Hi, and welcome to our visit to the beautiful, historic, town of Rye in East Sussex
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Rye can be found in the southeast corner of the UK; in the county of East Sussex
If you're in the area then why not check out Hastings, Battle and Winchelsea
but today we're here to take a look at the historic ancient Cinque Port town of Rye
The fastest railroad from London is via London St Pancras and takes around about an hour an fifteen
and if you're driving there are pay and display car parks dotted around town but they can get busy
So without further ado, let's explore historic Rye
and that Landgate
and it's the last of the town's surviving gates
the others being Strandgate, Badding's gate and Postern gate
and this impressive structure dates from 1329
and as I mentioned Rye is part of the ancient Cinque Ports Confederation, receiving its royal charter in 1289
and it will be fair to say that over the following centuries it's had a checkered history
and as we climb East Cliff we take a look out over the landscape
and most of this would have been underwater in the 12th and 13th century with easy access to the English Channel
We'll be returning to the Landgate a little later
but for now, let's head up East Cliff and around the corner towards the high street
and the High Street is a unique blend of independent shops
and there's plenty of restaurants, cafes and places to make sure you kept fed and watered
and it has a look of somewhere that hasn't changed in years
but we've visited many times and shops come
I'm making no bones about it, Rye is a tourist town
and there are plenty of opportunities for you to spend your hard-earned pounds
and there speaks the voice of experience
but don't get me wrong, I love exploring Rye
and that's what we're gonna do now, we're gonna head up East Street
but don't worry we'll be back along the High Street a little later
there's plenty more for us to discover
and you do feel Rye has history around every corner
with little nooks and crannies to be explored
to our right is the Rye Castle Museum which is open from April until October every weekend
as we climb East Hill we pass modern restaurants and head up towards the former home of Paul Nash
the English surrealist artist we lived here from 1928 to 1933
and as we head through town we'll be meeting some other famous names as we go
Looking back down East Street you'll get to understand that Rye isn't that big a place
you can easily visit on a day trip, but we recommend you stay a little bit longer
and as we round the corner into Market Street we spot the tower of the town hall is being restored
but before we get to the town hall, let's take a quick look along Church Square
don't worry we'll back you a little later - I promise you
so let's head towards that town hall
built in 1742 by Andrews Jelfe
and the third one to be built on this spot
the first one being burnt down by the French
in raids during the hundred years war
and it's to the town hall you come for visitor information
I guess when the restoration work is done it'll look as fabulous as ever
and as we reach the end of Market Street we're going to turn up Lion Street towards the church of Saint Mary's
and now we've rejoined Church Square
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Walking around the churchyard we head to the town's war memorial
with the Ypres Tower in the background
and this is the view of Church Square we saw earlier
It's along here you'll discover the water tower that was built around 1735
and Church Square runs all the way around the church with the church being at the centre of it
but we're now going to head off towards the Ypres Tower
or to give it his original name, the Badding's Tower
and it's close to here we would have found one of the other towns original gates; the Badding gate
and in 1430 it became the property of John de Iprys
and picked up its latest name
although it's also known as Rye Castle
and in front of it the Gun Garden
With views over what would have been the coastline
It's now two miles further out the sea begins
It was in the 13th and 14th century
that some severe storms changed the landscape forever
a similar story to that of Winchelsea
Did you catch our video on that? I'll pop the link up at the very end
Just to the side of Ypres Castle is the Ypres Castle Inn
a great, historic pub offering a selection of fine ales
with its fabulous beer garden
I have to say if you're in Rye you're like a pub you're spoilt for choice
and now we return to Church Square
and we're on the southern side next to the Church of St Mary's, Rye
and I guess this is the most historic part of the town
with these buildings dating back to the 15th or 16th century
now let's take a stroll and have a look
and it's hard to believe these buildings have stood since the time of the Tudors
and it was Queen Elizabeth the first who gave the town the right to use Rye Royal after a visit in 1573
it's along here you'll find the Old Stone House
built in 1263, burnt out by the French in 1377, and modernized in 1889
and now we reach the corner of Church Square and Watchbell Street
and that will lead to the Hope Anchor pub
but nope, no yet!
we're going to be heading around Church Square
you feel there's a certain sense of pride in Rye, everything just looks rather neat and tidy
now we're heading down West Street towards the National Trust owned Lamb House
and behind that wall were the rather splendid gardens of Lamb House enjoyed by EF Benson and Henry James
and it was here EF Benson wrote the Map and Lucia novels
based in the fictional Tillings
which I think we all know is Rye, and it's why the TV adaptations were filmed here
West Street will lead us all the way back down to the High Street but we're not interested in that
because on our left is Mermaid Street
it's said to be one of the most Instagrammed streets in all of England
I'm not sure, what I do know is it's damn pretty
and it's also home to the Mermaid Inn
The Mermaid Inn has stood on this spot since about 1156 although this is the modern version
rebuilt in 1420
and I have to say the Mermaid is a firm favourite, and you'll see why in a second
and you can see why this place is so popular - it's as pretty as a peach
but I can hear the mermaid with a siren song calling me
so after some negotiations with Janis about who's gonna drive home
it's time to visit the Giant's Fireplace bar
it's here where smugglers in the 18th century like the Hawkhurst gang would have met
to discuss their nefarious deeds
and behind us is a priest hole from the times of the English Reformation
today the clientele are just a little bit more gentile
The Mermaid is a cornerstone of Rye, so I definitely recommend popping in for whichever refreshment takes your fancy
Having had a thoroughly wonderful time in the Giant's Fireplace bar
we head out and discover the Smuggler's Song by Rudyard Kipling
He only lived 20 or so miles from here at Batemans
did you catch our video on that? I'll pop a link in the corner
Anyway it's time to discover more of rye before the sun finally sets
It's back onto Mermaid Street; admiring the view and heading downhill
Here's where one or two too many of the Mermaid Inn may prove to be your undoing take care
when you get to the bottom of Mermaid Street don't forget to look back to enjoy it
and now we've reached the Strand
and this would have been close to the original Quayside
and where you would have found another one of the town's gates - Strand Gate
oh and of course another inn
and shipping dates from the early 19th century
and includes a warehouse which is what this whole area would have been made up of
you can definitely feel this is a transition point for the town
and up on the hill the Old Borough Arms. They do like a tipple in this neck of the woods don't they?
Anyway, The Strand has now become a hub for antiques, collectibles and bric-a-brac
and yes, we've bought something from one of these stores before they're great to have a look around at
but beware, you may end up with something you really didn't intend
it's also on The Strand that you'll find the Rye Heritage Center
Well worth popping in if you're interested
crossing the road you'll come across the River Brede
and this flows into the River Rother
and at the very end there is a great fish and chip shop, Kettle o' Fish
Pick up a bag, take a seat and fight off a seagull; a great British pastime
We head back on The Strand, pass the Ship Inn, and head towards The Mint
This road will now take us up towards the High Street
Past another Inn and a rather fabulous fish and chip shop
if you don't fancy a fight with a seagull then why not take a table at Marino's
and another of Rye's historic pubs; Ye Old Bell Inn
once again frequented by smugglers in the 18th century
and there's said to be a secret tunnel running between here and the Mermaid Inn
Oh, and I know I've pointed out every pub known to man Rye, but there are plenty of tea rooms, coffee shops, cafes, and restaurants in town
Rye, to the outsider, does seem like an unspoiled gem
and this is Market Road, and it's a three minute walk from here down to the railway station
The Rye Bookshop is actually a Waterstone's
but haven't they done a great job of making it blended in with the town
even the town's Boot's pharmacy looks muted
the old grammar school is now a record store
there are so many original and unique looking stores in Rye
now, the observant of you may have noticed we've returned to where we departed the high street earlier in the clip
but I think the town looks even better as the sun starts to set
What do you think? is Rye for you?
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and our journey out of town takes us back along the High Street
and down East Cliff, although now the sun is setting over town
it looks rather magnificent
one of the things I didn't get a chance to point out on the way up is
the building to the right is the old forge
and I could take the path now on my right-hand side
but there's something magical about the Landgate, so guess what, one more time through I go
and I learned something new.
I didn't know the Landgate also had a drawbridge in front of it too
and as I draw this video to a close, I do need to point out
there's more of the town to see, we just run out of time
but I'd just like to say thanks so much for watching, take care, stay safe and happy travels