Armed robbery is not something we are accustomed to meet in Rye - indeed, no-one at Rye Police Station can remember a previous occurrence (can anyone else?). But on Saturday night two men with a gun held up the young woman on duty at the Tollgate Garage and made off with between £30 and £40 out of the till.
Rye Police have issued descriptions of both men and ask members of the public to call in or ring Rye 2112 if they have any information at all - however frivolous it might seem – which could possibly be helpful. The attack took place at about 9.40 pm Saturday evening (5th). The man with the gun was aged between 25 and 30 of medium build and 5'7" or 5'8" tall. He had shiny well-groomed dark brown or black hair, and his olive skin gave him the appearance of a foreigner. He was wearing a red or orange sweatshirt. His mate was younger, about 6' tall, with mousy, wavy collar-length hair; he wore flared jeans, faded like his red sweatshirt, and dirty plimsolls. They did not appear to have a car and ran off in the direction of Rye town centre.
We repeat, Rye Police would be grateful for any information. Olive-skinned strangers are not all that common round here in the winter; and most of the young would not be seen dead in flared jeans. And sweatshirts, on a cold February night? If you were about in the town between, say, 9.30 and 10.30, please think very hard...
As from 7.30 next Wednesday morning (16 February) the GAZETTE's phone number becomes "triple two, three-oh-three", and everyone else in Rye will get 22 in front of their present phone number as well. From British Telecom's viewpoint, Winchelsea and Camber will suddenly become part of Rye, prefacing their existing phone numbers with 226 or 225 - for instance, Winchelsea Post Office will be Rye 226237. Dialling Rye from away will mean using the code 0797 (this is already used for six-figure Rye numbers - we didn't know there were any!) but this will of course cover Rye, Winchelsea and Camber, all served by the new Rye exchange.
This has all been explained quite clearly in a letter which subscribers received last week. But the batch of goodies (coloured stickers, post-cards, etc.) certainly didn't stress the much more confusing fact that all the dialling codes for our local exchanges have also been altered, and with no apparent rhyme or reason to their sequence. From 16 February the yellow dialling-code book will be replaced by a grey one which will need to be in constant use. For instance, we have for years dialled 7 for Beckley. Now 7 will get us Wittersham, which used to be 6. Why not leave Beckley alone? Iden, formerly 85, is now just 8, and Northiam (80) now 4; but Peasmarsh (88) is now 21 and Beckley becomes 26. Winchelsea and Camber of course disappear entirely. Lydd used to be 8297 and is now, equally obscurely, 0679; Ashford was 81 and is now 0233. Tenterden - whoopee! - remains unchanged at 05806.
The only apparent pattern shows in those prefixes which used to start off 9 (just 9 for Hastings, Bexhill and Brede, and followed by a number for Battle, Icklesham and Pett); these all now start 0424, followed by the subscriber's number for Hastings, Bexhill and Brede, and by an extra 6 for Battle, 84 for Icklesham and 86 for Pett.
Perhaps visitors to the new phone exchange by Gibbet's Mill (off Ferry Road) will discover the reason for these complications - presumably there is a reason. The new exchange will be open to the public on Saturday of next week (19 February) from 10 to 5, and on the Monday (21st) and Tuesday (22nd) from 11 to 5. British Telecom's press officer points out that a modern electronic exchange such as this is not so easy to show off as the older variety full of switches and clicks, since most of the really vital bits are tucked away in little boxes. But it will be possible to see, for instance, how the calls are metered; and they also promise to have on view "a selection of our latest telephones for the home". Rye doesn't often get an invitation to inspect something which cost nearly a million pounds, so we hope that those who don't have phones as well as those who do will find the time to go along and have a look.
The bottle banks have been a success. Neatly stacked boxes of party debris which surrounded them over Christmas (all along the South Coast, apparently!) bear witness to this, though ours on the Estate is less well-filled than those on the Strand and at Tower Street. Users of the Tower Street bin were therefore horrified to find on it last week a notice from the contractor giving warning of its imminent removal, and the GAZETTE got in touch with Rother about this.
Mr. Peter Bridges, the Battle arm of Rother's Technical Services and Environmental Health Department, says that the market is apparently slack just now for "cullet" (broken glass), and also the contractor's main sales outlet has the builders in, so a considerable stockpile has accumulated. The contractor therefore needs to be able to separate plain from coloured glass instead of having both in the same bin, and he therefore plans to take less-used bins to use on the most popular sites for this purpose. Rother only heard about this at much the same time as the notices went up, so there has not yet been much time for negotiation, but Mr. Bridges says that his department feels there is a strong case for retaining a bin at Tower Street (we suggested two, moving the one from the Estate), and he hopes that the site may yet be spared. We shall see.
Miss Alma Fabes, Outings Secretary of the Rye and Winchelsea Centre of the National Trust, tells us that the Centre has now been able to throw open to the general public its action-packed spring holiday in Wales. Travelling by coach (which stays with the party throughout) and picking up at Winchelsea, Rye and Northiam, the group leaves on Monday, 25 April, and returns on Saturday, 30 April. They are staying in a three-star 13th-century castle (you can't ask much fairer than that) - Ruthin Castle, in a beautiful part of the Clywd Valley, restored in the 19th century and now recommended by Egon Ronay. Outings will be made to Penryn Castle, Erdig House and garden, Bodnant, Llangollen, Chester and Plas Newydd on the Isle of Anglesey - a splendid selection of pleasures. The cost includes demi-pension, a mediaeval banquet and lunch at Stratford-on-Avon on the way home: £185, of which £40 is required as a deposit. Only double rooms are now available. Miss Fabes (16 Ashenden Avenue - Rye 2420) will be pleased to provide a detailed itinerary and any other information; bookings should reach her by 1 March.
Rye Post Office, now 25 years old, has the builders in. There is work to be done inside as well as out, and in order to give the builders room to move, the counter is to be shifted into what is normally the public part of the office for the next four or five weeks. The number of 'windows' will be the same, but there will, of course, be less room for queuing, and although the period before Easter is normally a slack one, the Postmaster Mr. Hammond suggests that people can save time by avoiding Thursdays, if possible, since this is always a busy day for the Rye office. He assures us that the reorganisation is purely temporary and not the beginning of some deep-laid plot to cut facilities, and that the quality of the service given by his staff will remain as high as ever.
Good luck to all the entrants in the Community Centre's Pancake Race on Shrove Tuesday (15th). There are, we understand, a few spaces left for those who thought they had left it too late - ring Mrs. Kathy Varley, Rye 3760. We publish below the names of establishments already entered, so that their patrons can have the chance of sponsoring them before Tuesday. Contenders are:
The Hope Anchor Papa Joe's Pizzeria Globe Inn
The Saltings Peppers Restaurant Ferry Boat Inn
The Mermaid Elizabethan Restaurant Dawes Son & Prentice
The George Ypres Castle Lloyds Bank
Casa Conti Union Inn Midland Bank
The Committee are delighted that they can again offer tea and pancakes at the Centre after the races, for contestants and spectators, thanks to Mrs. Judy Brown who has nobly volunteered to officiate at the frying-pan.
THE RYE GAZETTE, 9.2.83 - page 3
Generous patrons of last September's Michaelmas Fair at Thomas Peacocke School will be glad to know that their cash has now taken on a tangible form. A handsome Ford Transit minibus, appropriately coloured and suitably lettered, arrived in the Grove on Friday, a present to the school from the PTA. In fact, only half a present so far, since the PTA still has to raise 50% of the £7,000 purchase price; but with an excellent fund-raising record to encourage them, and the 50:50 Auction and 1983 Michaelmas Fair (1 October) to come, they are not unduly worried about this.
The minibus has two passenger seats (complete, naturally, with seat belts) beside the driver, while the accommodation in the back consists simply of two slatted benches facing each other, with space below for bags and of course easy access for such bulky things as stage props or scenery. It will hold 17 and pays a road tax of £80; it does 16/20 miles to the gallon, depending, apparently, on who is driving! The Head tells us he has been able to effect an insurance deal for the next three years which covers various mishaps that a standard insurance policy avoids, such as a breakdown leaving 17 people stranded the other end of England.
Present to hand over the keys to PTA Chairman Mrs, Sue Schwalbert was Mr. Reg Snook of Hollingsworth’s (still a family firm, he tells us) of Hastings. Hollingsworth’s are the local Ford agents, and Mr. Snook negotiated the PTA deal. He was also responsible for getting from Fords the £60 promotion package of posters, streamers, bags, etc., which gave such a professional touch to the Michaelmas Fair. This kind gift also included balloons, which for technical reasons could not be let off on the day. But early in October a large number took off from the playground; some only got as far as the big trees in the Grove, one was returned hopefully from Iden, but there must have been some sort of freak wind because two of the balloons were returned to Rye from Eastern Poland, over 600 miles away! The letters with them were, of course in Polish, but nothing defeats Thomas Peacocke and the school was able to turn to a former parent, a member of the ESCC staff, for help. Replies were composed in Polish and sent back, and it is very much hoped that some sort of permanent link may come from this.
The balloon race takings went to swell the minibus fund, and so did the £400 raised by the staff from their sponsored walk in November. Any other - legal - ideas will be gratefully considered by the PTA Committee.
Most of our Rye readers must know by now what happened early last Wednesday morning down at Camber. A tidal surge due to weather conditions in the North Sea meant that what should have just been a rather high tide suddenly grew and 16.5 ft. came over the shingle bank at the Broomhill end of the village, blocking the road and cutting off the electricity. Rye firemen were down there pumping out until well into the morning, and a considerable amount of damage was done - some of it to holiday homes whose owners could not be immediately traced; more than a dozen houses were affected. This Wednesday tide was the highest ever recorded for the area, but the SWA's sea defences held everywhere, and the only serious damage was at Camber.
The golf course presented a most attractive scene less attractive when the water finally receded leaving its debris to be cleared from the greens. On the other side of the river, there was an inch of water over the floor of the Rye Harbour Sailing Club, and dinghies normally parked beside the clubhouse well clear of the rivet were washed across to the Camber side, one ending up on the old tramway track. A fishing boat was blown on to the harbour wall and had to be pumped out when the wind capsized her back into the falling river.
In fact, it was fortunate that the tidal surge did not come two days earlier, on the Monday when the predicted tide was even higher. The police and members of the public spent the middle of that day pushing back into the Tillingham channel boats which might otherwise have been stranded on the quayside when the tide went down. We understand that tidal surges are not that uncommon, but they only occasionally coincide with particularly high tides and otherwise pass unnoticed by the layman. The last spectacular (and tragic) occasion was thirty years ago, as a recent television programme reminded us; next time could be another thirty years - or within a few months.
THE RYE GAZETTE, 9.2.85 - page 4
The Battle of Beachy Head? A mods-and-rockers affair, perhaps, or even something from "1066 and All That”? Not at all; it was a serious, if minor, naval battle, which took place in the Channel in 1690, and which we lost. Two years before, the Dutch Prince William of Orange had been invited to sit on the throne of England with his English Princess Mary, so naturally enough the Dutch and English were allies; but the ex-King James II was supported by our ancient foes the French. James and the French were giving trouble in Ireland, and much of the allied fleet was round there trying to drive them off, so when 68 French warships appeared in the Channel to confront 56 English and Dutch vessels it was not surprising that the allies had to retreat (though they had their revenge later).
In the course of the action, several Dutch ships were lost, but the only English casualty was the "Anne", which now lies off Pett Level. She was a 70-gun ship-of- the-line launched in 1678 at Chatham (and designed, oddly enough, by a Mr. Phineas Pett) - 150 ft, long, 40 ft. broad, with a tonnage of a little over 1000. The "Anne" was not actually sunk, but so disabled that she had to be abandoned and set on fire to prevent her falling into enemy hands. She was beached in Rye Bay, and of her crew of perhaps 450 (more than 100 had been killed or wounded), the survivors were paid off in Rye; many of her contents were salvaged and presumably transferred to other ships in the fleet. It must have been quite a sight, that July Saturday afternoon almost 500 years ago, when the great beached ship lay deserted and burning on the empty shore off Pett Level.
The Pett foreshore has plenty of other interesting aspects, and for nearly three centuries the remains of the "Anne" were simply part of the view at low tide, their position and history passed on largely by word of mouth. Shifting sandbanks covered and uncovered them, and the timbers sank deeper into the mud and clay which unsuitably shod walkers along that bit of shore encounter to their peril. In 1973 young Michael Le Fevre, working on a primary school project, persuaded his parents to help him take several snapshots of what was visible at the time; and this was fortunate, since in March 1974, taking advantage of two very low tides, treasure-hunters using a bulldozer and a mechanical excavator plundered the wreck. As well as damaging the hull, they removed various objects, not all of which were handed in, to the Receiver of Wreck as the law demands.
This vandalism caused consternation in Pett. Urgent enquiries through a network of contacts eventually produced an expert - Mr. Peter Marsden, a senior archaeologist from the London Museum with a particular interest in historic wrecks. With his help a Designation Order (only the seventh under a system set up the previous year) came into effect just in time to prevent further plundering during the next low tides, and a rather makeshift survey was made of the wreck under very difficult conditions.
Since then, Mr. Marsden and other enthusiasts have set up the Nautical Museums Trust to preserve important shipwrecks and to start Britain's first national shipwreck museum, and Mr. Marsden lectured on this project to Rye Art Gallery members at the Town Hall earlier this year (GAZETTE no.18). Hastings Council has offered the museum a site at the eastern end of the Old Town, and the Trust is talking about a maritime heritage park extending along the coast and including the grave of the "Anne" and other historic wrecks including the "Amsterdam".
Recently, Rye Town Councillor Eric Le Fevre was one of a party from the Trust which went to the Admiralty to receive from the Ministry of Defence, owners of the "Anne", a deed presenting her to the Trust. Anyone interfering unofficially with her now does so at their peril, since the Le Fevres' house, overlooks the site….. The Trust is chiefly concerned at present with setting up the museum in Hastings; and excavation of the "Anne" is not very likely just yet. But it is almost bound to happen eventually; in the words of the deed, one of the Trust's objects is "to record, excavate, raise, bring ashore, preserve, publish report on and display for all time parts of the said vessel and all that was in, about or connected with her for the education and benefit of the Nation" and after that very comprehensive chunk of the English language, the Trustees can hardly do anything else!
5
Rother Council meeting on Monday discussed the question of having an ice-cream van on the Salts (GAZETTE nos. 21 and 18). Councillor Mrs. Yates put the case for allowing the van, and although the opposition view was also put, the proposal to let it come for one trial season was carried by a considerable majority. Four conditions were imposed: no goods other than ice-cream and wrapped confectionery shall be sold; a litter bin shall be provided while the van is on site; there shall be no advertising signs; and the permission runs only from Easter until mid-September 1983, when it will cease and cannot be renewed except by a fresh application to the Planning Authority. The original application was put in by Rother's Recreation and Leisure Committee, and the Parks and Gardens Manager Mr. Colin Hudson is very much in favour of trying out the idea. Mrs. Yates herself appreciates the views of those who object on conservation grounds, but she tells us that a document of 150 years ago refers to the Salts as being "for the commons of Rye" and she feels that an ice-cream van is nowadays perfectly compatible with this.
Some surprise has been caused by the size of the area named in the planning application - 60' x 20'. Rother's Planning Officer assures us that this is to allow for customers standing about, litter bins, etc., and not to provide space for ancillary hot-dog stands sneaking in later, as has been rumoured. The area will not be fenced.
Mrs. Yates tells us, incidentally, that she is herself a Ryer of some standing; she is the seventh generation of a family (the Clarks) which first came to Rye in 1745. We would be very interested to hear from anyone who can equal, or even beat, this?
Gordon Stanbridge, one of the Rye "specials" involved (out of uniform) in fixing up door chains for elderly people in the area, tells us that he has been quite horrified at the casual way people have invited him into their homes without asking for any form of identification. Only three of the 40 householders visited so far were sensible enough to check up on him first (and two of them, we are pleased to hear, were from that extremely sensible neighbourhood Udimore Road!). Maybe a good many of his "customers" did in fact know Mr. Stanbridge by sight but, he says, by no means all of them. Please, please don't let strangers into your home without asking for identification; if you are still doubtful, leave them on the doorstep and phone their base for reassurance. After all, if they are respectable, they won't mind in the least; and if they aren't, you could spare yourself a burglary - or worse.
Mr. Tarrant of West Undercliff, of the "Flying Fryer" van, already well known in Rye as the proprietor of the van, is applying to use the old gas company showroom on Strand Quay (more recently a motor dealer's) for the sale of fish and chips and takeaway food – with, as his application points out, its own car parking.
We now have two more pick-up points for the GAZETTE: Mrs. Briggs at Squirrels on Bannister's Corner, and Mr. Denny at Penny Royal in the High Street; new subscribers not living along our route will probably be asked to collect from one or the other, and if any present subscribers would find it more convenient to make a change, please let the Editor know.
Our delivery route is now stabilised as follows: Udimore Road, Ferry Road, Cinque Ports Street, Rope Walk, Eagle Road, Landgate, High Street, East Street, Market Street, Church Square, Lion Street, High Street again, The Mint and Strand Quay, with a digression along Market Road. Pick-up points apart from the two above are Cadborough Stores, Hazel's in Ferry Road, the Landgate Freezer Centre, the Tuck Shop in Market Street, and the George Hotel (bar hours only). In emergency we would now leave all copies normally delivered to Udimore and Ferry Roads from Badger Gate towards the town at Squirrels rather than with Hazel who is not always open, though Hazel's regular delivery would still go to her; other emergency arrangements remain as reported in issue no. 20.
Subscribers might like to know that when we started, less than six months ago, we had 57 orders and daringly printed 75 copies. This week we shall print 250 and distribute about 225 to regular subscribers; up to 10 go out as one-off complimentary copies and we end up with about 15 spares. Back numbers (20p) are available from no.11 (27 November) onwards.
6.
Friday, 11th Speech and Dance Competitions, Lower School, 1.30
Natural History Society: "The Ecology of a Woodland", FEC, 7.30
Papa Joe's film: "Death Wish"', Pizzeria, 9
Saturday, 12th Jumble Sale St. John Ambulance HQ, 2.30 (E. Guldeford & Camber FC).
Monday,14th Half-term week
Tuesday, 15th Community Centre Pancake Race, High Street, 3.0 (tea and pancakes afterwards at Community Centre)
Wednesday, 16th Handing-in, Red Cross Thrift Shop, 10.30 to 12.30
• The family of the late Mr. Maxwell Milham, of Marley Road, who died on 10 January, would like to thank friends and relatives for their generous donations in lieu of flowers. These have gone to buy a chair in his memory for the Day Room at Rye Memorial Hospital.
• The Editor wonders if there is an expanding family too tightly packed near the middle of Rye who would be interested in a house swap later this year? She will be looking for a 3-bedroomed house with a small garden somewhere in the Strand Quay/Wish Street/Rope Walk/Landgate area. On offer, nearly opposite Cadborough Stores, is a spacious and well-maintained 4-bedroomed semi with family-sized kitchen, two sitting-rooms and a large sunporch, facing south to the sea, with a big but easily managed cliff garden, garage and stable. The waterworks lane at the foot of the garden gives access to almost unlimited field and dyke play-space for middle-sized children. Ring Rye 2303 to discuss the idea.
• Victor and Josephine Wear tell us that the garden at Point Hill is in need of enthusiastic help two days a week - mowing, serious digging, paths and so on. They would be glad to hear (Rye 2020) from anyone interested in the job.
Our recent session with the Jobcentre makes us wonder whether perhaps other people wanting a part-time gardener might be able to join in and offer a full-time job between them, with one person looking after several local gardens? We would be glad to act as go-between here, for anyone interested either as employer or as employee.
• The jumble sale at Lower School on Friday evening made around £170. This, in combination with tuck shop profits, means that the hi-fi equipment for the hall is now in effect paid for. Self-help has also provided Lower School with most of its lockable lockers, each shared by two children; and, earlier, with a new set of stage curtains.
• A coffee morning in Brede on Saturday raised £273 for Rye and District RNLI funds.
• A recent report in the GAZETTE about the Rye Museum Association's need for an unpaid Secretary produced no offers of help. The Committee has now decided that it will have to follow the example of other similar organisations in the town and offer a small salary. The work will involve dealing with evening committee meetings (brief minutes only), organising the social side of the Association, and also a regular weekly session helping the Curator with the Museum correspondence. The successful candidate will need to be able to write some kind of shorthand (though not very fast) and also have a typewriter capable of cutting stencils; quarterly newsletters go out to the members, and those to Rye subscribers are at present delivered rather than posted, with help from committee members. An interest in, and knowledge of, antiques would obviously be helpful, though not essential. Anyone who would like more details of this paid job should get in touch with Mr. or Mrs. Bagley at 4 Church Square.
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. It is published by Mrs. Mary Owen at 94 Udimore Road, Rye (Rye 2303), who is always glad to receive news items for inclusion. It costs 20p a week and is normally delivered to subscribers and pick-up points on Wednesday; deadline is Monday afternoon - first thing Tuesday morning for emergencies.
Photocopied by Sussex Secretarial Services, 11 Claremont, Hastings (942 2633).