Town of Rye and Bodiam Castle

The town of Rye is a quaint town with lots of history and tons of character! The roads are tiny, made from cobblestone and/or brick. Shops and pubs line the streets and hidden in many corners you may find an old cathedral, a framer's market, and even an old defense buildings built hundreds of years ago! During my exploration in this quaint little town, I found out that a handsome actor, Johnny Depp,used to live in Rye.
I could only imagine he enjoyed this place because of the beautiful landscape and small town feeling that gave you a sense of happiness and security, in which you could hide in this place and never be found! The town was filled with little alleyways, crowded roads of houses and shops, and very little people had cars or any transportation besides their own two feet! The first spot I visited in Rye was the Ypres Tower, which was built in 1249.

 It was Henry III who gave permission for the castle to be built as part of the defense against the frequent raids by the French. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. Next to the Ypres Tower, which is now a Castle Museum in Rye, sat a large anchor rusting away by the port. 

I took a picture next to it to show you the size of this massive piece of history! During my photo shoot, I also injured myself when I ran my hip into the bottom part of the anchor, and got a nice purple bruise on my thigh from it! 

Entrance of Parish Church

Just a block up from the Ypres Tower was the beautiful Parish Church of St. Mary, which was built in the early 12th century, and was part of the defense against invasion during war. One of the worst disasters in history was in 1377 when the town was looted and set on fire by French invaders and the church was extensively damaged. The roof fell in and the church bells were carried off to France.They were recovered the next year when men from Rye and Winchelsea sailed to Normandy, set fire to two towns and recovered much of the loot, including the church bells - one of which was subsequently hung in Watchbell Street, to give warning of any future attack. It was not returned to the church until early in the 16th century. 

Rye's history can be traced back before the Norman Conquest, when, as a small fishing community, it was almost surrounded by water and lay within the Manor of Rameslie. The seas had retreated and now lies two miles from the town and sheep graze where the waves once broke the beach. The town grew as a trading port and in 1205, when King John was forced to return to Normandy to the French Crown, control of this part of Sussex was confirmed as under the control of Fecamp. It was Henry III who finally restored order and in 1247, the area was returned to the English Crown from the Abbey of Fecamp. The town of Rye also had an adorable looking town hall, which sat just down the road from Parish Church. It proudly hung the British flag and was a beautiful structure within this small town. 

Around the corner from Parish Church, sat the Lamb House, which the novelist, Henry James, had lived in from 1897-1916 and wrote many of his novels. There is a crest that remembers his existence on the brick wall next to the house.

 If you turn down another street, right around the corner from the Lamb House, is a street called Mermaid St, which houses a charming Inn that was built in the early 12th century, but rebuilt after the French invasion in 1377. 

Perhaps Rye's most exciting point in history was the 18th century when its prosperity depended as much on smuggling as any other trade. Smugglers' hordes were stored in the old vaulted cellars and the crept around Rye through secret tunnels and passages.

Across the street from the Mermaid Inn is the The House Opposite, which was built in the 15th century and received its name simply because it sits in front of the Mermaid Inn. This famous establishment is known for their norman cellars dating from 1156.

After taking a small tour around the block, I stopped at a cute little pub called The Old Bell to have a beer and introduce myself to some of the study abroad students that were from Brighton University, Mollie, Micah, and Crystal, who are now my good friends. 
Once I got to know them a little bit, we all walked down to a used book store, where Mollie found a great edition of one of Charles Dickens' books. Then we took a stroll to get some candy from the sweet shop, which charged about 60 pence per pound, so I got some delicious chocolate fudge! 

American Link: The Township of Rye, New York, USA, was founded early in the 17th century by settlers from Rye, Sussex. Both parishes observe the second Sunday in Advent as an annual day of commemoration. An inscribed slab under the tower crossing was donated by the Americans, and in return a piece of stone from the fabric of the Parish Church was sent to Christ's Church in Rye, New York.


The second part of our day trip also included visiting the great Bodiam Castle, which was built in 1385, by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a Sussex knight.


It is a Medieval Castle built to defend his property and provide him a residence suitable for a knight of his wealth and standing. The castle is complete with four battlemented towers floating above a wide moat, standing as one of the last English Medieval castles to be built. The completion of the building was finished in 1388, in which its outer walls and towers were the last to be completed. Time and man's hand have ruined the interior, but its outer walls and towers stand as they did so long ago. It was lied in for over 250 years, although built for war, life there was usually peaceful and like many others, Bodiam Castle was never attacked. It was captured twice without resistance, in both cases by other Englishmen. Sir Edward left a son, John, who died childless and the castle passed by marriage to the Lewknor family. 

During the Wars of the Roses, the Yorkist King Richard III in 1483 issued a commission to the Earl of Surrey and others to levy men in the Counties of Kent and Sussex to besiege the Castle of Bodyham. During the Civil War(1640-48) the interior of the castle was demolished, In 644, it fell into the hands of the Roundheads, and was probably dismantled by them to prevent it from being defended on behalf of the King. The castle ceased to be occupied and for three centuries the decaying shell passed among local families. In 1916, it was purchased by Lord Curzon, who thanks to him the ivy-clad ruins were rescued from further decay and carefully excavated and repaired. In 1925, he bequeathed the castle to the National Trust, who has carried out further repair and maintenance.

When I took a tour inside the castle, I met two very extravagant and interesting ladies named Mad Maude and Ma-Dasa Hatter in their kitchen, in which they showed me how to make a healing potion and let me try few suspicious looking treats(they were all candies)! 

Then I wanted to take my turn looking like a royal in the high throne, which is sitting where it was said to be the gallery where knights/kings would listen to music playing and dance with lovely ladies. I also took a chance to represent ISU!! Go Redbirds!!

I got a few more interesting pictures of Bodiam castle, the one below is the gate entrance of Bodiam, which you can see is a large metal gate just sitting at the front of a long walkway over the moat, a beautiful entrance to this fortress!

Bodiam and shadow view over moat

I am also not sure what this well was used for but it seemed to be a drawback of the water from the moat, and did not have a roof above it, so maybe it was overflow for when the moat was low or for rain water to drain to keep the moat from getting to high.

I imagined though as I walked around this well held shark or Parana that would be another defense for the knights and kings to use for torture or protection of the property! 

Enjoy the pictures! Keep reading upcoming posts for more exciting new adventures!!