Rye Castle Museum

The Museum’s main exhibition area is in the East Street building, 3, East Street.

This building was originally a bottling factory for the local brewery, and it was attached to the shop that is now Help the Aged, in the High Street. The Museum bought the old bottling factory in 1995 and with the help of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, converted it into a Museum in 1998/9, opening it to the public at Easter 1999.

The Museum has changing exhibitions that investigate different aspects of Rye’s history.

There is also a display on the changes to the coastline over the last thousand years and how this has affected Rye, bringing prosperity and then taking it away, as the retreat of the sea, the silt brought down by the rivers, the changes in trade and size of ships all caused the harbour and its trade to decline from the Elizabethan high point. This display also looks at the project known as the Western Solution, or Smeaton’s Harbour, which was supposed to revive the fortunes of the harbour by taking it to what is now Winchelsea Beach, and how after almost sixty years of work, it failed within six months. The remains are just about still visible at Winchelsea Beach today. Rye’s shipbuilding industry which thrived between about 1840 and 1918 is explored and you can see many of the tools used and models of ships built.

One of the prime exhibits is Rye’s Old fire engine, built in 1745 and in use until 1865. It is one of the very few surviving from that period, with its hoses and lead lined water containers, it is quite complete. Originally it was on a sledge, which enabled it to travel more quickly over the cobbled streets, but it needed a team of strong men to pull it along as it weighs about 56cwt.

Open times

Ypres Tower is open:
10.30am - 1pm/2pm - 5pm
Closed on Tuesday and Wednesday

The East Street site is open:
Monday, Thursday & Friday: 2pm - 5pm
Saturday & Sunday: 10:30am - 1pm / 2pm - 5pm
Closed on Tuesday and Wednesday

3 East Street
Rye
East Sussex
TN39 7JY

+44 (0)1797 226728

Click here for more information.