As part of the Railway 200 celebrations of 200 years of the modern railway, Rye Heritage Centre has opened an exhibition, All Change Please – the rise and fall of Rye’s railways, on the history of the railway in Rye and the line that has linked Hastings and Rye to Ashford and beyond, since 1851.
At the opening event on Friday, July 18 Simon Parsons, the manager of the Rye Heritage Centre, welcomed the guests including mayor and mayoress Andy and Niki Stuart, and explained why the centre was putting on this exhibition.
“We don’t normally make a fuss of launching our exhibitions, but this is the first time we’ve linked into a national celebration. Public passenger-carrying railways were launched 200 years ago and events are going on all over the country to celebrate and we wanted to do something to celebrate the coming of the railway to Rye in 1851.”
After a few words from the mayor, highlighting the important role that the heritage centre plays in preserving the wonderful Rye town model and telling the story of Rye, the exhibition was pronounced open by Paul Goring, the town crier.
Upstairs, the story of the railway and its impact on the history, economy and community of the town is told through well-researched and fascinating text and fun fact bubbles, historical photographs, books and rail ephemera including a wonderful Visit Rye and Hastings poster by Reginald Lander advertising the Southern line (on loan from Rye Castle Museum).
A fun finishing touch to the curved display is a single model train, travelling around a track and crossing over a bridge above people’s heads.
As part of his opening speech, Simon Parsons thanked the people who had helped to stage the exhibition. “I wanted to make special mention of this year’s two work experience students who provided a great deal of help, with enthusiasm, to the creative process – Rosie and Corin.”
The two students loved their time at the centre. Corin, from Rye College, helped to prepare the information, photos and images for display and prepared the track for the model train. “I’m interested in history and want to be a history or geography teacher. I’ve learnt a lot and am really proud of the exhibition.”
Rosie, a sixth form student from a school in Ashford, is also very interested in history and the work at the centre has helped her learn new skills. She feels very lucky to have had the opportunity to contribute. “I helped with the research, writing and design of the text. I used books as well as documents and a newspaper article from the opening in 1851. I really appreciated the freedom I was given in this as well as working with others, particularly manager’s assistant, Penny Bruce and volunteer Sally Walker.”
The exhibition runs from July 19 – September 30. Open to the public, no booking required.
Rye Heritage Centre, Strand Quay, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7AY. Email:info@ryeheritage.co.uk
Image Credits: Juliet Duff , James Stewart .
Had it not been for a big campaign and protests by regular commuters to keep the Ashford-Hastings line open from Dr Beeching’s fearful cutting shears, there might not be a Rye Station now!
Thank you protestors!
I still remember participating in a protest march in Rye in the late nineteen-sixties against a proposed closure of the line. The march ended up on the Town Salts where there were a number of spirited speeches. Much was made of the absence of Sir Briant Godman-Irving, the then local Tory MP, who had been invited. My London flatmate and I were very proud when our angry letter condemning his absence made the front page of the local ‘rag’ the following week!
Thanks Rye News for this excellent write up and thank you for the comments about the Beeching cuts – we cover this in our exhibition and would love to add personal memories or photographs of the protest actions to our archive – if you’d like to come in for a chat or if you’d like to submit your story please drop an email to info@ryeheritage.co.uk
The exhibition will run until the end of September when the content will be moved to our archive, when time allows it will also be made available on our website