There’s so much to recommend about living in Rye, but how would you sell our town to someone thinking of moving here? For Col Everett the Kino is top of her list, but the less said about the scavenging seagulls the better.
I was asked very earnestly the other day by an old friend and lover of Rye to give a few pros and cons of living here, as he was attempting to persuade his parents to come on in and retire here.
It really set me thinking about proper priorities. Not just the beauty of the place and closeness of everything, but what exactly makes it all worthwhile and such fun.
After a lot of argy-bargy in my mind, the Kino came out top. As a family we have battled our way and our bank balance to go to the Royal Opera House for opera and ballets – not frequently but religiously, in a vain effort to turn our farmyard children into culturally aware beings. And here on our collective doorstep, the Kino with its three screens, bar, comfort, warmth and every possible luxury, brings ballet, opera and all the current films right to us. Along with other wonderful special art events.
For example, live streamed from the Royal Opera House last night was the fabulous and mad production of The Magic Flute which attracted just about a full joyful house. We all went home full of music and magic, conscious that it had been a flawless evening very well spent. And all so ridiculously close to home. Also from the New York Met on 2 May, a live streamed performance of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. So unbearably romantic. Not to mention three cracking live performances from The National Theatre – including Les Liaisons Dangereuses, with our topless Aiden Turner from Poldark taking the lead!
I didn’t want to batter my friend with too much, but I had to mention that in the citadel you get full benefit of church bells. St Mary’s (before morning service on Sundays starting at about 10.15) with a practice on Thursday evenings. And at the Roman Catholic church in Watchbell Street the bells strike the hour which is lovely to hear (although they silence them at night). This is such an atavistic sound and I feel it’s in all our souls.
I did also mention that if you walk in any direction for about 200 or 300 yards you will come to open country or open water, making the town seem satisfactorily small, compact and strangely rural… very comforting for ex-farmers and gardeners.
Ah, speaking of gardeners, the extraordinary number of fabulous, small, secret gardens (as show-cased on Monday mornings 11 to noon; see below for the contact list) is astonishing. Eat your heart out London.
I could go on, but in trying to think of some real cons my husband didn’t help at all.
Badly laid, wobbly pavements to bring even the fittest down. “Well, we all come here to look after our elders and betters and then die.”
What about the government in 1974 taking away all our money-making and other assets from Rye Town Council, giving up those assets of our ancient Cinque Port to be ruled by Rother District Council in Bexhill. “That’s political and not germane to the issue say I.”
Wretched squawking seagulls emptying our bins all over the streets. “Yes, but some people love them.”
Trains that don’t sync with the London trains out of Ashford. “Well at least we have a station.”
Tourists who step out in front of the car. “Just leave in good time, and drive slowly and wave at them.”
In the hope that the massive pros, along with a hundred others, far out-weigh the small insignificant cons, I submitted this to my chum.
What would you add to the list?
To find out more about what’s on at Rye Kino call 01797 226293 or https://www.kinodigital.co.uk/rye
For more about Rye Open Gardens get in touch with Col Everett on 07850 219956 or email colkins@btinternet.com
Rye News invites letters and opinions from readers on all aspects of local life. If you would like to write for us email info@ryenews.org.uk
Image Credits: Col Everett .
For me the pros are topped by everything summed up in the word “community”. Saying hello to people you pass in the street; all the amazing residents who work tirelessly to make Rye better; all the ways you can work or play in the company of others. The church at Christmas or on Remembrance Sunday, or the Hub on Rye Hill on a busy Friday morning. The fact that the Hub exists at all.
The second big thing is being able to see green fields from my window or even from the top of the town. Six months living in the country when I was a child had me longing for that sight for the next forty years of suburbia, and I will never grow tired of it.
The third is Rye’s love of culture: not just the Kino (which is totally brilliant) but all the festivals, the art exhibitions, the choir concerts, the craft shows . . . a town full of talented and generous people.
Your “cons” are pretty much the same as mine. I would add the very small percentage of visitors who don’t respect the town, its businesses, and its residents.
And may I add one “oddity” — the way certain sounds can be heard ALL over the town. This has its advantages — we hear the church bells quite well in Valley Park, and I used to love hearing Donny the donkey bray. Emergency vehicle sirens, roaring motorbike engines, and train horns are less welcome, but they’re not annoying enough to be called “cons”.
You’ve mentioned the trains, but if one is delayed or cancelled and you need to catch the connection at Ashford, that messes up your whole timetable. And I’ve lost count of the amount of times when returning to Rye we’ve been stranded at Ashford. Far too many coffee shops have opened lately. And Mapp & Lucia are alive and kicking. People seem to soon get to know all of your business. It’s also a very damp town presumably connected to the marshes. You feel the chill, like walking into a fridge, when the train doors open. But it is a very special place, and there are no alternatives aesthetically which has beaches not too far away.
For me there are few ” cons” i dont even regard having the train horns sound or the inevitable wait when level crossing gates closed but i guess having a lack of certain shops is one . Hopefully even this may be resolved if we get Aldi .
Upsides community activities and a general friendliness about tje plsce as well as obvious beauty of the old town .Closeness to sea and plenty of beaches and nature all around …
For me I have to say that I love being within a bike ride of great locations. Coast. Marsh. Inland to Bewl Water for some nice hills!! Dungeness for seafood at the shack on the beach. Love riding the tracks around Rye Harbour. The town is beautiful, but after 9 years I have to say the night life has plummeted. Restaurants not as impressive as when we moved here. Miss the Tuscan!! Pubs are dull. Most close early if no customers. Some only open a few days a week. (Ypres). January to March it’s like a graveyard. In saying that I don’t believe the locals support their pubs enough. Don’t use them and you’ll lose them. Obviously thats not the case with the brilliant Waterworks. Thankfully I work from home, but I used to commute to London and it was a nightmare. I agree that the Kino is a gem.
How beautifully you put it Col..a proper love letter to Rye is hard to write, but easy to feel. Thank you for your words. One visit to Rye and Sagar and I were hooked. That was more than twenty-five years ago! We’ve been living here near on fifteen years now.
Robert, we have just enjoyed a lovely evening at the Standard Inn. The pub was buzzing, as it has been all year. Perhaps the delicious food and fine wine help but I think the friendly welcome by the lovely staff create the fantastic atmosphere that people love and want to come back to. This evening the Standard was similar to how it was in January and February and March and I know from experience it will be the same in October and November, and throughout the year. If you are there next Tuesday I will treat you to a drink.
Jacques and I regularly have to pinch ourselves, such is our disbelief that we’ve been lucky enough to live in Rye. Little did we think when we visited from Canada in 1977 to visit my uncles who lived here that we would one day be retiring here. Too many pros to mention and only one con: holiday destinations tend to pale in comparison!
I feel truly blessed to live in Rye within reach of both glorious countryside and the southern coastline of our homeland. The town is small enough to embrace a closeknit community where we know and care about each other. There are several churches in and around Rye, each reflecting the Christian commitment to a love for one’s neighbour as for one’s own self. This goes some way to explaining the lovely kindness we all encounter each day in the town we know as home.
Great to see so many pros and few cons to living in Rye. Other pros include the George, the Lookout and others which bring many visitors to Rye supporting our local economy, our brilliant fish market, nature reserve, strawberry picking at Tibbs Farm, arguably the best grass tennis courts outside Wimbledon, and one of the most highly rated golf courses in the UK – to name a few!
Gosh!! Thank you to everyone who connected with the Pros and Cons article.
I’m convinced that being grateful for our situation in life is very good for our mental health …. Pretty grim expression, but very fashionable atm!
I don’t think anyone has mentioned the Kino…we are so lucky to have it! Not many small towns of our size have such a wonderful asset.