The Hastings Health Authority met again last week. One of the things discussed was a consultative draft of Short Term Programmes 1986/7 and 1987/8. Item 2.6.16 of this reads:
"In its Strategic Plan 1985/94 the District announced its intention to review services currently provided at Rye and Winchelsea District Memorial Hospital within the context of overall health care services provided throughout the Rye area. The hospital and its work are highly valued by the population it serves and following the publication of the Strategy there has been a growing concern for its future. In view of this uncertainty the Authority considers it a priority to undertake a full appraisal of services in Rye during 1986/7" The Authority approved the programme; but it is difficult to see how they will be able to carry out a "full appraisal" of our health services during 1986/7 if 1 those based at the top of the hill aren't functioning!
The death of Councillor Evans is likely to mean another by-election for the Town Council.
On the death of a councillor, it is Rother's duty to declare the seat vacant (the notices go up today). If at least ten ratepayers - presumably supporting a prospective candidate - then ask for an election, Rather calls one, and nominations are invited. Sometimes the number of nominations equals the number of vacancies, in which case the election is purely technical and the candidates (or candidate if there is just one seat empty) is declared elected. Sometimes, of course, there are no nominations at all, and the Council then has to co-opt some one.
The position this time is interesting. At the by-election in June, when Ringo headed the poll, the runners-up (with only a few votes separating them) were John Ciccone and Gerry Fortsch. The remaining six candidates were a long way behind. Mr. Ciccone and Mr. Fortsch both tell us that they intend to stand again, so an election is certain to be called, though perhaps this time with rather fewer candidates. The Town Hall hasn't yet had the bill for the June election, but the cost to ratepayers is rumoured to be somewhere around £1,000 – primarily because of the large number of candidates for seats. The more candidates, the more complicated - and therefore more expensive - the arrangements.
At present only one seat, that of the late Councillor Evans, is vacant. But when Councillor Bill Simpson moved to Bexhill, he nobly decided that to save the town the expense of another election so soon after the one in June he would remain on the Council, despite the night drives over from Bexhill to attend meetings which often last several hours. As things are now, however, he may not be sorry that he has the opportunity to relinquish this onerous duty. If he were to decide to retire from the Council in view of his move to Bexhill, there would of course be two vacant seats to be contested this winter.
The real tussle, however, will come in May 1987, when all 16 seats come vacant.
Our MP, Ken Warren, is appearing on Radio Sussex's regular "Now's Your Chance" programme on Friday, 15 November, at noon; the phone-in number is Brighton 698411, though he may well be talking from the Eastbourne studio since he has a surgery in Rye at 3.30 the same afternoon. Appointments for the surgery can be booked as usual through the Hastings Conservative Association office, Hastings 423110 (mornings).
2.
Councillor Edward Evans, of Military Road, died in Rye Memorial Hospital on 14 October after some weeks of illness; he was 74. A widower, he leaves a daughter. Eddie Evans, as he was always known in Rye, was brought up in Islington and for a short time was articled as a surveyor at Trinity House; but he turned to a career in local government, and came to live in Rye some 15 years ago on his retirement. He and Mrs. Evans were active in Red Cross work until her death five years ago; he joined the Town Council in 1979, and over the next six years served on all its committees. He was also a founder member of the Conservation Society and a life member of the Ratepayers Association. The funeral took place at Playden Church yesterday (22nd) and was followed by burial in the churchyard.
Mr. Gerry Blattman of Rye Harbour died in Rye Memorial Hospital on Monday (21st). The funeral takes place at Rye Harbour Church on Friday (25th) at 2.30, followed by burial in the churchyard. Family flowers only are asked for, but donations in his memory can be sent for the Rye Harbour Flagstaff Fund, c/o J. Blackman & Son, Forge House, Wish Street. We shall have a fuller obituary notice next week..
Mr. Harry Hooker of New Winchelsea Road died suddenly at his home on 19 October. Mr. Hooker, who was 72, is survived by his widow and two sons. The funeral takes place on Monday, 28th, at Hastings Crematorium at 2.
We are so very sorry that we gave the wrong date for the funeral of Mrs. Violet Curd, which took place last week.
29 October is the eighth anniversary of the death of Dr. Trevor Parkes, who will always be remembered with love and gratitude by his friends and patients alike.
Please don't move house in January if you live in Mermaid Street! ESCC Highways Department announce that the street will be closed to through traffic for three or four weeks from 6 January so that Segas can lay a new gas main. The actual point of closure will be "of a rolling nature" depending where the contractor is working, and access will be from either top or bottom as the work progresses. "As Mermaid Street is so narrow, vehicles requiring access to properties will more than likely have to reverse out of the street"! Pedestrian access will not be affected.
When Segas have finished in Mermaid Street, they will move on to the High Street, also to lay a new main (presumably, unless the weather is like last winter's, in early February). Here it will not be necessary to close the road, but temporary no-parking regulations will .be put into effect - also of "a rolling nature" with the restricted length being approximately 35m at any one time.
(Credit must surely go to ESCC. and Segas for arranging to do this work at the dead time of the year for visitors and not in mid-July!)
BR's Senior Citizen Railcard leaflets about the cheap offers for November are not' available at Rye Station - or Baldwins Travel have details, if not leaflets, and can also sell you tickets. The reductions are very considerable - as BR's press handout says, they hope to sell more Railcards, either the £7 (day-out only) or the C12 variety, as a result.
£7 cardholders can buy, during November, cheap day returns anywhere within a large area of the south-east (including London) for £2 - leaving Rye at 8.45 am at the earliest (unless of course you like to buy a separate no-time-restriction ticket to Ashford and "start" from there, which will get you to London a good deal sooner). £12 cardholders can also buy the £2 day tickets, and the November Super Bargain Saver fares based on the normal Saver prices but a great deal lower: E4 for Savers normally costing up to C20, 0 up to £40, and £12 over £40. Outward journeys with Saver tickets cannot be made on a Friday - but homeward journeys can, oddly enough.
Anyone going to the Isle of Wight gets an extra good deal, since Red Funnel Ferries are offering SC Railcard holders free travel by bus and boat from Southampton station to Cowes during November.
- 3 - THE RYE GAZETTE, 23 October 1985
Congratulations to Mrs. Doreen Bradley of Ferry Road and Mr. James Young of Crawley, who were married at St. Anthony's on Saturday afternoon. Mrs. Bradley and her late husband were some years ago the landlords of the Queen Adelaide; she was attended on Saturday by her youngest daughter Lynn. The wedding was followed by a reception at the Pipemakers Arms.
Congratulations, too, to Helen Bryant of Udimore Road and Mark Appleton of Cooper Road, married on Saturday afternoon in St. Mary's. Helen, one of this year's prettiest brides, wore a white crinoline dress with a train, and a spark ling coronet fastened her veil; her bridesmaids, Wendy Catt and little Donna Stoodley, wore dark red frilled dresses also in the Victorian style, and Donna's brother Lee made a very fetching page. Best man was Kevan Crouch. The reception took place at Thomas Peacocke School.
In addition to the two groups of wedding guests in search of their receptions and the Meryon family's guided tour, the town also welcomed on Saturday some fifty members of the Methodist Church Camera Club.
This year's winners of the Town Council's Youth Citizenship Award are the St. John Ambulance Nursing Cadets. 27 of the grey-cloaked girls filed into the Town Hall all Friday evening; with them was Mrs. Marilyn Mitchell, her Divisional Officer Mrs. Mandy Martin and Nursing Officer Mrs. Margaret Farthing. (County President Miss Josepha Aubrey Smith and Divisional President Mrs. Betty Townsend both had commitments elsewhere.) The Mayor presented the handsome medallion, minted to commemorate the Royal Wedding and given to the Council four years ago, to Cadet Leader Ann Newman - who was joined by the youngest cadet, Helen Robus, to be photographed with the Mayor. Afterwards the girls were given a tour of the Town Hall, and then the Mayor presented certificates gained by members of the unit.
The St. John Nursing Cadets have done a great deal to bring credit to the town over the past few years. With the senior St. John members, they attend events all over this end of Sussex (a group went to Glyndebourne recently) and occasionally in Kent if Lydd are shorthanded - always there when an emergency arises. Some of the cadets have also been working in the community in other ways; Ann Newman and Claire Piper helped with the Mencap playgroup in the holidays, and Zena Streeten has been doing voluntary work at St. Helen's Hospital on Saturdays. Cadet teams have done particularly well in Area competitions - quizzes, first-aid competitions and exercises - and were highly commended for their smart turn-out yihen the County Commissioner came over in February to present no fewer than five and Prior Badges on behalf of the Duke of Gloucester.
Two Cadets, Ann Newman and Paula Sams, have just returned from a fortnight's sail-training cruise on the "Malcolm Miller", sponsored by the St. John organisation. They joined her in Southampton and she obligingly brought them back to Dover; en route they visited Dartmouth, Cherbourg and Amsterdam, and there was the opportu nity to go ashore - though they were warned to stay together in groups in Amsterdam! The ship had a complement of 55 in all - 40 girls, a female nurse and purser, and the permanent male crew. How the cook managed to provide excellent food for them all from a tiny galley, said Ann, was astonishing - though he did have a relay of girls taking turns as "galley-rats". Paula and Ann were in separate watches, but were pleased to find that there were some 20 St. John cadets on board. They were relieved to be allocated bunks rather than the two hammocks available; all the same, they were both sick for the first 24 hours, but after that things got better. Even going up the rigging, as Jane Blackman had found, was OK after the first climb. But it was cold; a few more sweaters would have been welcome!
Ann, who wants to be a nurse, is now back in the Lower Vlth at Thomas Peacocke; Paula has just started a new job as a dental receptionist in East Street. They will be talking about their voyage to the adult St. John members at the Conduit Hill HQ on Friday (25th) at 7.15; anyone with a particular interest in the sub ject is welcome to come along and listen.
4.
Radio Sussex had assembled a fair cross-section of Rye's inhabitants at the Town Hall on Thursday for the official opening of its Rye studio. The police cell with its barred window is conveniently and quietly tucked away under the Mayor's Parlour, and a long table houses the various phones (tele-, head- and micro-), together with instructions and photographs of the presenters to whom Rye broadcasters are likely to be speaking. The presenters, of course, normally remain in Eastbourne, but David Arscott and Candida Watson were both here on Thursday to put Rye's very own Lunchdate on the air.
The Mayor and the Town Clerk opened the programme, followed by Radio Sussex's Rye diarist James Menhinick and then two of its press representatives, Pat Cole of the News and your Editor. Det. Con. Michael Poulton spoke about the last time, ten years ago, he had actually locked someone up in the Town Hall cell (and said, very nicely, "I would dearly like to see the rest of my service out in Rye, in my opinion the best town in Sussex to work in"). Colin Marsh arrived with just one minute to spare, having been engaged in manoeuvring a very large boat into the Harbour. Biddy and Tarquin Cole talked about pottery in Rye; Joy and Ted Harland, the builders of the Rye Model, recalled its ancestry; we heard Sir Brian Batsford (on tape) talking about Henry James and the new portrait at Lamb House, and Cynthia Reavell spoke in person about Benson. Also on tape was Mrs. Yates, questioned about the hospital - some people were sorry she failed to mention the Action Groupe but doubtless we shall hear from them another time. Irene Playford from Potting- field Road was asked about raising money at grass-roots level from coffee mornings and jumble for local causes, and the programme was brought to a close by Deputy Mayor Monica Oliver and our newest councillor, Ringo, and finally "cried" off the air resoundingly by Gus Gale.
Coincidentally, the very next day the town was once again displayed to the public gaze, this time on TVS. There is no doubt that Rye is a very photogenic place; all the recent programmes have made it look like a lived-in picture postcard and this one was no exception (the presenter even remarked on the absence of litter in the streets - this, remember, was "Rye in December" - as a lead-in to interviewing Ringo (again!) and his dustcart team). Hick Payne spoke for the fishermen, to the accompaniment of some lovely shots of stormy seas and boats coming into an evening harbour (and we are very glad to say that Mr. Payne is now almost entirely recovered from the burns he received in an accident in the summer). Harry Phillips showed us round his workshop and spoke about boat-building freehand ("been in the family years, that design"). At the market, farmer Billy Cooke, chairman of the Cattle Market Company, recalled the days when the auctioneers used to sell farm produce of all-kinds, not just sheep. Lured into St. Mary's by the sound of Ryesingers rehearsing for their carol concert, we heard Jo Kirkham (and is very good to report that she also is on the mend) talking about living in Rye, and about the formation of the very successful choir. Finally, we had the chance to see first Wally Cole and then Alan Webb at work, Wally in the pottery he revived after the war and Alan in the bakery that has been going for 200 years. What Edward Mills's llama was doing in the programme, we are not quite sure; but then, as the presenter more or less said, that's Rye for you!
Back to steam radio. We have been talking to David Arscott about Lunchdate vs. Sussex Scene. Readers must by now be aware that Lunchdate is the magazine programme on 258m (medium wave) which goes out at 1.10 for half-an-hour and covers the area from Eastbourne to Rye. Sussex Scene goes out from 8.45 am until 1, over the whole Radio Sussex network; interviews are in the second half, from 11. Items on Sussex Scene are chosen as being of interest to the whole Radio Sussex area, and this, of course, means that if a local person is interviewed on a subject of more than purely local concern they are likely to be heard on Sussex Scene - at a time, and possibly date, unspecified, so their friends and relations may miss them, though they will have far more casual listeners. The items in each day's Lunchdate are normally listed after the 258 East Sussex Diary programmes at 7.25 and 8.25, so that if there is something of personal or local interest listeners can then make a point of being in or can arrange a tape-recording (with the help of a timer and one side of a 120-minute tape). The Sussex Scene presenters do mention at 8.45 some of the items due to be heard later in the programme, but this is not always a reliable guide to its total content.
(continued...)
5.
People who can keep their radio tuned to 258 all morning, of course, have no pzoblem, since they get both programmes one after the other; the rest of us may well miss, alas, items we would have enjoyed.
Those who want events mentioned on the East Sussex Diary programmes on 258m can now get the special forms for this from the Council Offices (ask at the desk) who also have leaflets about Radio Sussex generally and Lunchdate in particular. If you're stuck, the GAZETTE also has a few of the blue events forms.
If you have trouble in finding Radio Sussex on your set, make a point of calling at the Town Wall car park on Monday afternoon (28th), when the station's travelling exhibition, primarily there to publicise the new VHF frequency changes, will doubtless be able to help you get 258 as well. The handout adds that if you want to be sure that what you are getting is Radio Sussex, you can check by phoning briefly Brighton 8069, which carries the programmes throughout the day.
The new Youth Club at the Community Centre is now established on Monday nights from 7.30 to 10.30, with an age-range of 14-18. Running it are Mr. and Mrs. Russell of Peasmarsh - the same Mr. and Mrs. Russell who run the Boys Club – but they do desperately need more adult helpers. If you are free on Monday evenings, you might like to turn up and see what you think? They also need youth-club-type equipment. They have two table-tennis tables, but could do with more bats, balls and nets; they would be glad of a pool table, and darts board, and indeed darts. Simple things like chess and draughts would also be useful, and pop music tapes would be welcomed. The members pay only 40p a session, and coffee, coke, crisps and Kit-kats are on sale.
Professor Lyall Powers, who supplied the lovely Henry James quote for us last week, now asks for help. As we said, he has been researching in Rye, and would be "most grateful for information about friends and acquaintances of Henry James during his years in Rye (and Playden) - ie. 1896 to 1915 - and specifically:
Mr. (later Captain) and Mrs. Dacre Vincent of Rye
Mr. (and Mrs.?) Tayleure of Rye
Mr. and Mrs. G.P. Jacomb Hood (she was Benson's Mayoress in 1934?)
Mrs. Alice Dew-Smith, The Steps, Playden
Mr. Kenneth Campbell of Wittersham
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Ford of Wittersham
Violet Markham of Wittersham
Lady Conway and Agnes of Allington Castle, Maidstone
Mrs. Kate Perugini (daughter of Charles Dickens)."
If you can help Professor Powers with information about any of these people, either from your own recollection or from what older relatives have told you, please ringhim on Rye 225874, or write to The Mint House Cottage, The Mint, Rye. Any other Henry James memory would also be of great interest to him.
Patrons of the Chinese takeaway in Landgate will be very pleased to know that the business will be continuing as usual, under its new name "Wing Wah". The proprietors are a young couple, Mr. Chung-Man Lam and his wife Kim Ying, and they will be assisted by Mrs. Lam's father and Mr. Lam's brother. The Lams come originally from Hong Kong, but have been living in Kent where they have had experience of the business. The takeaway will be open from noon to 2 and from 5 to midnight on Monday to Saturday, and from 5.30 to 11.30 pm on Sunday and Bank Holidays; the menu, very prettily got up, shows a wide range of dishes including four set dinners and - among new dishes introduced by Mr. and Mrs. Lam - two sweets. The shop will reopen on 29 October, and for the first ten days (until 9 November) all orders will carry an introductory discount of 10%; orders over £5 get a free pair of chopsticks and, if required, a free demonstration of how to use them! We wish the Lam family every success, and hope they enjoy Rye.
6.
Three hundred years ago, the French king Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, the law which had promised religious tolerance to the growing number of Protestants in France in the seventeenth century. There had been persecution before the Edict, and there was persecution again after it; and a very considerable number of French Protestants fled France in 1685 and the years following, to seek religious freedom elsewhere in Europe. Perhaps, said Dr. Vidler in St. Mary's on Sunday, as many as a quarter of a million Protestants left their homeland.
Some of these Huguenots slipped across the Channel to Rye, including Louis Merinian. He and his countrymen were made welcome here, and allowed to use St. Mary's for their services; and the pewter Communion flagon later given to the church by one of his descendants was used by those early immigrants. Louis brought with him his wife and 8-year-old son, another Louis; the name was rapidly anglicised, the family's business interests prospered, and in 1768 a fourth-generation Lewis Meryon married a local girl, Anne Haddock, and had ten children. The first six died young; but the last four did well for Rye. John and the youngest brother Charles became deeply involved in the Reform riots and wrangles of the 1820s which eventu ally ejected the Lamb family from its dominant position in the town's affairs (indeed, John was for six weeks in 1825 an "alternative" Mayor when his party took possession of the Town Hall!). Their sister Sarah, who gave the Communion flagon to St. Mary's, married a Hampshire man, William Holloway; they came back to live in Rye so that she could look after her elderly parents - and that is why we now have that invaluable book, Holloway's "History of Rye". Thomas, the middle brother, married Harriet Pix and had five children, one of whom - Charles Pix Meryon - was Mayor of Rye for seven consecutive years until he died in 1879. Charles's wife Mary, also known as Mrs. Brocket, was an interesting lady in her own right, and a benefactor to the town (but we will be going into that story another time); she died childless in 1906, and we had thought she was the last of the family to live in Rye. However, she was outlived by a Miss Meryon whom Dr. Vidler remembers as a formidable old lady, in 1907 the occupant of 10 High Street (the Charles Meryons had lived next door at no. 11) - but the Meryon family tree shows no suitable spinster, and it would be interesting to know Miss Meryon's Christian name if anyone should happen to be checking the 1911 census records?
In view of all this, it will be clear why local historians were particularly pleased to welcome back to Rye a group of pilgrims last weekend: some 35 people, many of whom bore the name of Meryon not as a surname but as a Christian name, having been descended from the original Louis through the female line. The town looked its beautiful best. • A special service in St. Mary's commemorated the 300th anniversary of the Revocation, and Dr. Vidler gave a most lucid and helpful assesement of the historical background and its implications, preaching on the text about "entertaining angels unawares"; the lesson was about exiles, and the hymns would mostly have been familiar to those early Lewis Meryons who worshipped in the church where their family memorials are now displayed. At lunch in the George Hotel the senior member of the family present, John Meryon, welcomed his relatives from as far afield as Canada, Australia and New Zealand; many had brought photographs, books and documents which were laid out for all to study. It was clear to their Rye guests (including Ed Gibson and Alma Fabes, who had taken the party round the town on Saturday - and the Mayor and Mayoress who had both, as it happens, been in Meryon House at school) that it was not only here that the Meryon family had done well for themselves. Dr. Edward Meryon had been accoucheur to the Empress Eugenie in 1836, Dr. Charles Meryon was personal physician to Lady Hester Stanhope on her exotic travels, and his son Charles was an extremely distinguished etcher.
Miss Fabes had put together for the occasion a booklet outlining the history of the family as Rye knew it; Commander Peter Meryon, the event's organiser, kindly let us have a copy of the very elaborate and extensive family tree; and both documents will go into the Library's local history collection for the benefit of future historians.
Standing in the ballroom built by his great-great-great-grandfather Lewis Meryon the fourth, Peter Meryon surveyed two younger generations assembled before him:. "It'll be your turn to do this in fifty years' time!" he declared.
7.
35 guests at the George Hotel were turned out of their beds very early on Sunday morning when the fire-alarm went off and the full fire-drill procedure was put into swift effect (they included members of the Meryon family staying at their ancestor's pub). Since the George's immaculate white paint is not even smudged, it will be no surprise that the call was in fact prompted yet again by the hotel's super-sensitive smoke detectors, and the "fire" was simply someone smoking quite legitimately in the upstairs lounge.
We asked Adam Terpening about these detectors, by now almost a joke in the town; once the alarm is triggered at Lewes the firemen have to turn out, so it is no good the hotel phoning down to Ferry Road and saying "don't bother". Need the sensors be quite so sensitive, we asked? Yes, said Adam; they are the latest and most reliable equipment recommended by the fire service, and without them the hotel wouldn't get its fire certificate - and of course a chain like THE makes a point of having everything absolutely right, particularly as far as the safety of the guests and staff is concerned. Incidentally, one guest was so impressed by the way that Joe Evans, who was on duty that night, handled the small-hours situ ation that she is writing to THF's head office to commend him.
Rye fireman have had disturbed nights lately; as well as the alarm at the George, they have been down to Broomhill to extinguish a Ford Capri car (suspiciously lacking its number-plates) found burning on the foreshore recently, and early on Friday morning they were called to King's Avenue to deal with the children's bonfire there, meanly and prematurely set alight by someone whose identity is, we do hope, known to the neighbours...
• Neighbourhood Watch is expanding down Harbour Road: on Friday week, 1 November, a meeting at the Village Hall at 7.30 will discuss the setting up of a scheme at Rye Harbour. Mary Lestocq will open the meeting, and then hand over to Inspector Judge for the details. It is hoped that this will tie in with the new Riverwatch scheme which got a slightly early launch in Lunchdate on Thursday and about which we shall have more details as soon as the ends are made fast.
•Thomas Peacocke School PTA are again this year putting on a fashion show. It will be in Upper School Hall on Friday, 29 November, at 7.30, and the last one (GAZETTE no. 109) was enormously enjoyed; we shall have details about ticket sales nearer the time. Meanwhile they are looking for models - aged between 8 and 80, of either sex and with an extrovert outlook; volunteers should turn up at Upper School on Monday, 4 November (the first day back after half-term) at 4, or ring .ia Thomas at Leasam House. Please don't anyone else fix anything for 29 November; it already has the National Trust AGM and a Museum Association lecture for - shall we say? - the over 40s, while all the young are likely to be down in The Grove anyway, either as entertainers or audience.
• Kenneth and Susan Simmons were thrilled to find their restaurant featured in last week's issue of "The Caterer". The fish menu - including locally-caught crab, plaice and monkfish - for the working dinner at Simmons for visiting MPs and local representatives back in the summer was given in full; Simmons usually specialises in French cooking, but an exception was made for this very English tourism-oriented group.
• Sad news for the owners of a black fluffy kitten about 12 weeks old, probably missing from New Road or King's Avenue; it was found dead beside the road near Hoppits Farm, East Guldeford. Mr. Crawford tells us that it had not apparently been run over; he will gladly supply any further information he can.
• We are relieved to be able to report that Baptist worshippers did use their church as usual on Sunday, despite the now total absence of the front entrance steps; there is another staircase from the hall below.
•The National Trust's sales table at the George Hotel will now be open from 9.30 to 12 on Thursday, 7 November - a week earlier than originally announced.
• Congratulations to the Rye committee of the East Sussex Association for the Blind, whose coffee morning on Saturday raised just under £500. Mrs. Hilda Nelson-Barratt would like to thank all her helpers from Rye, Winchelsea and Brede who contributed their time and hard work, and of course the customers who made this splendid result possible.
• All the town's youth organisations were represented in the Methodist Church's annual Youth Organisations Service on Sunday morning. The Rev. Cyril Hutchin son preached to a full church, and a donation from the collection went to the Hastings Opportunity Group's Bricks and Mortar Project.
• There are part-time jobs going at Thomas Peacocke School at the moment for extra dinner-ladies - who could also be parents? Approximately one hour in the middle of the day, Monday to Friday (preferably - but someone not free all five days could be considered); around £2 an hour. If you are interested, ring the school, Rye and ask for the Bursar.
• People who like their bonfire on Bonfire Night, or near it, might care to note that once again the Peasmarsh Bonfire Party, run by the parents of the village school, will be held on Saturday, 9 November, at 6.30 in the Glebe Field in School Lane. Admission costs 70p, and hot food, etc., will be on sale.
• Rye Museum is closed from Monday to Friday this week; it reopens on Saturday and Sunday (26th, 27th) for the last time, and then closes finally until 1986.
• WI members are asked to be on time for the coach for "Kiss Me Kate" at the White Rock on 25 October; it leaves Rope Walk at 6.0 pm sharp before calling at Badger Gate.
• Have you returned your electoral registration form? If not, please do so at once, or you risk losing your vote for any elections during the year beginning February 1986. Forms can be handed in at the Council Offices, or sent by post to the Town Hall at Bexhill.
• Mild gamblers are reminded once again of the Peacocke Club run by the PTA at Thomas Peacocke School - the regular monthly draw which provides, as well as -prizes, funds for school projects. Members pay £1 a month (or £12 at the beginning of the year); half the money comes back in prizes, and last year these were £25, £20, £15 and £10 each month, with bigger pickings at Christmas. They badly need more members to keep the prizes up to a worthwhile standard; anyone who would like to join should get in touch with Lower School office. Those with no connection at all with-the school are very welcome, as well as parents, grandparents and ex-pupils.
• A lot of rail engineering work will be going on around Ashford at the weekend, and also near London Bridge. There doesn't seem to be anything on our own line (except for the usual Sunday timetable alterations), but if you are travelling beyond Ashford on either Saturday or Sunday it will be worth checking train times (Hastings 429325).
• So sorry we gave the old and not the new date for the Local History Group meeting, as any unfortunate member who arrived last Thursday to find the Library dark will have realised; the meeting is on Thursday, 31 October, when the Library's local history collection will be displayed.
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper with the Post Office, and published by Mrs. Mary Owen, 2 Cyprus Place, 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; a few spare copies are available from Squirrels, 9-13 Cinque Ports Street, and back numbers from Cyprus Place. (Copyright Mary Owen 1985)