Newsletter
November 2012
Planning matters
Lion Street F.E. Centre
The position of the Society concerning the F.E. Centre
has not changed since the statement contained in our
Newsletter of August 2012.
We cannot make comment on the architectural merits
of the scheme or respond, beyond a formal
acknowledgement, to a letter from the Victorian
Society until a Planning Application has been made.
Society’s 40th anniversary celebrations
This year being the 40th anniversary of the founding of
Rye Conservation Society, we commemorated the
occasion by sponsoring a speaker during the Rye Arts
Festival.
Dr David Heathcote, a freelance historian and former
academic, gave a fascinating illustrated talk on the
history of The Shell County Guides to a packed
audience at the Methodist Church on 18th September.
He described how John Betjeman and John Piper
were involved in the first guides and then many
different contributors became authors in more recent
times, with varying degrees of success in some cases.
The audience was interested and amused to hear of
the colourful backgrounds and histories of some of
those involved. Dr Heathcote has lectured on this
subject on many occasions and this was the last time
he was going to speak about it, so he was still in full
flow after an hour and a half and there was sadly no
time for questions.
That evening, Dr Heathcote joined a group of some 30
or so Society members and our President, Sir Donald
Sinden, for a celebratory dinner at The Mermaid Inn.
Geraldine Bromley (above), one of the three original
founders of the Society, gave a fascinating address on
what the Society has achieved over the past 40 years
and a glimpse of those who set it up. A photograph of
The Rev Dr Alec Vidler, founder chairman of the
Society, was in place on the mantelpiece of The
No 46
Mermaid restaurant to oversee the occasion, which
was greatly enjoyed by those present.
Old Rye Sign returns
This story starts when Mike Eve alerted the Society to
the fact that an old Rye sign was for sale on Ebay. He
wondered whether we might be interested.
Reasonably, some committee members were a little
dubious about the authenticity of the sign and whether
we should become involved.
The Town Clerk contacted the seller and discovered
that he had worked for ESCC Highways department in
the 1970s, when the old remaining signs were
removed to be replaced by modern versions. ‘Grumpy
Bob’, the seller’s pseudonym on Ebay, had been told
to get rid of all the signs for scrap, but had decided to
hold on to them, just in case. The committee agreed
that the Conservation Society should try to acquire the
sign so Julian Luckett, chairman of the Planning
Committee, bid successfully for it.
The seller was based in Taunton so, during a visit to
Dorset in September, Julian and Judith made a
diversion to collect the sign. It turned out that it had
travelled quite widely since leaving Rye, having spent
some years in France when Grumpy Bob managed a
caravan park there, then in Ireland, and now in
Somerset. There were several other local East Sussex
signs in storage in his shed in Taunton, from Udimore,
Iden and elsewhere. The sign is made in three parts in
cast iron and was originally placed at the top of Rye
Hill. The plan is to have it framed again in oak, as was
the case originally, and probably to present it to be
displayed in the Fletcher Centre, when it is completed.
Planning Liaison
Cobbles
Recently a large hole appeared outside the entrance to
the churchyard opposite the Methodist Church. This
was reported, with the plea that a proper reinstatement
should be made, instead of filling with ‘temporary’
tarmac. We now find that, indeed, tarmac has not been
used, but cobbles have been inserted instead of the
flat stones that are appropriate for reinstatement of
what was the footpath. Negotiations continue!
The Brick Cistern, Wish Ward
We have expressed our concern to Rother about the
condition of the Cistern, which is a much photographed
listed feature of Rye's history. In the past, Rother has
readily accepted responsibility for the clearance of
weeds, which have gradually undermined the
brickwork and pointing. However, the sympathetic
renovation now needed is another matter, and Rother
is now expressing reservations about their liability calling it a "grey area". Our opinion is that when Rother
took over Rye properties in the local government
reorganisation, they de facto accepted responsibility
for the cistern. We shall continue to press for the work
to be done as a matter of urgency, but we are
encountering the inevitable pleas of "lack of
resources".
Secret Gutters
The temporary repair by ESCC of the gutter outside
Holland & Barrett in the High Street - a plonk of tarmac
halfway across the pavement - is still the subject of
negotiation with the landlords, who are responsible for
the replacement of the gutter and metal cover. We
have provided the landlords with a brief specification of
the work needed, and the council has provided a list of
approved contractors, so we are hopeful this work can
commence before more damage is inflicted on this
listed building by inadequate rainwater drainage.
Land South of Rock Channel
Four caravans have appeared on this site since we
last wrote on this subject in August. This has been
reported to Rother by a member, and we in turn have
put pressure on its enforcement team to increase their
monitoring of the site, with a view to confirming the
suspected illegal residential use. We shall continue to
exert such pressure.
Membership
We would like to extend a warm welcome to the
Society to Charlotte Lyons. A gentle reminder to
annual members – subs for 2013 are due soon! If you
are attending the Christmas Celebration (see below),
your sub will be gratefully accepted when you come in.
Otherwise, please send your sub (which remains at £6
for individuals, £10 for couples and £15 for corporate)
to: Andy Stuart, Membership Secretary, Little Orchard
House, 3 West St, Rye TN31 7ES
2012 Christmas Celebration
Guided Tour of Farnham, Tuesday 11 September
Good weather, comfortable journey; two excellent
ingredients for a good day at Farnham.
However, as we were getting off the coach I was
approached by an elderly lady. The brief conversation
went as follows: Lady “Where have you all come
from?” ”Me: “Rye”
Lady: “Rye?! So why have you bothered coming
here?” So, maybe not such an auspicious start after
all! However, she couldn’t have been more wrong!
We were hosted by the Farnham Society and were
given an introductory talk in the Town Council
Chamber, a recently listed building. Then we were
divided into two groups, one with a town guide and the
other with the Farnham town crier in full regalia.
We saw the beautiful Victoria Garden on the site of the
swimming baths designed by the architect, Harold
Falkner, in 1887 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of
Queen Victoria, the red brick archway still intact.
We had a delicious lunch in the Maltings, a wonderful
building saved by the people of Farnham to be used as
a venue for meetings, cinema, bar and café and craft
studios, similar to the proposals of the Fletcher project
in Rye. This large building was saved from demolition
by the people of Farnham in 1960 and as Farnham’s
heritage is based on hops and beer production, this
was a very appropriate acquisition.
The last visit was to the Farnham pottery, established
in 1872 by the craftsman, Absolom Harris, and
acquired by the Farnham Historic Buildings Trust after
the pottery’s closure in the 1990s. This was a work in
progress but exemplified the possibilities if local people
are proactive in developing projects for the whole
community, such as pottery, woodwork and craft
sessions.
Farnham is a delightful and charming Georgian town,
with also some extraordinary buildings dating back to
the 15th century. We had an excellent day trip to a town
many of us had not explored before and certainly well
worth a visit. Many thanks to John and Helen Griffiths
for providing such a stimulating and fascinating outing.
Irene Jones
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We would like to extend a warm invitation to all
members and guests to this year’s Christmas
Celebration at the start of the Festive Season. We
would love you to come along to Rye Town Hall on
Friday 7th December between 6.00 and 8.00pm for
cheese and wine and a chat.
We are delighted that Rye’s Mayor Shaun Rogers will
be present, hopefully wearing his full regalia, and our
MP Amber Rudd will be joining us too during the
evening. All being well our President, the inimitable Sir
Donald Sinden, will be with us to add to the Festive
cheer.
Entry will be just £5 payable on the door. We hope to
see you there!
Annual Christmas Celebration
Rye Town Hall
Friday 7 December
6.00 pm – 8.00 pm
£5 at the door
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Published by Rye Conservation Society
Honorary Secretary: Judith O’Connor,
The Mill House, Beacon Lane, Rye, TN31 6PJ
email: ryeconservationsociety@sky.com
www.ryeconservationsociety.org
Registered Charity No 283888
Editor Andy Stuart
Publicity and Membership Secretary
Little Orchard House, 3 West Street, Rye TN31 7ES
email: nikiandandy@hotmail.co.uk