergsten's rendering of "Amazing Grace" was particularly welcome - it happens to be one of the Mayor's favourite pieces. The party returned to America on Monday, with happy memories.
Robert Bromley is this year's chairman of the Hotels and Caterers Association.
Perhaps he can arrange some more visits of this kind? Quite apart from the pleasure given by Mrs. Bergsten's solo, the Bromleys estimate that the group must have spent some £4,000 in the town. We don't want to sound too grasping, but trade is trade and visitors like that are what Rye could do with more of.
A great many excited primary children converged on Freda Gardham School on Thursday for the Book Bonanza, organised by the Schools Library Service for the benefit of under-12s and their teachers in the area.
The original idea was simply to use Freda Gardham as a base for the event, staged there because none of the village primaries had room or pupils enough to justify such an undertaking on its own. But FG headmaster Norman Le Lacheur said that the idea gradually seemed to take over the school in the preceding weeks, and by the time the day arrived every class was definitely thinking in terms of literature of one kind or another. Certainly, the whole school seemed en fete for the occasion - it was not always easy for an outsider to know how much of the cheerful decor was part of normal curriculum activities and how much was special for the Bonanza!
In the main hall, groups of children browsed thoughtfully round the bookstall let up by Battle Bookshop or looked at the display of books and toys from earlier days lent by Hastings Museum, or crowded round the Hastings College demonstration of printing techniques, or watched the skilled fingers of the origami (paper-folding) demonstrator. Elsewhere in the building, children's authors "lent" by the Oxford University Press entertained audiences: Victor Ambrus held a Dracula Workshop, Sarah Williams was due to entertain the younger children, and K.M. Peyton, with a long list of children's books to her name, spoke about her work as an author. (Your reporter, notebook at the ready, was much flattered to be asked "You a writer, miss?" by one small lion-hunter!) The Octopus Children's Theatre show will long be remembered by its rapt audiences; it must have been difficult for the visiting schools to decide what they should listen to and what would have to be missed.
The show was organised by Bryon Purdey of the Hastings Area Library Service, Pam Haines who was primarily in charge of the local history display, Stella Hardwick (the Area Schools Librarian), and Jill Barrow who is responsible for the children's sections in the local public libraries. Hopes that it would happen next year were dashed - library resources have to be spread more thinly over the county than that, despite help for this event from local organisations; but Mr. Le Lacheur, well pleased by the success of the day, is thinking that perhaps something might be done another time on a less official basis if necessary. Certainly, the Library Service has done Rye proud in the last fortnight.
6.
Kenneth Warren, MP, tells us that he finally (after several postponements) had a chat with the Transport Minister, Lynda Chalker, about the problems of the Rye and Winchelsea bypasses. It was agreed that the possibility of putting off the Winchelsea decision until Rye had caught up was not feasible; Mr. Warren had said some time ago that he could not in fairness support such a solution.
But there was a very friendly and useful discussion with Mrs. Chalker, whose road engineers were also present. The chosen Winchelsea route is likely to be announced during the summer, but it was, Mr. Warren assures us, made quite clear that this shall not prejudice Rye's position later. (But, as we told him, the view in the town is that Winchelsea will get the railway route; and if it does, what choices can, for practical purposes, be left for Rye?)
Mr. Warren recalled the routes which had been under consideration by ESCC some 15 years ago; there were much the same alternatives then as now. Both he and Mrs. Chalker are now aware of the need to protect Rye's environment, but the matter does, of course, have to be considered in the wider context of transport plans throughout the region. It is, for instance, possible that the new road works proposed for Hastings may divert much heavy traffic away from the A259 in favour of an inland route, so that Rye could have fewer lorries rather than more, as many people fear. Anyway, he came away from his interview well satisfied. We must now await developments.
That particular day, incidentally, was quite a busy one for Mr. Warren. He flew back from Ottawa, where he had been a member of a delegation seeing how the Canadian Parliament makes use of modern technology to organise its affairs; during the day he had another meeting as well as the one with Mrs. Chalker. And the same evening he and Mrs. Warren attended a reception at Buckingham Palace - there were some 400 guests, but so spread throughout the state rooms that there was the opportunity to talk with most of the members of the Royal Family who were present: the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, the Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. There are times, clearly, when jet-lag just has to take second place!
... And a final Warren family item - nothing to do with the constituency but calling for congratulations all the same: Mr. and Mrs. Warren's son Richard, aged 19 and still in his first year as a scholar of Christ Church, Oxford, has recently been awarded his Blue for Athletics - he specialises in long jump and relay.
To put it mildly, there does not seem to be a great deal of local enthusiasm for the European Parliamentary election which takes place in the middle of June! Rye is, of course, on the extreme edge of the East Sussex constituency which extends as far as Hove and takes in Lewes and the Wealden area as well as Brighton, Eastbourne, Bexhill and Battle.
Conservative candidate and sitting member, Sir Jack Stewart-Clark, was to have appeared in Rye some time ago but had to cancel his visit at the last minute; he is due to speak at a public meeting at the George Hotel on 13 June, the day before the election. We are unable to tell readers any more than this about him, and even less about the Labour and Ecology candidates; if their supporters would like to contact us, we can perhaps rectify this next week. Policies will presumably be set out in election addresses nearer the time.
The SDP's man is John Busby, who lives in West Sussex (East Grinstead); he is 53, married with two daughters, and since leaving Nottingham University has worked mainly in the fields of business and engineering, in this country and abroad. One of his hobbies is jogging, and he is planning to introduce himself to his potential constituents by doing just this from Rye to (ultimately but not in the day!) Hove, just before the election: the present plan is that he will leave the Gun Garden at 11.30 on Sunday, 3 June, preceding his departure by a walkabout in the town. Chris Ashbee, and possibly other local runners, will accompany him on the first part of his journey.
7.
British Rail has a new Area Manager at Ashford - whether or not his arrival was intended to coincide with the new timetable we don't know, but we do hope he didn't have too rough an introduction to our area! He is Harry Holt, from Tyneside, who has worked on the Eastern, Scottish and London Midland Regions before coming south to Thanet where he was Area Manager from 1979.
Married, with three daughters, Mr. Holt started with the railways in 1948 as a locomotive fireman; he is a keen railway enthusiast (he'd need to be, wouldn't he?) and his other hobbies include stamp collecting and water-colour painting. He probably won't have much time for either now, since he has 34 stations under his control, and a staff of 864 including the train crews based at Ashford and Dover; his "patch" goes as far as Winchelsea, but from there onwards to Hastings the line ceases to be his responsibility.
Also coinciding with Mr. Holt's arrival is a new train-washing machine, which can clean 70 coaches a day with rotating brushes, an improvement on the traditional flail system. This is installed in the old freight yard at Ashford, where there is room to do interior and exterior servicing as well. It will be interesting to see whether in fact our coaches look cleaner as a result!
• Mrs. Viola Bayley would be glad of second-hand greetings cards (ie. anything of which the front is not specifically Christmassy) for recycling to sell again on behalf of the Church of England Children's Society. She is particularly short of cards which can be used appropriately with the "Happy Birthday" middles supplied by the Society. Cards may be put through the door of Norman House West Street and will be most gratefully received for a very good cause.
• Mrs. Ena Knowles, of Ailsworth Lane, retired last week - after more than 20 years in the same job. Mrs. Knowles has been behind the Fixtures desk at Adams of Rye since August 1963, and we wish her a very happy retirement. Her place is being taken by Miss Murrell, already in charge of the Adams switchboard, and Clifford Foster assures us that there will be no changes at all in Fixtures.
• Thomas Peacocke Lower School's short story competition, now in its second year, has been won by Andrew Colegrave (2.7) with "An Old Friend"; Susannah Luck (1.4) was second with "Sandy" and Ruby Cole (2.3) third with "Countdown". Mr. Ken Lewis tells us that the judges this year found an even higher standard of creativity, and they did not stint the "merit" awards. Sponsors, as before, were Rye and Winchelsea Rotary Club, who have for many years generously helped Lower School with such events - and Upper School too, for that matter.
• Mrs. Hilda Nelson-Barrett asks us to appeal on behalf of the tiny local Royal National Institute for the Blind committee, who have been allowed a flag-day in the town on 30 June and are desperately looking for collectors, both on the Saturday and for a house-to-house collection the preceding week. Please contact her at 5 North Salts (Rye 223408) if you can spare an hour or two. The South Eastern Counties Branch of the RNIB cares, she tells us, for 2,000 blind people in East Sussex, so it is a genuinely local cause.
• Three planning applications in this week's list: a proposal to incorporate a flat at third-floor level, with other alterations, in Swan's House in Watchbell Street; the conversion of 55 Winchelsea Road to three self-contained flats; and change of use for 111 Winchelsea Road (the old Wool Store) from Rye Tiles of Wish Ward, who want permission to use it as a pottery - though Biddy Cole says that at present the plan is simply to use it as a store to replace the Drill Hall which ESCC will only let for six months at a time, making the firm's forward planning rather difficult!
• The Community Centre, which had proposed a jig-saw puzzle library some time ago but found it impossible to organise, has handed over to the Library all the puzzles given them for the purpose by various kind people in the town; the Library, with its own scheme now under way, is very grateful.
8.
Friday, 25th East Sussex Federation of Women's Institutes art exhibition, FEC, 2 to 5 (see below)
Saturday, 26th Craft Market, FEC, 11 to 5
Rye Anglers Junior Section jumble sale, CC, 2
Sunday, 26th Rye Lions Boot Fair, New Road, 10 to 4
Romney Marsh Footsloggers Club foot point-to-point, Gateborough Farm (off Winchelsea Road), 3
East Surrey Morris Men dance at the Mermaid at 12.45, the Ypres at 3.15 and the Strand at 4.15
Monday, 28th BANK HOLIDAY - start of half-term week (WRVS lunch on 4 June)
Tuesday, 29th Museum Association outing to Firle Place (seats still available for non- members, cost about £6).
• Congratulations to Rosemary, nee Parkes, and John Parmenter of St. Leonards, who were married on Friday; they will be living in St. Leonards, where Rosemary will continue with her job as a nurse at the Sussex Clinic - keeping, we hear, a particularly friendly eye on Rye patients!
• Welcome to Marianne (she says everyone always uses her Christian name), the new face at the Tourist Information Office in Cinque Ports Street. Marianne comes over from Hastings to work with Mrs. Margaret Leopold at the office, now open for the season on an official basis.
• £190 was raised for research into rheumatism and arthritis as a result of the Ploughman's Lunch at the Community Centre on Tuesday.
• The recent ATC jumble sale at Thomas Peacocke Upper School raised over £50.
• Vidler & Co's annual Boat Auction will be held this year on Saturday, 9 June at 10 am in the cattle market - entries of chandlery of all kinds, as well as boats, are now invited.
• Jane Jenkinson has for sale a clarinet - Boosey & Hawkes' Emperor, B-flat, in excellent condition and complete with case; price £100. Ring Jane at Rye 222357, or call at Graham's in the High Street.
• An art exhibition with a difference will be held at the FEC on Friday, when works of art by WI members throughout East Sussex will be on display - not only paintings but fabric collages and work using other media. Two of the exhibits will be chosen to represent East Sussex WIs at the National Exhibition at Olympia at the end of June, and visitors to the FEC will find others on sale there. It should be an interesting and unusual show.
• Frank Palmer tells us that the photograph of Market Street we described last week was taken on Tuesday, 11 July, 1916. The event was opened by the Mayor, Councillor Burnham, at 9 am (goods for sale had to be there at 8), and it was in aid of a fund to help the starving children of Belgium. The picture went on sale as a postcard, which Councillor Palmer has in his large collection of Rye material and from which he gained such detailed information.
• If anyone wants any jumble, the Editor has lots! And there are apparently no jumble sales in the offing at all……
• Final figure for the Rye Society of Artists sale on Saturday is not yet available, but it is certainly over £300 with some money yet to come in.
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper with the Post Office, and published by Mrs. Mary Owen, 94 Udimore Road, Rye (Rye 222303). News items for inclusion are always welcome - deadline Monday afternoon, Tuesday 9 am for emergencies. The GAZETTE costs 25p weekly, and is delivered to subscribers and pick-up points on Wednesday; extra copies and back numbers can be ordered from 94 Udimore Road, while a few spares are available at Squirrels, 9-13 Cinque Forts Street, Rye. (Copyright Mary Owen 1984)