Living in Rye

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Sussex’s ancient hilltop town of Rye has a housing stock replete with period character, making it perfect for a weekend bolt-hole or a longer term prospect, says Joanna Willcox.

Perched on a hilltop with commanding views of the River Rother, the countryside and the sea, Rye was an island until storms changed the shoreline in the 13th century, giving it a large, safe harbour. The town prospered as a major port and centre of trading and shipbuilding after the Norman Conquest and crowning the hill is the fine parish church, which was built by the Benedictine abbey of Fécamp in Normandy.

In 1247 Rye became one of the Cinque Ports – five towns along the south coast whose ships and men were on hand to protect against invasion. Rye has retained much of its medieval character since it was rebuilt in 1377; a century later, Henry VIII built Camber Castle and Martello towers along the coast to strengthen the defences of the town.

Rye was notorious for its smugglers, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries – contraband was stored in cellars and in underground passages that still survive today, the Mermaid Inn being a meeting place of the infamous Hawkhurst Gang.

Rye’s ancient neighbour, Winchelsea, was another Cinque Port. It retains the medieval street grid plan laid down by order of Edward I in 1280 after its previous site was swept away by storms, and has a concentration of beautiful period houses.

ABOVE: Jeake’s House on Mermaid Street.

Desirable locations in Rye

History meets you along every cobbled street in Rye. Half-timbered houses jostle with seemingly plain fronted Georgian ones, whose facades conceal older structures. ‘Prices are highest in the citadel area around the church,’ says Martyn Stubbs, director of Rye’s leading agent for period properties, Phillips & Stubbs. ‘Larger period houses will sell for between £800,000-£1.25m and three to four bedroom houses here will cost anything from £350,000 to £650,000.’

Watchbell Street is an example, high up with views, however, if the many tourists visiting such streets are a deterrent, Rhona Stylianou of Standen Hodgson suggests The Mint, a picturesque street tucked away near the town walls. She also recommends the Georgian terraces in Military Road at c£250,000 within easy reach of the station. ‘We have a waiting list of buyers,’ she says.

ABOVE: Boats in Rye Harbour at low tide.

Winchelsea, three miles away, is a conservation area, and popular with retired professional people and young families attracted by its primary school. It has less pressure on space than Rye with off-road parking and gardens. Prices are similar to Rye, but little is for sale here.

Camber, famous for its sands, has come up, and is attracting foreign buyers, says Rhona Stylianou. It has fewer period properties and styles across the price spectrum; beachfront houses command high prices, and, says Martyn Stubbs, the eco-friendly development Royal William Square in the £250,000-£325,000 range is a find for buyers. Irresistible to beach lovers are the Coastguard Cottages brushing the dunes at Jury’s Gap.

ABOVE (left-right): Philip Ashton-Cobb of local Moons Green smallholding brings his geese to Rye’s Wednesday farmers’ market on Strand Quay; Georgian and half-timbered houses in Church Square.

Living in Rye

‘The holiday home market is strong in Rye and the surrounding villages such as Peasmarsh, accounting for about 20% of sales,’ says Martyn Stubbs. ‘However, given the proximity of Rye to London, these second-home owners have a long-term commitment to the area in a way perhaps that those who have a lock-up-and-leave cottage in, say, the West Country, do not.’

Their loyalty to a town that exudes such character and individuality is understandable. There are no chain stores here; instead there are shops such as Martello Bookshop, the Ironmongers Extraordinary kitchen shop, Pale and Interesting’s chic home interiors and Glass Etc’s wide vintage selection. Rye Pottery keeps alive a long tradition of handmade pottery. Rye Art Gallery celebrates the town’s artistic heritage and enthusiastically promotes contemporary art.

ABOVE (left-right): Camber Sands is one of the finest beaches on the south coast; Antiques shops abound in Rye.

Supermarkets are on the outskirts near the station or in Hastings and Tenterden, but a Wednesday morning farmers’ market offers fresh local food such as Romney Marsh lamb from Marsh Produce, organic bread from Judges Bakery, fish from Botterells or vegetables and eggs from Moons Green.

Plenty of lively events punctuate the year. This month is the Rye Bay Scallop Festival and the Rye Festival in September is arguably one of the best in the country for literature, art and music. In November the Rye Bonfire Boyes light up the sky with a torch-lit procession. In between, both in Rye and Winchelsea, are plays, church concerts, outdoor drama, fêtes, coffee mornings and open gardens.

Many people are attracted to the golf club at Camber and activities on the wide sandy beach there such as kite and wind surfing, riding and fishing. Botany and bird watching at Dungeness and Rye Harbour Nature Reserve appeal to all ages.

Transport links are good, with a network of buses to the villages. The station connects to Ashford and the fast services to London and the continent, to Hastings and Brighton, and to Gatwick via Eastbourne or Lewes.

ABOVE: A distant view of Rye from Romney Marsh.

Top attractions in Rye and the surrounding areas

Pick up a hand-drawn map from the tourist office and invest in A Pocketful of Rye (£4.99) – four guides written and illustrated by local writers and artists Dee Alsey and Martin Bradshaw – to capture quirky hidden gems.

Scale the cobbles of Mermaid Street for a drink at the half-timbered Mermaid Inn. Pop into Lamb House, former home to authors Henry James, E F Benson and Rumer Godden, and admire its large walled garden. The beautiful Norman church nearby has stained glass by Burne-Jones and there are spectacular views from the tower.

A leader among Rye’s selection of five-star, gold-award-winning places to stay is Jeake’s House in Mermaid Street (pictured above). Run for 26 years by Jenny Hadfield, it has an oak-beamed parlour, four-posters decked in toile de jouy, and fabled devilled kidneys for breakfast. The George in Rye is a stylish alternative.

ABOVE (left-right): The Church of St Thomas the Martyr in Winchelsea, built by Edward I, was of cathedral proportions before it was ravaged during the Hundred Years War; The Mary Stanford Lifeboat House in Rye, which commemorates the loss on 15 November 1928 of a crew who launched from here never to return.

In Winchelsea, a special attraction is the network of medieval cellars built when the village was a principal wine importer from Gascony. Call 01797 225333 or visit winchelsea.net for details.

Located behind Camber Sands, the medieval churches of Romney Marsh (romneychurches.net) enhance the romance of the remote, flat landscape between Hythe and Rye, vividly captured by the late local resident John Piper in his paintings.

Alternatively, head inland – past the pretty villages of Peasmarsh and Beckley for the garden at Great Dixter, which holds an open weekend on 25-26 February: a chance to see snowdrops, crocuses and hellebores.

Find out more about food and drink in Rye...
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WORDS JOANNA WILCOX PHOTOGRAPHS BOB MAZZER; CHRIS PARKER/VISIT1066COUNTRY.COM; JOANNA WILLCOX; © JOHN FEWSTER/PARTICULARVIEW.COM; BARRY YATES; DUNCAN.CALLOW@ALEXANDRAPATRICK.CO.UK
*All property prices and estimates correct at time of publishing
Featured in the February 2012 issue of Period Living