On Sunday (10th) Mrs. Helen Cooper will be celebrating her hundredth birthday, and we would like to wish her a very happy day. Until a couple of years ago, Mrs. Cooper lived in North Salts, and was for a time one of the Day Centre members; now she is at Roselands, Brede, where the staff are very much looking forward to arranging a party for their first centenarian. The guests are expected to include twenty relatives - Mrs. Cooper has a son and daughter, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The sound of church bells rang out above the noise of carnival and fair on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the marriage of Mrs. Janet Howard of Church Square and Mr. David Waddams of Eltham. For the service in St. Mary's - where the choir led into the church a strong contingent of local clergy - the bride wore a blue print dress and a picture hat trimmed with antique lace. She was attended by one small bridesmaid, Rebecca Lowson (4½) from Eltham, in white with 1 big blue sash and a crown of flowers - whose behaviour throughout a service lasting an hour was the admiration of all beholders. The reception was held at the Hope Anchor Hotel. Mr. and Mrs. Waddams will be living in Rye.
On Monday, Inspector Bev Legg takes over at Rye Police Station from Inspector Sid Northern, who is leaving us for a desk job at Hastings. Still Sergeant Legg until then, our new Inspector, his wife and two daughters, live in St. Leonards. He has been attached to Bexhill police. This week Inspector Northern has been introducing him to Rye, and we do hope he will like it here; his knowledge of the town so far has been mainly as a member of the Traffic Division - but then, a lot of our problems are traffic problems!
Inspector Northern is to be based at Hastings, in charge of the new Process Department - a Monday-to-Friday job, he says, with no weekend work. (This may well mean he sometimes has to cook for himself, since Mrs. Northern has enjoyed her job with the Rye Model this season and hopes to continue there in 1987; their Icklesham home will therefore be convenient for both jobs.) Inspector Northern's arises out of various changes in magistrates' court procedure which hake effect on 1 October, on which we shall hope to report nearer the time.
Rye & District Angling Society are hoping for fine weather at the weekend - "for the sake of the wives and girlfriends" said Tony Curd of Peasmarsh, whom we had phoned to ask about the big Angling Festival taking place here on Saturday and Sunday. This is not a new event - the Society has been holding it for some years now, but the amount of sponsorship has varied; this time John Bull Bitter and The Star newspaper are backing it with £10,000, or so we heard!
The Festival is using Thomas Peacocke School as its base, with peg numbers drawn there each morning by 10, followed by a five-hour fishing match each day along the whole length of the Rother up to Wittersham (one side only, to give the fish a chance!). After each day's weigh-in, the fish are put back, and the contes- tants adjourn to the school for the results and the raffle draw, with (on Saturday) a Grand Buffet Disco with a band and cabaret until midnight, and (on Sunday) the Grand Presentation before the Festival closes at 8.
Three hundred contestants are expected, with members of the French and Belgian national teams coming over as individuals to compete against members of the British team. Knowing the position about August accommodation in Rye, Mr. Curd started booking beds in January; the Tourist Office staff told us a little sadly that the fishermen will be all right, it is the ordinary visitors who may find nowhere to lay their heads this weekend.
2.
It was as a member of the Girls Venture Corps, not the Venture Guides, that Annalisa Dowdeswell was in London for the Royal Wedding - and Carol Quinton, pointing this out, has told us something about the Corps. It was formed in 1964 when the Women's Junior Air Corps (1939) and the Girls Training Corps (1942) merged, and the units use the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme as the basis of their training. Aviation training is also offered, and through scholarships both cadets and officers have the opportunity to gain a pilot's licence. The age range for girls is 13 to 20. Carol herself, and Mary Marriott from Hastings, are the Section Officers under the Commandant of the Bexhill Unit, Sara Marshall. Sara has the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, and recently qualified for pilot training through the GVS flying scholarships. The Bexhill Unit is always glad of new members (and Carol has a couple of spare seats in her car); ring her.
• In the GAZETTE's early days, we ran a story about Eric Le Fevre's successful efforts to rescue from treasure-hunters a historic C17 wreck off Pett Level, the "Anne". He had been helped by Peter Marsden of the Museum of London to get one of the new Designation Orders slapped on her just in time.
At much the same time, Mr. Marsden spoke to the Friends of Rye Art Gallery about the work of his newly-established Nautical Museums Trust, and about plans to set up a shipwreck museum at Hastings (the original site had been at Bodiam). It all sounded a bit optimistic; but now, three-and-a-half years later (on Tuesday of last week, to be exact), Lord Montague of Beaulieu as chairman of English Heritage came to Hastings to open the new Shipwreck Heritage Centre for the Trust. Coast-to-Coast viewers will have seen on Wednesday a tiny sample of what is on offer.
Eric Le Fevre has been deeply involved in this project from the start, and from the Rye office of Le Fevre Wood & Royle has been the architect for the Centre, which is converted from an old stable block and courtyard at Rock-a-Nore in Hastings Old Town. Malcolm Tree of Mill Road designed the steelwork for the roof structure; Hastings College students worked on the exhibition displays.
Since the Centre is not really in our area, we are not going into detail about its sound-and-light and static displays. But it is bound to become a major tourist attraction, and will also be of much interest to local people - particularly those with visitors or children to entertain during the holidays. The Centre is open seven days a week from 10 to 6.30 until the end of September, 10 to 5 in October, and then reopening in March. A visit takes about an hour, and there is good access for the disabled, facilities for the deaf, and car and coach parking nearby. The phone number is Hastings 437452.
• At the Hastings Museum (Cambridge Road) from this week until 7 September is an exhibition called "The Domesday Tradition", which spans more than 800 years of maps and surveys in East Sussex - mainly lent by the County Records Office at Lewes. It opens with three local mediaeval surveys (1305 and two from 1433) - but "with the advent of maps, rare before the 16th century, the surveyor was immediately liberated into an exuberant new art form ... patrons wanted something attractive to hang on their walls to show off their pride of ownership" (we quote from the press release). The Museum tells us that the exhibits include maps of Rye Harbour, Udimore, Beckley and Northiam, though there is nothing relating to the town directly. The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday 10 to 5 (closed 1-2), and Sunday from 3 to 5.
• A leaflet (we picked up one in the Library) describes what sounds like a very jolly celebration in Battle of the 900th anniversary of the Domesday survey. There are ongoing goings-on every day from 16 to 25 August, with 3pm highlights on the 16th and the 20th onwards. If anyone is thinking of running a coach trip to this event, we will be glad to give details in next week's GAZETTE, as doubtless car parking will present dreadful problems. Attractions include a Saxon village, falconry, a tournament, a Norman horserace, trial by combat and assorted anglo-saxon attitudes...
- 3 - THE RYE GAZETTE, 6 August 1986
There it was, this enormous artic, sitting in Tower Street on Wednesday morning with all its winkers going and a pensive traffic warden beside it. On the back were six very large steel beams - wide-angled, and destined to support the roof of the main hall at the Sports Centre. (The beams for the smaller roof area had arrived earlier in the day and were already being swung into place by a mighty crane.)
Thomas Peacocke School has always had access problems, and this was one of them. Whether the driver had seriously hoped to go via Dead Man's Lane, we didn't like to ask; but anyway, the police soon had it backed down into Rope Walk where it occupied most of the space between Anne Lingard's two shops. They left it there while everyone went away and had a think, followed by some rather urgent telephoning.
The difficulty was that the whole outfit was 70' long (so the driver told us) and the entrance to the site is a sharp left turn from The Grove - and The Grove is not really very wide... Some five hours after he arrived in Rye, the lorry-driver departed, still with six very large beams on the back.
Was this going to delay progress on the Sports Centre, we asked the contractors on Friday? Mr. Oliver, of William Ellis of Etchingham, said there was no problem; the builders got on with something else while the beams were cut in half, to be rejoined on site. They were in fact already back there by the time we spoke. Mr. Oliver added that it is the responsibility of a sub-contractor to check out in advance for themselves that a driver can deliver the goods; and Messrs. William Ellis are very grateful to Rye police for going out of their way to help in a potentially sticky situation.
Freddie Kurrein has explained to us in simple terms how the Strand warehouses got to be the wrong way round in the William Narbeth etching at the Rye Art Gallery. To produce an etching, the etcher copies a picture (drawn by himself or someone else) onto a metal plate. This plate is then used to print a number of copies. Anyone who has dabbled with a printing set will know that the rubber letters (the equivalent of the etched plate) are the wrong way round, so that they will come out right when pressed on to the paper. The plate should also be the wrong way round - but it is much easier for the etcher to copy directly on to it what he sees in the original picture than to do it the proper way and copy the picture viewed in a mirror. William Narbeth cheated, and etched direct; the etched plate was therefore an accurate reproduction of the original, and all the etchings taken from it would have come out reversed. Mr. Kurrein tells us that this is called a "vue optique" - and the same slapdash procedure produced the well-known print of Rye taken from a picture by Turner which shows Camber Castle to the east of the town (seen from the sea) when it should properly be to the west.
Timothy Smith of Peasmarsh has been interested in windmills for some time, and was kind enough to inspect the Rye Mill picture in the Gallery and compare it with a photograph of the mill which burnt down. George Graham's mill is undoubtedly the predecessor of the present one; it was 8' taller, which is why it looks nearer the sluice than it should be. The buildings immediately round it are also right, and any discrepancy about the ones further away could just be artistic licence. Apologies to Mr. Graham! Tim adds that on occasions for public rejoicing such as royal Jubilees it was the custom, in Kent anyway, for a mill to be decked with flags, and even to have the fins which turned it to catch the wind painted red-white-and-blue. He has a photograph of the Rye mill in which there is a dark stripe round the fins, probably a relic of this. Does anyone remember seeing the Rye mill - or the Peasmarsh one, in which Tim is particularly interested - beflagged or otherwise decorated? It must have been a very fine sight.
Finally, John Smith says that the railway viaduct at Folkestone is still there - but subsequent buildings have meant that it is less prominent nowadays.
4.
Some very small "Fairies of Tilling" had to hold on tightly to their float on Saturday - or they might have been blown into the Tillingham as the Carnival procession crossed the bridge in a strong wind on Saturday afternoon! The Rye Playgroup float won all hearts (as well as first prize) and we hear that the under-5s did the painting and made the paper flowers themselves, though there must have been a lot of hard work from parents and helpers too.
2274 Squadron ATC's float, which came second in the non-commercial class, was a complete contrast, and apparently presupposed a plane crash in enemy jungle territory. The Iden Playgroup's collection of small but precious jewels came third. Highly commended was the Winchelsea Beach WI's charming Sleeping Beauty tableau. Other floats were entered by the Young Farmers Club, the Rye Scouts and Cubs "Kranky Camp", the Brickyard Sheep-Shearing Gang, and the Women's British Legion "Women of the World". (Apologies if we have left anyone out.)
In the Commercial class, there was only one entry, but it thoroughly deserved its automatic first prize: Computer Devices brought their "Paradise Island", complete with native canoe "rowing" along behind it, over from Hastings, and the firm's reputation for ingenious and elaborate floats is certainly enhanced by this year's model.
Technically, first prize in the fancy dress went to Mrs. Maud Boreham and her grand-daughter Katy, representing the Mermaid Inn, but it was really for the whole Boreham family group who between them also appeared as the Ferryboat, the Queen Adelaide, the Pipemakers, the George, the Ypres, the Union and the Globe! Second prize, too, went to a family group - this time basically the Wood family with an ingenious "Phone Gnome" toadstool set-up. Third prize winner was Joanne Stapley as "Mistress of the Bath".
As well as Miss Rye (Caroline Symonds) and an attendant (Sarah Bragg) enthroned on the back of one of Bob Deacon's classic cars, the procession included the Hastings Corps of Drums and the Wadhurst Drum and Fife Band, the Lydd Ladybirds, the Coastal Twirlers, the 1066 Baton Twirlers and the Silver Shadows, some assorted fancy dressers, representatives of St. John Ambulance Brigade (just in case), and finally Rye Firemen with their replica of the old Town Fire Engine as well as a smart new one bringing up the rear. Collectors with buckets and boxes and even an outsize butterfly-net (for watchers upstairs) were out in force and Round Table expect to be able to announce a record total when everything is settled up.
Down on the Salts, the Hastings Corps of Drums gave a brief arena performance, followed by a clown act, then the very spectacular "Japanese wrestlers", and finally a wire-walker, while sideshows, stalls and refreshment booths round the edge also drew the crowds. Among these, Round Tablers nobly sacrificed them- selves to assault by wet sponge, penned one by one in a stout wooden pillory; they are grateful to non-Tablers Ray Fooks and Brian Tuck, who also volunteered for this - though we wonder how many Lloyds customers actually had the temerity to souse their bank manager...!
Skinners were generous with their sponsorship; no-one managed to throw the six sixes necessary to win the car, but Round Table expect to benefit from car sales associated with the Carnival. Baldwins and Hoverspeed jointly gave the lucky-number prize (a return cross-channel trip for car and passengers); this had not been claimed on Monday - the lucky programme is no. 2123.
Boots, who provided gift vouchers as prizes for the fancy-dress, also ran their own carnival events. Raffle prizes went to Mrs. Hornesby of Brede and Mrs. Glenda Smith of Udimore Road. The under-8 colouring competition produced a multi-coloured crop of teddies, all on display in the shop window on Monday John Roots of The News picked the five winners: Christopher Bamsey (4), c/o Lea Avenue; Michael Beamish (4), Udimore Road; Lisa Tiltman (6), South Undercliff; David Campbell (7), Rope Walk; and Douglas Margay-Cooper (6), Winchelsea. Manager Peter Milburn was pleased with the response, and may try something similar later on; Zoe Metcalf was the brave girl in the clown outfit.
5.
The increasingly popular dog show - arranged this year by Mrs. Fiddimore of Iden Kennels - attracted local entries from a wide area; there were ten classes, all with cups given by local tradespeople. Best in Show was Miss Dyer's whippet from Bexhill, which also won the Sporting class. Pat Ciccone's Yorkie, Millie (which was bred by Mrs. Fiddimore) was chosen as The Dog The Judge would Most Like to Take Home. The Dog with the Darkest Eyes also came from Rye, Mrs. Darlington's toy poodle. Other winners: Puppy class, Mrs. Bedson's Westie from Bexhill; Non-Sporting, Mrs. Aloof's Lhasa Apso from Kent, which also won the Open class; non-pedigree, Mr. Butler's crossbred from Kent; Best Veteran (over 7), Mr. Mortley's curly-coated retriever from Kent; Best Mover, Mrs. Wilkins' corgi; Best Child Handler, Tanya Russell from Gillingham and her boxer Rocky. The judge was Mrs. Garner (Peralta) who came specially all the way from Purley in Surrey.
Rye Ratepayers would like to thank all those who were customers at their refreshment stall on the Salts; we don't doubt that the queue of thirsty patrons would also like to thank the Ratepayers behind the teapot and kettle, who included several Town Councillors.
Despite a bad forecast, the weather remained bright and blowy throughout the afternoon. One cynic, huddled next day under an umbrella, speculated that doubtless the weather realised too late that it had omitted to spoil the Carnival and was hastily practising to spoil the Country Fair instead! But the Rotarians know better than that (see page 7); IT WILL BE FINE ON SUNDAY.
• When Bert Shepherd started work for ESCC in 1950, he spent his time cultivating what are now the lawns of Leasam House to produce vegetables for the Grammar School dinners! While the house was still empty, the market-garden project was set up, and continued until 1963 when Mr. Shepherd and his workmate John Pilcher of Wish Street lifted turf from the surrounding fields to restore the lawns. He then worked for a time over at Battle, but returned to Rye and has latterly been charge-hand responsible for the grounds of 20 schools in the area - a circle stretching out to Bodiam and Westfield - though he himself has spent much of his time at Thomas Peacocke, whose playing-fields lie not only immediately round the school but also out towards Leasam. Mr. Shepherd has known the school under three headmasters, and as groundsman has seen generations of PE staff come and go; he much enjoyed this year's Leasam Reunion. In two weeks' time, however, all that will change; Mr. Shepherd is retiring, and plans to busy himself with his 1-acre garden in New England Lane, as well as working for the Burma Star Association and the RAFA (he is ex-RAF and Mrs. Shepherd ex-WAAF).
• At the end of March (no-one told us at the time) Bob Choate of The Close took early retirement from the job of Head Caretaker at Thomas Peacocke School. He had been in the job for 13 years, and his departure will be regretted not only by people working at the school but also by those who used the school premises for events after hours. For 13 years plaintive wails for "Bob!" went up from users of the stage, the hall, the kitchen - and it was not often that Bob failed to fix the problem and dispel the gloom gathering round the organisers. His cheerful presence will be much missed by a great many people not connected with normal school activities. The new Head Caretaker is Bert Piper of Camber, who moved down to the school from the same job at Leasam House.
• Someone else whose presence will be much missed by his regular customers is Charlie Sherwood, of Pottingfield Road and the British Rail car park. As from this week, Mr. Sherwood will no longer be tucking cars and coaches safely into remote corners of the Goods Yard and keeping a fatherly eye open for his regulars who park there winter and summer alike. Running a car-park is not everyone's job - as readers may have noticed on Thursdays when Mr. Sherwood has been on holiday - but he has enjoyed his eight years there, starting when BR took back the car-park from Rother in 1979. His customers - summer coach- drivers and people who work in Rye, in particular - are all going to miss him.
6.
At last Thursday's Planning meeting, the following decisions were taken - but as usual, our information comes only from draft minutes, and no action should be taken without formal confirmation from Pother. Refusals went to four local applications: the supermarket developers, who had wanted to use a different roof tile; ten houses on Goulds' land near the Rye Harbour village hall; 10 High Street for change of use into a shop; and permission to regard an extension to 40 Udimore Road as a separate dwelling. Approvals went to the Tollgate Garage development (outline only); to the amended plan for the 79 High Street shop-front; to alterations at Swan's Studio; to the retention of an ice-store at the Fishmarket; to a greenhouse at 7 North Salts (subject to no objection from the SWA whose floodbank it adjoins); to a front porch at Cadborough Cliff; and to a porch, etc., at the Kettle o' Fish. Permission for a granny annexe at 25 Udimore Road will have to await a site inspection. The new bookshop at 15 Market Street has permission for two out of its three wall-mounted signs (plus, presumably, the small fourth one over the door, which is not mentioned). Work on the foundations of the housing and boatel in Rock Channel started last week; outline permission had been given some time ago for a two-storey building there, but this had partly lapsed, and on Thursday permission was refused for a small area of three-storey development shown in the plan.- John Underwood says this will have no major effect on the project.
The Department of the Environment has dismissed an appeal against Bother's refusal to allow four houses to replace the Cadborough Farm cottages. The Inspector's objection was to the vehicular access from the Cadborough Cliff cul-de-sac - a point which Pauline Tomich had made strongly on behalf of local residents. He suggested that there could be an access from the farm lane, perhaps in conjunction with the already approved oast house plan. Also dis- missed was an appeal by the owners of Smugglers Rest in The Mint (ex-Tuckers) for an externally illuminated projecting hanging sign there. Two other Rye appeals were also recorded as dismissed in the Planning Officer's report these relate to the metal windows at Cannon House and 31 High Street (GAZETTE no. 185).
The current list shows an application for a second vehicular access for 45 New Road, and alterations to the shop-front of the Swiss Patisserie - Janet Auberson says they want to double-glaze the big window this winter, and the plan is to have a new door opening sideways into the bay, with the present door replaced by a window. The work would be done when the Patisserie is shut in January.
The previous week's "amended application" for one of the Strand warehouses is only amended in the sense that the original application had the wrong number; no. 2 is the present Iden Pottery (which in fact had planning consent for a similar conversion several years ago), and the warehouse now under discussion is the old Colebrooke's store at the back of the Ship (GAZETTE no. 186).
There is no planning meeting this month; the next one is on 4 September, with the usual end-of-the-month one on 25 September.
Rother's negotiations with ESCC to use the Freda Gardham playground for parking on busy days in the town were not, in the end,carried to a conclusion. There were complications about damage insurance, and on Thursday morning an emergency meeting was called by Pother to discuss the matter. Pauline Tomich went over reluctantly, since she knew the afternoon and evening would be taken up by a long planning agenda, but she was glad she had. On the Monday evening, George Shackleton had made the point about Gibbet Marsh not being fully used; she was able to follow this up by pointing out that one of the reasons was the inadequate signing to it for cars foiled in an attempt to park on the Gas Works site. So the AA have been asked to put up temporary signs directing cars to Gibbet Marsh, and the two attendants will be attending there, marshalling cars to make best use of the very considerable amount of space. What we don't want now is a long wet spell, when motorists regard Gibbet Marsh with a certain amount of suspicion:
7.
Last-minute adjustments to the Country Fair programme leave the day's schedule looking much like this: Ross the carthorse starts the proceedings at 11 (the gates open at 9.30 to allow stalls to set up, etc.), and at 12 Rob the Clown takes over the children while the vintage motorbikes and post-1940 vehicles parade in the arena. At 12.15, heats and final of the Tug-o'-War (8 teams are expected); at 12.45, the parade of older vehicles (1903 to 1939), and after lunch - during which a band will play - the car-and-lady competition. Horses and hounds at 2.30; at 3, the Woodwings Flying Circus (don't miss this!) Rob the Clown again at 4 (he will be around all day), and at 4.30 the Timothy Marsh beagles. The Grand Parade is at 4.45, followed by the raffle draw and presentations. Various events, including the kite display, continue throughout the day (but the farm machinery display has had to withdraw). Eighty cherished cars have booked in, and Rotary expect 50 stalls; there will be a beer tent, a refreshment tent, and of course ice-cream. Entry costs for adults, 50p for children, and parking is free. Rotarians note with satisfaction that the forecast for the weekend is bright and sunny. It sounds like a really good day out - get there early, and you won't even have the Camber traffic to contend with.
• Long-distance congratulations to Polly Maby, daughter of George and Sheila Maby, formerly of Ashenden Avenue and now of Saffron Walden: Polly has passed her Grade 4 Piano exam with distinction, just after her 11th birthday.
• The St. Mary's bell-ringers, all local, did ring a celebratory quarter-peal on Monday - and for three of them it was their first ever, and we offer our congratulations. The flag of the Cinque Ports flew from the Town Hall very splendidly earlier in the day, and the Union Jack from the Landgate.
• Condolences to Concoction, the little boutique in Market Road which had nearly £150-worth of clothes and cash stolen on the night of 25/6 July - the thief broke a small window and wriggled in to take, we were told, a very odd assortment of garments, mainly from the second-hand rail. The press book also shows the theft of Z230 in cash plus several cash cards from the OM Borough Arms, and five pilgrim figures (the Rye Pottery series?) stolen from a house in Church Square on 26/7 July.
• In the Sussex Express last week Geering & Colyers were advertising the sale of the lease of Fletcher's House, the tea-room just uphill of Simon the Pieman tear the church. The present tenant has made changes in the shop's appearance which have provoked correspondence between the Town Council and Conservation Society and Rother's planning section. It is therefore surprising to note that the Fletcher's House ad in the Carnival programme depicts the building completely bare of any advertising signs at all!
• The Ministry of Defence is proposing to make new bylaws for the Lydd Ranges area. A fat booklet setting out the proposals can be seen at the Police Station or the Post Office. Any objections have to be in by Monday of next week, but the proposals don't seem to affect Rye itself in any way, and doubtless the fishing and sailing interests have already studied them in detail.
• Can anyone throw any light on the authorship of "Poems of a Ryer" and "More Poems of a Ryer", which appeared from time to time in the Sussex Express in the 1920s? A notebook in which they have been pasted includes perhaps a dozen with the initials WRS, and a few signed SRW. The writer clearly served with the Royal Sussex Regiment in WW1. Clifford Jordan showed us the notebook, and wonders if WRS might have been the father of local reporter Dora Sims?
• Starting young? A reader watched, on 1 August, a brand-new D-registration car getting a parking ticket in East Street - it was on double yellow lines and had two wheels on the pavement:
• It was not vandals who removed the big hoarding from the Cattle Market approach, say Vidlers - though Leslie Stutely was reluctant to say why it had gone.
CSRF coffee morning (discussion on social events, slides) FEC, 11
Rotary Country Fair, New Road (just past the houses), from 9.30, arena events from 11 (see page 7 for details)
ARC coffee morning, 9 Cadborough Cliff, 10.30 to 12 Rye WI, "The Wandering Widow" (Barbara Doughty), FEC, 7
• Readers are reminded that next week's GAZETTE (13 August) will be the last until 3 September; its back-page diary will list forthcoming events for the following three weeks, and any entries for it should reach us by Monday afternoon (11th) at latest. During her holiday, the Editor will be busy with her grand-daughters, and would appreciate it if material for the GAZETTE could reach Cyprus Place in writing rather than by phone until after the Bank Holiday weekend. (Subscriptions are not due until the end of September; full details will be given in the paper three weeks beforehand.)
• Iden Kennels are looking for a home for a 5-year-old springer spaniel dog, fully vaccinated, the son of pedigree parents (all the papers are available), whose owner can no longer keep him. They also have two "black-and-white mutts" (one dog, one bitch) wanting homes.
• Gerard Gillham, who was in St. Mary's this time last year demonstrating brass-rubbing and offering the chance to have a go, has set up shop this year in Room 4 of the FE Centre - Monday to Friday, 11 to 5, until 5 September.
• Margery Nettle, nee Odell, was much amused to read the names of the fairies in the Magdala House "Midsummer Night's Dream" (GAZETTE no. 188). Where are you now, she asks them - particularly Hazel Davis, with whom she has completely lost touch? Ring Mrs. Nettle or the GAZETTE.
• The RNLI event at the Queen's Head produced over £200: £153 from the bottle which was broken open on Friday evening, and the rest from entrants in the guess-how-much competition and the raffle for the whisky which the winner, Stephen Kent, kindly gave back to the cause.
• At Crafty in Ferry Road, Marjorie Rust is starting to take in school uniform garments for her nearly-new rail, and parents of children at local primary schools as well as TPS Lower might like to keep a regular eye on it from now on for bargains in "outgrowns".
• Since some of the regular RAFA collectors will be on holiday in September, the Association is likely to need volunteers for its house-to-house collection in Rye and the villages, between 6 and 19 September. They use tins (rather than the call-back envelopes), and the house-to-house collection is particularly valuable since once again they have been refused a flag-day by Rother. Anyone who could spare a couple of hours during that fortnight should contact a grateful Gordon Stanbridge.
• Could anyone offer a kind home, on a reasonably damp site, to a small weeping pussy-willow tree that has out grown its tub in the garden and is starting to show dissatisfaction an artificial life-style? A stout polythene sheet can be provided to assist removal, but a strong arm would also be needed.
• The St. John Ambulance Adult Division were very pleased with the result of their evening jumble sale on Conduit Hill last Tuesday - £130.
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper with the Post Office, published by Mrs. Mary Owen, 2 Cyprus Place, Rye, TN31 7DR (0797 222303), and printed by Cinque Ports Stationers of Rye. News items for inclusion are always welcome - deadline Monday afternoon. The GAZETTE costs 30p weekly and is delivered to subscribers and pick-up points on Wednesday. A few spare copies and back numbers may be available at Cyprus Place. (Copyright Mary Owen 1986)