Welcome home to "Mascotte", who nosed her way rather nervously up Rock Channel early on Wednesday, in a stiff breeze and complete darkness; Paul Kennard tied her up at Strand Quay at 2 am! He was heard on Radio Sussex on Monday (but only by people listening on VHF), talking to reporter David Rose about her future. He and his wife sold their house and more recently their business to finance her restoration, and now she has E21 to start earning her living or they may, alas, have to think about selling her too. It is eight years since he towed her round from the Isle of Wight, virtually a derelict, and with skilled advice from Sid Elliott and help from family and friends started work on her. She was launched two years ago, but there was still much work to be done and her first sea trials came last summer, followed by a maiden voyage back to the West Country to visit her home town of Bristol, where she started life as a pilot cutter in 1904. The winter has been spent in the Mediterranean, where she underwent considerable refitting. Now she is ready for chartering, and Paul will be glad to hear from companies or individuals who might be prospective clients. For the next three weeks or so, she will be at Strand Quay - or ring Jocelyn's mother, Mrs. Arkley who will pass on messages.
A dark green 1930 Bentley was the bridal transport for Tina Tiltman of Marley Road and Paul Stubberfield of Broad Oak, at their wedding at St. Mary's on Saturday. Tina wore a ballet-length dress of white lace over satin, with a pearl coronet holding her veil in place, and carried a spray of white flowers. Her adult bridesmaids, Sharon Bourne and Maria Morris, were elegant in vivid blue with big white hats and blue-and-white sprays, and Sarah Slater, aged 2, looked very sweet in white with a mob-cap, carefully carrying her swinging ball of flowers. Mrs. Tiltman was in grey with pink accessories. (We did admire the good sense of the photographer, who led the bridal party over to the white cherry tree in the churchyard and took the pictures framed in blossom and backed by the postcard Church Square frontage!) The reception was held at the George Hotel, and the honeymoon is being spent in the Lake District. Tina, who was in sole charge at the Ferryboat Inn for two years, is now back working at the Bridge Inn in Winchelsea; Paul works for the Gas Board, and the couple will live in Westfield.
Rye Scouts are in desperate need of a new Scout Leader. Frank Dowdeswell, who took on the job in August 1985, is having to relinquish it owing to business commitments. There are only six Scouts at present, but a number of Cubs are looking forward to moving up - if the Troop's future is secure. This is a (voluntary) job for a man or a woman, though not many women are likely to want to take on a bunch of teen-age boys; and training can be given. John West, now Group Scout Leader, says that when he joined as Peter Dee's assistant in 1980 there were 30 Rye Scouts (most of them went on a very successful trip to Essex that year); but until Frank Dowdeswell took over, the Troop had almost ceased to function, and he has had a hard job getting it started again. If you might be interested, ring John West (evenings).
Youth groups in Rye seem to be rather some-and-some at the moment. With two Guide Companies and the St. John Nursing Cadets, the girls-only groups are doing nicely, thank you. There are plenty of Brownies and Cubs among the younger set (let alone the Badgers and the Rainbows for the very small girls). But a recent TPS newsletter mentioned that the ATC was in need of help, and the Youth Club at the Community Centre is likely to close for good unless it can find a leader - though it does now have a number of helpers. Better news from the Boys Club, which has reopened after its roof repairs; we haven't heard anything about the Sea Cadets for some time, and we trust that all is well at TS Rye down in Rock Channel.
2.
Col. Robert Dawson, CBE, DSO, Legion d'Honneur, Croix de Guerre, died at his home in Military Road on 4 May; he had been ill for some time. Col. Dawson, who is survived by his widow Jean, two sons and two daughters, had a distinguished war record followed by twenty years in British Intelligence. Educated in Switzerland, he was bilingual from his childhood - something which was to prove invaluable in his subsequent career. Early in the war he joined No. 4 Commando and took part in the 1942 Norwegian raids and the Dieppe landing; in 1943 he took over command of No. 4 Commando from Lord Lovat, and early the following year the Free French commando troops were transferred to his command. He was wounded during the D-Day landings, but very quickly returned to his unit; in November 1944, under his command, No. 4 Commando made a most successful assault on the town of Flushing and later took part in the final operations on Walcheren. Throughout his career, Col. Dawson's aim was to strengthen the ties between British and French, and both showed their gratitude; he was regarded with much affection in France, not only by those of his own generation but also by those who were not even born when he was fighting there. Only a couple of years ago the citizens of Amfreville named a square after him, and he had hoped to be present later this year at the naming of the Rue du Colonel Dawson in St. Aubin - both towns on the route of the fighting which followed D-Day. After the war, Col. Dawson worked for British Intelligence until he retired; he and his wife came to live quietly in Rye in 1980. A thanksgiving service for Col. Dawson's life is being held at St. Mary's today (Wednesday) at 2.30; donations in his memory may be sent to the Commando Benevolent Fund or to the Melanoma Research Fund, in each case c/o Ellis Bros, Cinque Ports Street, Rye.
Mrs. Bertha Tiltman, of Cooper Road, died in hospital on 6 May, aged 81. A widow, Mrs. Tiltman leaves a son and daughter. The funeral takes place at Hastings Crematorium tomorrow (Thursday) at 1.30.
Rye Festival (3 to 10 September) is still some way off, but having had a copy of the programme now on its way to the printers we thought readers might like a taste of what they can look forward to. The opening concert at St. Mary's is a piano recital (Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Brahms) by Eldad Neumark; at the Festival Service next day, Madrigalia will be singing Byrd's four-part mass. The GAZETTE's last band concert is given by the Cranbrook Town Band; the Playden Church concert is given by the delightfully-named Light-Fingered Gentry (flute and guitar). There is a folk night at the Ypres Castle Inn, jazz (Moire Music) at the Community Centre, and the final concert is by London Brass, with the New London Singers.
Non-musical events include the Festival's old favourite, Instant Sunshine, back in Rye during their 21st anniversary year; a talk by Michael Holroyd at the Town Hall; and "The Diaries of Beatrix Potter" presented by Rohan McCullogh, which ties in nicely with the Royal Ballet "Tales of Beatrix Potter" film a day later. The other films this year are "Hope and Glory", "The Emerald Forest" and "Little Shop of Horrors" ("a boy, a girl and a man-eating plant" and marked PG for parental guidance!)
Sponsors include Christopher McGrath, Rye Pottery and Rye Tiles, John Jompson & Son, Rye Model Laundry, Barclays Bank, and McCarthy & Stone the latter a most welcome addition to the organisers' list.
The new rail timetables start on Monday. Our main improvement is the 8.35's new London connection, now arriving at Charing Cross at 10.15 rather than 10.40; middle-day connections for Eastbourne and Brighton are also much better. (Some lines have major alterations, and those travelling further afield should not depend on the old timetable but check first.) There is a new Thameslink service using the reopened Snow Hill Tunnel to avoid crossing London; it means a change at Sevenoaks for us, but for people heading for the East Midlands it will be a great improvement.
3 - THE RYE GAZETTE, 11 May 1988
It is really very pleasant to be writing about three new businesses in the town when all three of the proprietors are local people. Smarty Pants, which we mentioned last week as the successor to Concoctions in Market Road, is in fact in the hands of Stewart and Barbara Lees, of Leasam Lodge. This is the same Stewart Lees who is in charge of the Sports Centre, so it is Barbara who is mainly responsible for the shop. As the mother of Ruth (aged 5 and at Playden School) she knows about children's clothes, and the shop is catering for ages 0, including low-birth-weight babies, up to 8. They stock the Harringtons range, and the Trutex "Wild Bunch" boys' wear. There are also some special-occasion outfits - including a totally reversible pinafore, two dresses in one. Mrs.
Lees tells us she is aiming at the upper-to-middle section of the market. The shop is open every day except Tuesday, from 10 to 5, and is equipped with not only a changing-room but also three rocking-horses and a brick cart:
Mr. and Mrs. Connolly, who live in Playden, had many friends and customers in the town when they ran Artique in Lion Street. They sold that shop last year, intending to retire; but when they got back from a holiday in Australia, retirement was more than Mrs. Connolly could bear, and we are delighted to welcome her back to the second-hand book trade in Rye - this time in the shadow of the Landgate Arch, the shop at the top of the ramp (ex Tower Forge Crafts). Landgate 'looks is open from Wednesday to Saturday, 10 to 5 (phone Rye 222280); there is probably no more actual floor space than there was at Artique all told, but it is a great deal lighter and more convenient for browsers and serious book-hunters alike, and with a slightly better chance of parking nearby. Mrs. Connolly is always interested in buying as well as selling books; if you have too many to bring to the shop, she will gladly come to you by appointment.
Next door to Mrs. Connolly is a newly-created shop, whose very first tenant is now installed: Wendy Harvey, of Spin Off. Mrs. Harvey already well known locally in knitting and crafts circles, since she has had the original Spin Off in Icklesham for some years. The family are now about to move to Rye, and the shop has already transferred to its new premises. With plenty of room (and a big central pillar which makes an admirable display stand), Mrs. Harvey has an attractive range of wools, a number of hand-knitted garments for sale, plus plenty of patterns from which her team of knitters will make up garments to the size required. She is, however, hoping that Spin Off will be more than a wool-shop; she herself makes lace, and on Tuesday afternoons when the shop is closed she will be holding a small class there for lacemakers - beginners as well as the more experienced. As well as lacemaking, she hopes to have similar sessions for knitting, crochet, patchwork, quilting, spinning and dyeing, and will be glad to offer help to those with "crafty" problems. We suggested she should sit and spin outside on fine days, but this is not allowed; however, she is thinking of sitting on the front step with her lace pillow, like the old ladies do in Bruges... Phone number is Rye 225018.
Last week's piece about the supermarket parking arrangements did indeed create some surprise in the Chamber of Trade, who are pursuing the matter. We have been doing our own research too.
Now that the coach spaces in the railway car park are being kept strictly for coaches only, we counted 68 spaces there for cars. Immediately outside the station are 9 short-term spaces (for unloaders, taxis and parcels) which don't count. On the other side of the station are three "disabled" spaces and three "reserved" ones, which do.
Writing about car-parking generally in October 1986, we quoted David Cranston as saying that when Rother ran the Goods Yard car park they reckoned it held 160 cars. This, minus 68 in the railway park and 6 beside the station, means that simply to replace the lost Goods Yard spaces 86 need to be provided on supermarket land. Regardless of whether or not they are restricted to supermarket customers, it doesn't look as if there could be 86 spaces there. We shall, however, be happy to stand corrected about this.
4.
We mention first (so that it doesn't get lost in what follows) a minor application, for a sectional concrete building for use as a donkey-stable and store, at Castle Mill Cottages: the Metcalfe's donkey hopes, there will be no objection!
Two linked plans in the current list relate to the old dairy yard and the land behind it, with access from Cinque Ports Street. Readers may remember that in December 1986 there was an outline plan for a block of flats incorporating a section of the Town Wall on this site, which would have been three storeys high inside the wall and three storeys high outside it, giving the impression of a four-storey building seen from Cinque Ports Street. There was considerable local opposition, the Town Wall and the building at its foot were listed through the efforts of the Conservation Society, and the application was eventually withdrawn.
The new proposals are likely to be far more acceptable. The first (outline only) relates to a single detached house on the higher land inside the wall. Access would be on foot up a sloping paved path from the dairy yard (a path which already exists) and the occupants would have one parking space in that yard. The second application relates to the land on the Cinque Ports Street side of the Town Wall, the former dairy yard. Here the proposal is for full planning permission. The shed bordering the yard on the Warehouse side would be demolished, giving access again to the path leading to the new house. The main, listed, building would tor converted into two lock-up shops with storage above; the upper floor would have two new windows with warehouse-type wooden shutters, and the ground floor normal doors and shop windows (tall panes rather than a solid sheet of glass). The yard in front is shown as brick-paved, with a total of three parking spaces . Seen from the Citadel side, the aspect would be unchanged (apart, of course, from the new house, for which outline permission was granted some years ago). The building materials would be the same as at present (tile roof, brick, stone and timber). The architects are Le Fevre Wood & Royle's Hastings office, acting for the Trustees of the late Mrs. Dorothea Taylor - and we would like to congratulate Ralph Wood on this very restrained approach to the site.
Both these planning applications appear on the weekly list as referring to "Winters Dairy". In view of rumours which have been going round the town for some weeks - it must be said, on good authority for once - this could create some confusion. So we want to make clear that the current applications refer to the old dairy site in Cinque Ports Street; there has been no planning application for alteration at the Agricultural Hall in Rope Walk, where Winters Dairies have been based for many years now. What the future may bring, no-one is yet saying officially.
Curiously enough, there is also another pair of linked plans before Rother, this time for Icklesham (actually Rye Harbour). One is the ARC proposal which we mentioned last week: for a wharf to bring in aggregate (beach) to be treated on site before being "exported" by lorry to ARC's customers in the south-east. The company say that their North Point operation will cease in two years' time, when the material runs out, and this will replace it; the present staff of 16 (6 on site and ten lorry-drivers) will merely move across the river. Since most of their present traffic leaves North Point in the direction of Bexhill, they reckon that to start from the Harbour will remove 60% of their present HGV traffic from South Undercliff. "Future market expansion is, however, anticipated within the East Kent area around Ashford and Folkestone" - which may mean that South Undercliff will get the traffic back, but going the other way instead!
The pair to this one is in the current list, a very similar application just a little further down-river. The applicants are a firm called Ennemix (based in Nottinghamshire, who already have "marine dredged aggregate wharves" at Southampton, Portsmouth, Portslade and shortly at Great Yarmouth). This site is on land adjoining Alsfords, a narrow 2k-acre strip from river to road with a wharf at one end and a procession of various machines delivering the processed aggregate to the other, where it is collected by lorry. The plans include drawings of the types of plant proposed; they are a bit technical for us.
(continued...)
5.
(continued)
To our extremely inexpert eye, the operations appear to be more or less identical. Ennemix forecasts 27 return HGV journeys daily; ARC forecasts 55-plus. Ennemix would be offering 12 new jobs; ARC would be bringing their workforce from their old site, but at least those 16 jobs would be safe and might lead to more. The Montrose Properties site would end up sandwiched in between two stone-crushing plants!
We were so overcome at this enthusiasm to industrialise Harbour Road all of a sudden that we consulted Carl Bagwell; how would the Harbour management view all this? With enthusiasm, he said, since the increased revenue would make a big difference to Harbour finances. Aggregate boats need to come and go on the same tide to operate viably, so with three wharves in all they would probably need to have two-tide working to accommodate all the traffic; but with co-operation (and probably extra staff) this would not be impossible.
It seems likely that the main snag for this pair will be the increased road traffic (though there is much less from other businesses at the Harbour end than there used to be, we are told); but this is a problem for Highways.
When someone comes to write the story of Rye during WW2 (which badly needs doing) they may like to include the feedback that reached us about the bomb which caused the vacancy in The Mint, now the subject of a controversial planning application (GAZETTE no. 266). First, we must apologise to Francis Sinden; the bomb fell during the day, not at night (which was simply an unwise assumption on our part!). John Smith told us the exact day - 18 August 1940; he had just got back to Town Hall Cottage after a morning on the range with the LDV, went up to change out of his uniform, and looked out of the window to see several German planes flying past at his level! The two bombs in the Mint were part of a stick which straddled the town. The first demolished Godfrey's Row at the corner of Wish Street and Cyprus Place, with loss of life; nos. 2 and 3 were in the Mint, no. 4 was at the back of the Mermaid, no. 5 hit the second house in Mermaid Street (its site is now the garden of The First House), and the sixth was the one which got the Garden Room at Lamb House. Mr. Smith still recalls the cloud of dust and rubble which filled the air two minutes after the final explosion.
After the cottages in the Mint were demolished, their site was used for a static water tank - not, oddly enough, the standard concrete model which most of us OAPs remember, but one built of 9" brickwork. It leaked. They tarred it. It still leaked. So they built another one inside it, this time of 14" brickwork; but that wasn't really satisfactory either. However, across the road in what is now the garden of Mint House there was a perfectly adequate circular tank built from 4" concrete. The chap who knows all this is Arthur Sinden, now living in Hastings. He was working for Burnhams when, in 1951 or 1952, both tanks were to be demolished. He vividly remembers what a terrible job they had to reduce the complex brick structure to rubble; it took them six weeks, because the pneumatic drills were not effective on the massive brickwork, and even when they had got rid of the walls there was still the concrete base to shift. (The concrete tank across the road gave no trouble at all; the moral of this seems to be that concrete makes the best tanks, both when they are needed and later when they aren't!)
Young readers wondering whey they didn't simply line the leaking brick tank with polythene may not believe us, but polythene hadn't been invented in 1940... A static water tank, of course, was there to provide a ready supply of water for fire-fighting; was either of those in the Mint ever used for this purpose?
A £40 Coalport figurine of a woman in a white dress with a green scarf was taken from Graham's in the High Street on 6 May; and a 10' white dinghy, with a fibreglass repair on its left-hand side, was stolen from the riverbank near Alsfords Wharf on 3/4 May. Please don't leave your handbag in the car; a woman lost hers at Pett Pools, when she left it in her empty car for half an hour on 7 May.
6.
In the very early days of the GAZETTE (issue no. 7) we talked to two groups who were hoping to set up independent radio stations serving the area from Eastbourne to Rye: Conquest and Sovereign. At that time, Conquest was hoping that the contract would be advertised by the IBA early in 1983; Sovereign was talking about early 1984 at best. The IBA told us then that it would be "a number of years" - and 5i years later, it is obvious who was right!
Neither Sovereign nor Conquest are among the three applicants shortlisted for the IBA contract which is likely to be implemented early next year and will run until December 1994: Southern Sound Radio, Southdown Radio, and Coast FM. Literature from all three was available at the meeting at Bexhill last week, along with the IBA contract specification; Town Councillor Duncan Starkey was there, and has kindly lent us all four documents.
Southern Sound already functions in Brighton - and says that "the two seaside areas of Eastbourne/Hastings and Brighton have very strong links... indeed, the demographics of the two areas are almost identical". (This means that they think the same sort of people live in both areas - which sounds bad for us here, since undoubtedly Rye people have very little in common with the inhabitants of Brighton!) The station would be based in Eastbourne. A "contribution point" would be installed at Hastings after six months; presumably this means what we have at the Town Hall for Radio Sussex (Hastings has a similar arrangement). It all sounds very like Brighton commercial radio seeking to extend its area, as opposed to something purpose-designed for this end of the county.
Southdown Radio says "we are the applicant group that has its roots deep in the franchise area". Oh, really? One director comes from St. Leonards; the rest are from Brighton, Chailey, Lancing, Mayfield, Eastbourne - and Woking in Surrey, Farnham in Surrey, and Hawkwell in Essex! (They must be planning a very, strong transmitter if Essex is included in their franchise area.) They too intend to broadcast from Eastbourne with - graciously - "at least one weekly programme coming live from Hastings", though they do intend to instal an "interview facility" there eventually. They expect to set up a Local Advisory Panel, and "already many local organisations have expressed their willingness to provide representatives". Has anyone round here been asked - or is this all going to be the Eastbourne area as well? Southdown expects to be able to start by February 1989.
Coast FM says that "virtually all" its proposed directors live and work in the transmission area. The application summary doesn't give addresses, but Duncan Starkey pressed this point at the meeting and as far as he could see they all live at the Eastbourne end except possibly one woman. This group would be in partnership with Radio Mercury - a station which, they say, has been broadcasting in Surrey and Sussex for some five years; they claim that "of all adults in the transmission area, 44% listen to Radio Mercury for an average of 12.7 hours per week" (almost half the local adults listening to it for nearly two hours a day - it sounds a bit unlikely, but presumably they can prove it?) Coast FM would have studios in Eastbourne and Hastings (from day one, they said at the meeting); its outside broadcast vehicles will be seen regularly in ten listed places (of which the furthest east is Battle) "and other towns and villages throughout the transmission area".
Because the meeting was on a Tuesday evening, we couldn't go. But looking at all three applications, we felt it was obvious that all three groups were thinking of doing nothing at all about Rye; it seems clear that Eastbourne is the main area of interest, with Hastings as a token out-station and anything east of that not worth mentioning. At least Radio Sussex, with its 8.30 am split service, makes an effort to cover events this end - though we don't think much of their recent scheduling, when two local speakers (Muriel Mayer a couple of weeks ago, and Paul Kennard on Monday) were heard on VHF after the programme split and their friends this end were listening hard on medium wave!
It doesn't look as if anyone at this extreme edge of the county has cause to get excited about the prospect of commercial radio; but the next stage - community radio - should be considerably more use, when it comes.
7.
• John Pearmain leaves the George Hotel on Friday; but we are very pleased to say he is not leaving Rye. He is joining the Cinque Ports Hotels Group as a director - which means that his family won't have to leave Winchelsea, his children's schooling won't be interfered with, and he won't have to work quite such unsocial hours as at present. His successor as manager at the George has not yet been appointed.
• There are still some vacancies on the one-day school on "The History and Architecture of Rye and Tenterden", led by Kenneth Clark at the FE Centre on Saturday; it begins at 9.30 am and costs £7 excluding lunch. Starting with two copiously-illustrated lectures, one on each town, the students are then taken on a tour of Rye (which many of them may know already, so it does not - for instance - include the Museum). The party then leaves for Tenterden (lifts are available for those without cars) where there is a break for lunch, after which Mr. Clark conducts a much more detailed walk around that charming town, visiting its Museum and the railway station, and calling at Smallhythe on the way home. The group is time-tabled to return to Rye by 5 - but time things tend to run late, so don't count on it!
• Rye Harbour lifeboat was called out twice recently, once to a fishing-boat whose mooring had got entangled and was pulling her over as the tide rose - with just 6" of freeboard left, she was in danger of capsizing into the fast-flowing river. Mary Lestocq is not quite sure how the crew dealt with the problem, but they did, and all was well. Next day they were called out to a fishing boat which had run aground off Camber and had broken her rudder struggling to get off; they towed her safely back to port.
• People running - or thinking of running - community projects (whether or not they read "Woman & Home") might like to call at Spar for an entry form in an awards scheme currently being run jointly by the grocery chain and the magazine. We haven't room to go into it all here, but this could be something for Playgroup, or the Day Centre, or the club for the disabled at Winchelsea Beach... Call in and find out, anyway.
• London auctioneers Christies will be in Rye on Friday week, 20 May, holding an antiques valuation session on behalf of Friary Gardeners; they are giving their services, and the valuation fee of £1 an article goes to the project. The event takes place in the ballroom of the George Hotel - so if you are thinking of bringing something which is on the large side, measure it first and then phone Pauline Meyer to make sure it will go up the stairs! The police will not allow reserved parking outside, so the organisers are arranging for someone to be "on door" to receive articles and keep them safe while their owners go and park; better still, of course, park first and bring your things with you if you can manage them. Entrance is free, and as many items as you like can be brought for valuation. There will be four specialists - in paintings, porcelain, silver and jewellery, and "collectors' items" (ie. all the bits and pieces which don't fit in anywhere else, we gather).
• Readers will be very pleased to learn that Talya Bagwell now has her ghetto-blaster back, along with the family tapes (GAZETTE no. 267). Rye is an honest place; there had been a misunderstanding.
• We are sorry that last week's report of the Chamber of Trade "Trees for Rye" evening at the Town Hall contained a mis-hearing and an omission. Derek Proctor is in reality Eric Procter of Wish Ward Antiques; and Clifford Wall, of chartered accountants Mannington Bishop & Bryant - who, as last year's chairman, was responsible for the whole idea - was also among the contributors. (Mr. Wall tells us, incidentally, that he has recently visited Phil and Barbara Simpson, of the late lamented Millers; they are now living near Stowmarket, and have a crafts shop in Earl Stonham.)
• Finally, a High Street puzzle. Martins is 29a (and the flat is 29), and Dr. Jeelani's surgery is 31. Although Barclays simply use Longer House as their address, they are•in fact no. 30. So why does Woolworths consider itself to be no. 27 - a number shared by the Corner House, next door to Martello (no. 26)?
Coin Club, "Medals" (Bill Webb), FEC, 7.30
CSRF, "Cotswold Villages" (Bill Webb), FEC, 11
Blood transfusion service, Baptist Hall, 2 to 4 and 5 to 7.45
"See it and Sing it", St. Mary's, 7 (see below)
One-day school, with Kenneth Clark, on Rye and Tenterden, FEC from 9.30 (see page 7 for details)
Rye Society of Artists, sale of plants and produce, Town Hall courtyard, 11 (NB not their usual jumble sale this year) Cadborough Jubilee Social Club jumble sale, CC, 2
Methodist Church Choir (with the Calvert Methodist Choir from Hastings, and other friends) holds an evening of hymns, readings and anthems to commemorate the conversion of John Wesley in 1738 - Methodist Church, 7.30
St. Anthony's Restoration Fund, sponsored skip, Gungarden, 10
Wool party (profits to Rye Mencap - all welcome), 70 King's Avenue, from 7.30
Thrift Shop (handing-in only), Red Cross, 10 to 12
Landgate WI, resolutions, competition and bookstall, CC, 10.3C
Community Lunch Group (David Turner, Rother's deputy housing manager), Clinic, 12.30 for 1
Local History Group, business meeting, Library, 7.30
• Congratulations and every good wish to Richard Baker, who celebrates his 90th birthday today. Mr. Baker, the brother of Rye's best-known infant teacher (now Mrs. Hill) spent his childhood at the house in Wish Street where Mrs. Hill still lives; he too went into teaching and moved away to an eventual headmastership, but now lives with his son at Menai Bridge, Gwynedd. All their friends will hope that Mr. Baker is having a very happy day, with his family round him.
• The "See it and Sing it" evening at St. Mary's on Friday is primarily for organists, choirmasters and adult choir members, but Canon Maundrell says that anyone is welcome. There is a talk at 7 by Martin How, Commissioner in this area for the Royal School of Church Music; coffee will be served after the talk, and "See it and Sing it" follows. Local church choirs will obviously know about this already, but it may well interest other people too. It would help, says Canon Maundrell, to have some idea of numbers.
• People travelling westwards on Saturday and Sunday may find themselves delayed owing to engineering work in the Hastings area; buses will be in use between Ore, Hastings, West St. Leonards and Bexhill, say BR.
• The Bank Holiday Monday stall at Gungarden Lodge raised £127 for St. Anthony's; the ARC coffee morning at the Red Cross two days earlier brought in £117.
• Network Southeast announce that they are to continue until 1 October their offer of first-class rail travel at no extra cost, to holders of Senior Citizen Railcards who are travelling on a Saver return ticket.
• The Sheila Kaye-Smith Society has just sent us its 1988 programme, which contains a Rye event - on Saturday, 18 June, Brian Graebe is to give an illustrated talk (with readings) on "The Literary Countryside of Sheila Kaye-Smith", at 7.30 at the FE Centre.
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper with the Post Office, published by Mrs. Mary Owen, 2 Cyprus Place, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7DR (0797 222303), and printed through Cinque Ports Stationers of Rye. Deadline is second post on Monday for Wednesday's delivery to subscribers and pick-up points; we are not now taking on new subscribers for our final seven issues, but spare copies will as usual be available at Young Ideas (children's wear), 7 Cinque Ports Street, price 45p. (Copyright Mary Owen 1988)