After three gloomy reports on the future of Longs, last week's GAZETTE carried news of an alternative proposal from Anglia which would have been better than nothing, though still not a very good arrangement for the Thomsons. Still, it did show hat the Society was trying to find a solution. Now we have better news still. Anglia has asked Rother to defer consideration of the application for no. 89, in view of other possibilities which the Society does not, at present, want to make public. It is not now clear whether Lay application from Anglia will come before >the planning meeting on 13 December - but as soon as whatever it is the Society has in mind comes up on the planning list, we look forward to reporting it.
Some people were able to take magnificent advantage of the November £2 offer from Rail to holders of its Senior Citizen's Railcard. One couple went for one night to Edinburgh; they splurged on booked seats both ways and a taxi across London, but even then spent just £15 on the journey between them. Another lady visited her sister in Burnley - £2 each way; last time she made the same journey, just before her sixtieth birthday, a weekend return cost her almost £40.
Perhaps the most adventurous travellers were Mr. and Mrs. John Bates. Last Wednesday they decided to go to York for the day to see the Viking exhibition. Because of delay caused by the fire in the underground they missed their intended London connection, and only had two hours at the exhibition; they enjoyed it so much that they would have liked to go again on the Friday, but the f2-anywhere fare they needed ceased on the Thursday. So on Friday, the last day, they went to Oxford on a £2 Awayday to have a look at the Ashmolean Museum. Total cost for the two trips, £12.
The traveller with the best eye for economy was a lady who had some uncommonly heavy Christmas presents for her daughter's family in Somerset. She reckoned it would be cheaper to take the presents herself than to post them. So, travelling on a Saturday to get an early start, she left Rye at 7.06 accompanied by a well-filled expanding suitcase, a holdall and a shopping basket - the latter full of "Rye goodies" beloved by the grandchildren. She reached Crewkerne at 11.45, and had more than five hours with her family (they went to the village fair where she won five prizes on the tombola!). She was less heavily laden for the return journey, though there were presents coming back to Rye as well; she left Crewkerne at 5.15 pm and arrived at Rye at 9.25 - the total journey, 420 miles, costing just under 1p a mile. This lady particularly mentioned the staff at Rye Station - she simply told them what she wanted to do, and they looked up all the trains with just the right amount of time between changes, so that the whole journey went like clockwork and she is most grateful to them.
No-one so far has approached Miss Draffin's record journeyings to Scotland twice during the 1982 offer; one trip was to Thurso, and you can't go much further than Thurso! But she had enough to do at home this year, and had to give the offer a miss. However, another of last time's champions spent, this November, just £12; with this, she went with a friend to the Isle of Man for a couple of days, to East Anglia to visit relatives, to London for a day's shopping, and finally, on the last day, to Rochester - stopping off at Folkestone for a swim in the pool there.
We would love to print more of these splendid train stories, if readers will let us know for next week, instead of our usual moans about British Rail. Railcards are, incidentally, now available to men as well as women once they turn 60 - men no longer have to wait until they get their pensions at 65.
2
Mrs. Evelyn Bull, of Church Square, died on Sunday evening (25th) suddenly and peacefully at her home; she was 85. Mrs. Bull was the daughter of Dr. Albert Vidler of Mint House, where she was born; the family moved away when she was still a small child, and she did not return to live in Rye until 1960. In the meantime she had been widowed as a young woman and had brought up her two sons single-handed. In almost 25 years in Rye, Mrs. Bull made herself universally loved by her neighbours, who will greatly miss the pleasure of her friendship. Until 1983 she used to swim regularly in the sea during the summer; the winter gave her more time for needlework and carpentry, at both of which she was very accomplished. A regular worshipper at St. Mary's, she ran the Tower rota for many years; she also helped the RNLI and the WRVS, and was a supporter of the Church of England Children's Society - to whom donations may be sent in her memory. The funeral took place at St. Mary's on Monday.
The 4th AGM of the Rye and Winchelsea Centre of the National Trust, on Thursday evening at the Community Centre, was extremely well attended - whether or not members were lured by the promise of Alma Fabes's slides it is not for us to say: Mrs. Mary Weslake, the Chairman, reported that the Centre had sent £2,400 to the Trust this year - £800 above the average for the 13 Centres in the Region - but it was also very clear from her report and from that of the Secretary Miss Barbara Lyle that members had enjoyed their year as well as raising a lot of money. Outings, trips to the theatre and events in private houses had all contributed to both the enjoyment and the funds. The Centre's membership is now 585, so it was agreed to inrease the size of the committee to 14. Thanks were expressed to Mr. Antony Sandeman, who is retiring as vice-chairman, and to Mr. Peter Read, editor of the newsletter; new vice-chairman is Mr. Ronald Annetts.
The Trust's regional director, Mr. W.A. Kingston, thanked all members for their support, and reported on various local Trust properties; he made the point that the Trust is not, as many people think, primarily concerned with houses but also owns a great deal of land. After the business of the meeting, Miss Fabes showed some of the slides which she has taken in the course of visits to Trust properties all over the country. This was a shortened version of her "recruiting" show, with the emphasis slightly altered for an audience of Trust members - but it was quite clear why she has been so successful in bringing in new members with it.
The Rye Dance Centre's second show filled the Thomas Peacocke School hall, includ the gallery, for two nights - which says a great deal for the reputation of Joanne Haviland's school. She now has around 120 pupils of all ages, of whom over 100 appeared on stage, ranging from the lively tap-dancing mums to the enchanting tinies - who were, she tells us, much less liable to backstage nerves than the older performers. The show ran for three hours overall, and,it would be impossible to mention more than a handful of names,which would be unfair. Suffice it to say that both soloists and chorus-line did Joanne great credit, and the show ran with professional smoothness.
Compere was Jim Simpson, whose relaxed style set the tone for the evening, and Myrtle Ball was at the piano. Andrew Heather and friends were responsible for the >lighting and stage management (hiring the school hall may not be cheap, but if the rice includes the services of the stage crew it is well worth the money). Every one was admiring the stylish and colourful costumes; some were hired from Joanne's mother's stage school, but many were made locally and Marie Twamley and Meg Pilbeam and their team are to be most heartily congratulated.
The profits from the two performances will go to the Community Centre, where the Dance Centre is based. Potential pupils - including boys, for whom a separate class started in September - should contact Joanne.
- 3 - THE RYE GAZETTE, 5.12.1984
• Our Chief Inspector, two Sergeants and other officers from Rye were among the police on duty on the miners' picket line in West Yorkshire last week. It was not the easiest of weeks there: burning barricades, missiles of one sort and another, and protective helmets and shields much in evidence if not quite the order of the day - something of a change from police work around Rye! We are glad to report that the contingent was returned all in one piece, and a new one has been despatched to South Yorkshire where we hope very much that they will find things less hectic.
• The Press Book shows an orderly week in Rye, but once again a number of burglaries in the villages. (There is nothing to account for the trail of blood through the town first thing on Saturday morning which a reader reported to the GAZETTE; presumably someone just had a very nasty nosebleed?)
• Rye Lions had a great success with their Charity Shop on Saturday. Worried at first that they might not have enough goods to fill the Community Centre, they soon found that they had too many, and some items had to be held back and produced later in the day - so people who went back for a second look were often rewarded! The 16 Lions in their yellow sweaters worked more like donkeys, fetching goods and delivering others (sometimes to the same house) unceasingly as well as coping with enthusiastic customers, and we are sure they would want their - lionesses? - mentioned here. Anyway, the sale raised 4450 for Lions funds, which will in due course find its way back to good causes in the community.
• We went to see what had been happening at the Library while it was closed last week - and found, to our relief, that it looked much the same as usual. The work to be done involved relabelling the books according to a new classification, and three clear days was not nearly enough; but when they have finished and can see how much book "yardage" they have in each of the new categories, the staff can then reorganise the shelves and we can admire the finished effect.
• Although the audience for "Godspell" at the Upper School Hall on 24 November was not as large as had been hoped - the previous night's fashion show had mopped up much of the week's pool of ticket money - it was most enthuiastic. The St. John's Players received a standing ovation, and even had to be recalled from their dressing-rooms to take yet another curtain call! Perhaps we shall see them in Rye again at a less busy time of year?
• Rye Magistrates imposed a Z40 fine on a 24-year-old man from Battle who admitted throwing a rook-scarer on Hilder's Cliff on Bonfire Night; he was carrying 40 of the horrid things when he was arrested.
• Recent results: the Muscular Dystrophy coffee morning on Thursday made £72; the St. John Ambulance Cadets on Saturday, £103; and also on Saturday, Rye Festival Committee, £120.
• A girl from Military Road had a very odd experience as she walked her dogs on Camber Sands last Tuesday evening: a flashing red-and-white light, with no source visible to her torch, followed her along the edge of the dunes until - with some relief - she regained her car. It seems possible that this was connected with a film crew who had been filming at Camber that day; has anyone else encountered this slightly creepy phenomenon?
• Congratulations to Tim Watson, Rye's reporter for the East Sussex News, who has (we quote from last week's News) "beaten more than 1,000 entrants to win the 1984 Young Motoring Journalist of the Year trophy". Tim, who is 21, has worked for the News for almost a year; the award brings him a welcome £500 plus other goodies.
• Also on the staff of the News is Geoff Hutchinson, of Brede, whose recently-published 28-page booklet "The Mary Stanford Disaster" tells in graphic detail the story of the night of 15 November 1928 and its aftermath. It reproduces, among other pictures, the portraits of the crew to which we referred in issue no. 107, and is a most readable account of the tragedy. The booklet costs £1 from Martello and from outlets at the Harbour, and profits will go towards the Lifeboat House Appeal.
4.
Although quite a few people have mentioned to the Gas Board workmen their warning lamps, which have lain at the bottom of the Tillingham under the bridge for some weeks, they were still there on Monday. So was an SWA man who happened to be making a routine pollution test of the water. A passer-by pointed out the lamps to him, and he was very concerned - the batteries, he said, could well be leaking and polluting the water, and such things should have been reported direct to the SWA at the time.
We rang George Roberts at Scots Float. The tester had already been in touch with him, and the SWA would be removing the lamas when water-levels allowed. Mr. Roberts said that he would be very grateful if people would be kind enough to tell him of anything untoward in any of the rivers, etc., as soon as possible; SWA staff, he added, can't keep an eye on everything all the time, and so the eyes of members of the public can be very useful. The Scots Float office number is Rye 223256.
The disappearance of half the whitewash along the east side of Banister's Corner marks the opening of "Marc and Jane", where Mr. and Mrs. Terry are selling chiefly antique furniture but other interesting items too; the other half of the whitewask will be going very soon and the shop will expand sideways to occupy the former butcher's shop as well. It will make a most attractive addition tothe shops already on the corner - Squirrels, Pedlar's Pitch, tae Wool Shop and Banisters - who were beginning to feel a little lonely! Childsplay, just round the corner in Ferry Road, is offering a 25% discount on purchases made between now and Christmas; Anne Osborne is giving up the dolls' house shop, and there will be some very good bargains there for addicts of this charming hobby.
Both 6 Cinque Ports Street and 15-17 Cinque Ports Street received planning permission at the last planning meeting for change of use to offices. We apologise for leaving the former out of last week's list. The latter is Hamilton Galleries - nothing to do with Hamilton Furnishing in the High Street, where Yvonne Beadle assures us that offices are the last thing they have in mind! This week's planning list includes a request for a pitched roof over a flat-roofed kitchen area in Watchbell Street; change of use for the flat over the railway station, from living accommodation to offices; and alterations to a house half-way up Udimore Road.
The Library will close from 24 to 28 December inclusive; it will reopen on the Saturday, 29th, and thereafter hours will be normal since New Year's Day falls on its usual Tuesday closing day.
Rother Council offices close for the whole of the week beginning on 24 December; they reopen briefly on Monday (31st), are closed again on New Year's Day, and then resume normal business.
British Rail will run no trains on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Extra trains will run the previous Friday afternoon (21st); 22 December sees a normal Saturday service, 23 December a normal Sunday one, and Christmas Eve has a Saturday service with some extra trains but the whole thing winding down during the evening and ceasing almost entirely by 10 pm. People travelling on Christmas Eve, particularly after 8 pm, are recommended to check on their journey times. The lines reopen on Thursday (27th) when there will be a normal Saturday service plus a few extra trains; the same applies to Friday (28th), Saturday (29th) and Monday (31st). A normal Sunday service operates on Sunday (30th) and on New Year's Day. Then back to work.
The buses are doing almost exactly the same. A Hastings & District spokesman tells us that there are no buses on Christmas Day or Boxing Day; Saturday services on Christmas Eve, and on 27, 28, 29 and 31 December; a Sunday service on Sunday, 30th; and also a Sunday service on New Year's Day except that the 799 buses will not run. Back to normal on 2 January.
5.
Ken Warren, whose intervention in the Longs/Anglia affair is bearing such satisfactory fruit, is holding a "surgery" in Rye next week. He will be available, by appointment only, on the morning of Friday week, 14 December, and appointments should be made with the Conservative Association office in Hastings - Hastings 423110 - which is open in the mornings between 9.30 and 1.30. This is Mr. Warren's first surgery in Rye for several months, since he is a very busy man at national level; now is your opportunity to talk over with him any issue with which you feel he may be able to help you - or, indeed, to help Rye in general.
If you are travelling this weekend, check times beforehand (you have been warred!) Travel in either direction will be difficult on Saturday and Sunday (8th and 9th), warns British Rail. Track relaying and other engineering work means buses between Rye and Hastings (omitting Doleham, and calling at Winchelsea New Inn instead of at the station) on both days, leaving earlier than usual. On Sunday the Hastings/ Tonbridge service will be replaced by trains from Hastings to Charing Cross at 48 minutes past each hour. Going the other way should be OK as far as Ashford, but hereafter on the Charing Cross line buses are involved again - also on both days. Journeys may take up to an hour longer, apologises BR; there may also be noise at night from engineering work along our line on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday.
• Vidlers' monthly auction sale this Friday includes, as well as the usual furniture and household effects, several presents for The Man Who Has Everything: a brass telescope, for instance, or a Victorian breech-loading percussion musket, or clock-work and steam locomotives. The 507 lots also include other potential presents - cycles, toys (one large pink elephant is new, and to be sold on behalf of Cancer Research), a quantity of old and modern children's books, cigarette cards, a Mignon typewriter which sounds a real collector's piece, various pictures with local connec¬tions, a clarinet, and lots of other things.
The next monthly sale will be on 4 January, and there is another evening sale of antiques and fine arts planned for Friday, 8 March.
• Now that the Fashion Extravaganza, Godspell and Showbiz are behind us, may we com¬mend to readers the Rye Majorettes' Christmas Show, almost the last event in the 1984 Diary? It is only once a year that we get the chance to see the Majorettes in one place for any length of time - they are usually glimpsed in processions, and not only in Rye. But this is their big "do" for the year, and really deserves support, partly because it's a lot of fun and partly because Rosemary Wilkinson her young ladies work so hard not just to please spectators but also to raise money for charity - this year their good cause has been the Lifeboat House Appeal and there will be more about this in the course of the show. Place, the Community Centre; date, Saturday 15 December; time, 7.30; and tickets (Zl for adults, 75p for children and old age pensioners) are available from the Ice Box in Cinque Ports Street and from the Community Centre when its office is open.
• Rye and Winchelsea Rotarians will once again be setting up their Christmas tree in Market Road, b kind permission of Mary Lestocq, with collections on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before Christmas. They have decided that whatever the amount of cash collected at the tree, the Club will double it and send the total to the Eye Laser Appeal; last year the collection was over E400, and if they can wring our pockets for a little bit more in '84, then the Appeal could very well benefit by a full Z1,000.
• Writing last week about the delightful Christmas Exhibition at the Easton Rooms, we had no space to mention two local exhibitors. Margaret Pearce's paintings usually appear singly or in couples in local exhibitions, and it is a real pleasure to see five all at once in the upstairs gallery. Paddy Aiken has a display board of her very professional photographs in the front gallery, and tells us she will be having a full exhibition of her work in the Easton Rooms in the spring.
Thursday, 6th Friends of Rye Art Gallery coffee morning, 10 to 12 (SEE BELOW) Christian Lunch Club (speaker, the Rev. Peter Timms, a former Governor of Maidstone Prison), CC, 12 for 12.30
Late shopping for elderly and handicapped customers, Woolworths, 6 to 8 (St. John nursing cadets will be available to help with wheelchairs)
Museum Association party (members and guests), Town Hall, 7.30
Thomas Peacocke Lower School entertainment, "Mighty Mississippi" and "A Christmas Carol", Upper School Hall, 7.30 (and Friday)
Friday, 7th Vidler & Co's monthly auction sale, 10 (see page 5) Rye Movie Society guest night (invitations), FEC, 7.45
Saturday, 8th Hill House League of Friends Christmas Bazaar, TH, 10
Craft Market, FEC, 11 to 5
British Legion (Women's Section) sale of goods made by disabled men, Red Cross, 10 to 4
Father Christmas arrives at Rye Station to switch on lights, 4
National Trust party (members and guests), CC, 7.30
Sunday, 9th St. Mary's joint service with Rye, New York, 10.30 Attic Sale, CC, 10 to 1
Monday, 10th Primary Schools carol service, St. Mary's, 10.30
Tuesday, 11th Freda Gardham School Christmas entertainment, 6.30 - weather permitting; patrons should also keep free the 12th and 13th: St. Mary's Tuesday Club (Mr. Shalcross's films), 2 East St., 7.30
Wednesday, 12th Over-60s Club, Red Cross, 1.45
Freda Gardham School infants' nativity play, 2.45
Rye WI AGM, FEC, 7
Congratulations to Pauline and Martin Fox on the birth of their daughter Elizabeth Mary, a first grandchild for Mike and Angela Thomas of Lower School and Rye Clinic respectively.
• Congratulations, too, to Mr. Geoffrey Prentice of Rye, who celebrated his 80th birthday on 24 November. Mr. Prentice joined the family firm of solicitors, Dawes Son & Prentice, in the late 1930s when he returned from working abroad to take over the reins from his father Noel; he is still a consultant with the firm, who gave him a birthday party at the Saltings Hotel last week.
• The fund-raising coffee morning for Rye Art Gallery, billed as taking place in a Church Square cellar, may have to move; owing to the recent rain, the cellar steps are so slippery that Mrs. Proctor hesitates to invite people to use them. Negotiations are in hand for another venue, but all we can say at the time of printing is that supporters should arrive at 46 Church Square where there will be a notice pointing them in the right direction - somewhere, the coffee morning is undoubtedly ON, tomorrow (Thursday).
• Mr. John Bates of Wish Ward, who delivers library books on behalf of the Red Cross to a few housebound people on the Tilling Green Estate, tells us that he could cope with more "customers"; if anyone on the Estate who does not at present have this service and needs it would get in touch with Rye Library, he will gladly add them to his round.
• Welcome to Rye's new cemetery keeper, Mr. Hamlet, who moved into the cemetery house last week.
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper with the Post Office, and published by Mrs. Mary Owen, 2 Cyprus Place, Rye (Rye 222303). News items for inclusion are always welcome - deadline Monday afternoon, Tuesday 9 am for emergencies. The GAZETTE costs 25p weekly, and is delivered to subscribers and pick-up points on Wednesday; some spare copies of the current issue are available at Squirrels, 9-13 Cinque Ports Street, and back numbers can be obtained from 2 Cyprus Place. (Copyright Mary Owen 1984)