Kenneth Bird lives with his wife Margaret, his “rock” and greatest supporter, in the Citadel of Rye. He is a fount of amazing local and other knowledge, too, and was best-placed to start up Rye News ten years ago. But what about the private man behind the public face? Here are some answers to that question.
Where did you grow up, and what was your favourite subject at school?
I spent my early days living with my parents, two brothers and a sister in Chigwell in Essex. I attended a dame school in Wanstead, a walk and bus ride of about half an hour away, and then went as a boarder, aged nine, to Felsted School near Dunmow.
That was in the 1940s and 50s. Much teaching stress in those days was placed on rote learning, particularly in learning languages, and we used to recite Latin declensions and irregular verbs. I enjoyed the academic side of school with its mixture of co-operation and competition with the rest of the class.
What brought you to Rye and when did you come?
I came first to Rye aged fifteen at the start of a school cycling holiday, when we were setting off for a tour of Germany down the Rhine to Munich and Innsbruck. We stopped at a café at the bottom of Mermaid Street, “the most beautiful street in the world”, we were told. Thirty-five years later, my wife Margaret and I were beginning to think that we needed a change from looking after our five-acre smallholding in Moreton, Essex. We had been there twenty-six years and seen the children grow up with our various animals and ready to leave home. We were taking our daughter to an adventure holiday based at Folkestone and decided to use our Sketchley Cleaners’ tokens to book a room at the Flackley Ash Hotel. Margaret had been to school in Rye, so it was a sort of homecoming when we decided to look for a house here in the town. That was in 1987 and here we are, thirty-seven years later.
What is it about Rye that you love?
On our first night here after the great storm, there was a power cut and all the street lamps were out. We wandered through the town in a magical atmosphere of centuries past. We have always loved old buildings and Rye spoke to us then as it still does today. Coupled with that is the real community life we have enjoyed together here. One of the pleasures of volunteering, and we have both done our share, is that one meets many other people from different walks of life. Going down the High Street always involves meeting and greeting friends and acquaintances and it is a very friendly place to be.
You must have seen some changes in the years that you have lived here: what have been the most significant?
We have lost and continue to lose so many good, quality retail outlets. When we arrived there was everything one needed available from local shops, several grocers and butchers, clothing and hardware shops of all descriptions, including an electricity showroom. The Budgens superstore had recently opened and the new pattern of shopping was taking its toll on traditional retail outlets. We have lost our best antique shops and second-hand bookshops but we have managed to keep our library though.
What is your pet hate?
Having served ten years on the Conservation Society, I have become aware of the importance of the public realm or streetscape in the life of any community. Throughout Britain, we have seen wanton damage and destruction across the whole infrastructure of our public domain. In Rye, shop windows have been smashed, benches and playgrounds vandalised and refuse thrown down thoughtlessly. My pet hate would be dog-poo bags tied to fences where people walk in the open air. We need as a society to nurture a more engaged sense of space.
Where is your favourite place, either somewhere on your travels from the past or more recently?
We have enjoyed our travels throughout the Middle East, visiting archaeological sites, studying earlier civilisations and modern-day life in Iran, Syria and eastern Anatolia. But coming home to Rye always brings the greatest pleasure.
What three words describe you?
I don’t like labels. A lifetime’s experience can scarcely be condensed into three words. How about: conscientious, loyal and peace-maker?
The first two are rather pedestrian but redeemed by the third. My Quaker faith has underpinned much of whom I am. If it is possible to be objective, having lived with this person for nearly ninety years, I should say I know myself fairly well, though not perhaps as others see me. If I have a favourite image, it is of the wandering minstrel with a song in his heart. His world is in a mess, but it can only get better.

Would Margaret agree with those words or would she have different ones?
You’d better ask her!
And indeed she was asked:
Kindly, a great support to me and generous of spirit
How and when did you meet Margaret?
It was the coffee bar era in the UK in the 1950s and 60s when young people would socialise after work. We used to meet as a group of young professional people in a local pub in Peterborough. Talks and outings would be arranged; I remember a visit to the local electricity power station and the crematorium. Some of us joined a psychology class run by a formidable lady who worked with inmates at Holloway Prison in London and gave a series of lectures to us in Peterborough. It was at that class that Margaret and I met, back in 1962.
If you could live your life again, what career path might you have taken?
I wouldn’t want anything different. I’ve had a wonderful life and at its various turning points I have always had Margaret beside me to pick up clues and give encouragement in the decisions we jointly made together. When I was working for my father during an unsettled period of life it was Margaret, scanning the pages of the daily newspaper, who saw the advertisement for a company secretary, based in Harlow Essex, only six miles away from home. I got the job and continued as a company legal adviser for nearly twenty-seven years. It was a wonderful company to work with.
Who is the most interesting person you have ever met?
Despite my quarrel with my father, he was probably the most interesting person, though I have only got to appreciate him more fully after his death. He was complex in character, a product of his upbringing, full of maxims inherited from his father like, “No work is ever wasted”, “Make time work for you” etc. He was possessive, resourceful, and determined to get on, always to get on regardless. He preferred writing copious notes rather than openly discussing problems in our relationship. I am glad I broke free when I did, again with Margaret’s help.
Is there anything left on your bucket list?
Distant horizons are no longer an option, so my sights are set much closer home. I would wish to see the work-in-progress through to the end, meeting the challenges of each day with a joyful sense of commitment. I am sharing the journey with a wonderful lot of people not just in Rye and am grateful for the companionship and support of marvellous family and friends.
Lastly, what legacy do you think you leave behind?
Now this really is sounding like an obituary. There are so many community activities in Rye which I have had a hand in starting, many of them still strong and active after ten or more years, like Rye News. I have been a part of that volunteering spirit that sets Rye apart from many towns and villages of similar size. I am happy to have been one link in the chain.
Image Credits: Kt bruce , Col Everett .
Kenneth, thank you for sharing your life story and for the many good things you have supported in and around Rye. We need more good people like you.
Thank you Kenneth for sharing your Rye life and past experiences. One of the highlights for Peter and I was visiting your lovely home and enjoying afternoon tea before touring your amazing garden. Kenneth and Margaret – you are pillars of the Rye community!
What a wonderful piece from KT which gives a true picture to us about Kenneth, his life and the many contributions he made to RYE.
Very glad Kenneth our paths have crossed in your various commitments locally.