RYE, East Sussex – England’s Town of Smugglers & Mermaids

RYE, East Sussex – England’s Town of Smugglers & Mermaids

Explore Rye, East Sussex, one of England’s most atmospheric medieval towns, famous for Mermaid Street, the Mermaid Inn, and its long history of smugglers, raids and coastal legends. In this vlog I walk through Rye’s cobbled lanes, medieval gateways, Ypres Tower, St Mary’s Church and the old harbour landscape to uncover how this small town became England’s Town of Smugglers & Mermaids.
—
Hi everyone! In this video, I explore the beautiful town of Rye in East Sussex, one of the most historic places on England’s south coast. Rye sits where the rivers Rother, Tillingham and Brede meet, and although the sea now lies almost two miles away, it was once a major medieval harbour. Medieval maps show the town on the edge of a vast inlet known as the Rye Camber, which created a sheltered harbour and made Rye a natural maritime hub.

When the Domesday survey was compiled in 1086, Rye had nearly two hundred households, already an important settlement. For centuries it lived by fishing, shipbuilding and coastal trade, and its name likely comes from an old West Saxon word meaning “island.” Before Henry II died in 1189, Rye and Winchelsea were granted the same privileges as the original five Cinque Ports — Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich — becoming the two Ancient Towns of the confederation.

Rye’s fortunes rose and fell with conflict and the shifting coastline. After coming under English control in 1247, the town began building serious defences. The 1300s were dramatic: Rye supplied ships for the Crown, acted as a royal dockyard, and suffered a devastating French raid in 1377, which burned much of the town.

I begin the vlog at the train station and walk up Cinque Ports Street to the Landgate, the only surviving medieval gateway, built around 1329 during the early years of Edward III’s reign when Rye was strengthening its defences against threats from across the Channel. One of the Landgate’s biggest modern problems isn’t invaders but pigeons — you’ll see what I mean.

From there I head towards St Mary’s. A service was underway, so I explored the cobblestone streets and churchyard. I talk about the 1377 raid, when the French stole the church bells. The men of Rye and Winchelsea launched a counter‑raid across the Channel, recovered the bells, and even brought back goods taken in earlier attacks — a story that feels like legend but is rooted in fact.

Ypres Tower is one of Rye’s oldest buildings. First known as Baddings Tower, it was built in the mid‑13th century as part of the town’s defences during long‑running conflict with France. In 1430 it passed to John de Ypres, giving it the name it still carries today. During Henry VIII’s coastal defence programme, an artillery battery called the Gun Garden was built beside it, later rearmed for the Spanish Armada and again during the 18th‑century wars with France. As late as 1830, the battery still mounted eighteen guns.

Over time, storms, silting, changes in the River Rother and deliberate land reclamation pushed the shoreline further away, leaving Rye inland and reshaping its harbour.

I then walk towards Mermaid Street and talk about Rye’s smuggling history. As ships grew larger and deeper harbours elsewhere took over long‑distance trade, Rye’s fortunes faded. Fishing remained important, but smuggling — especially the illegal export of wool, known as “owling” — became central to local life. By the eighteenth century, contraband tea, brandy and tobacco flowed through the town. The most feared group on this coast was the Hawkhurst Gang, active from the 1730s to the 1740s, who often drank at the Mermaid Inn.

Next, I explore Lamb House, built in 1722 and later home to writers Henry James and E. F. Benson, whose Mapp and Lucia novels were inspired by the house and garden. I then visit St Mary’s Church and climb the tower for one of the best views in Rye.

The vlog ends with more of High Street, Mint Street and the Strand, where I talk about Rye’s trading history and storehouses before heading back to the station.

I hope you enjoy this vlog on Rye! Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and leave a COMMENT.

Happy exploring!
Willie

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:38 Map
0:45 Orientation & Key Facts
2:43 Cinque Ports Street
6:37 Landgate
9:01 Lookout points
11:32 High Street
15:41 Walking to St. Mary’s
17:49 Church yard
20:43 Cobblestone street
23:19 Ypres Tower
25:32 Gun Garden
28:07 Walk to Mermaid Street feat. Smuggling
34:43 Mermaid Street feat. Mermaid Inn
41:14 Lamb House
43:03 St. Mary’s Church
46:34 St. Mary’s Tower
51:48 More town centre
58:29 Strand
59:11 Close