Rye Castle Museum (Ypres Tower)

Over het museum

The Ypres Tower is a fortified tower at the top of the old town of Rye, one of the Cinque Ports. Nobody knows exactly when it was built, but there has probably been a lookout and fortification here for a very long time, and documents from the 13th century discuss building a castle on the site. In 1430 it was sold to John de Iprys, whose name later became the name of the tower, and less than a century later the town bought it back and used it as a court hall. It also served as a prison for a long period, and extra cells were added in the 19th century.

In the prison exercise yard a garden has been planted with herbs used in medieval times, and at its far end stands the Women's Tower, a prison built in 1837 specially for female inmates after the reformer Elizabeth Fry lectured in Rye. The lower floor served as the town mortuary from 1891 to 1959. The tower, garden and Women's Tower together are known as Rye Castle.

Rye had a small museum from the late 1920s, but after the Second World War the collection was rehoused and in the 1950s the Ypres Tower became its home. It is now the main site of Rye Castle Museum, run by the charity Rye Museum Association. Its exhibits cover prisons, smuggling, armaments and the military history of the town.

Hoogtepunten

• The medieval Ypres Tower, a scheduled monument
• Exhibits on prisons, smuggling, armaments and the military
• The medieval herb garden
• The Women's Tower, a purpose-built women's prison of 1837
• Views over the Gun Garden and the old town

Vaste collectie

• The Ypres Tower collections – Exhibits on prisons, smuggling, armaments and the military, plus medieval pottery and town maps, in the tower, its garden and the Women's Tower.

Beheerder

Rye Museum Association

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Admission to the tower is £5 for adults. The museum's second site in East Street has free entry and is open at weekends from April to October.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: niet aanwezig
• Aangepast toilet: niet aanwezig
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The Ypres Tower is a scheduled monument with uneven floors, low doorways, uneven steps and no lift, so it is a difficult visit for people with accessibility needs. Wheelchair access is limited to the ground floor, which has an entrance ramp, and a virtual tour is available near the desk. The Women's Tower in the garden is down a flight of steep steps. There are no toilets in the tower; public toilets are in the Gun Garden nearby. Seating is available in the museum garden and in the Gun Garden. Guide dogs are permitted in all areas, although the stairs may be difficult for some dogs.

Kinderen & gezin

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The tower is in the Gun Garden, up the hill past St Mary's Church. The East Street site of the museum is a short walk away.

Service & horeca

• Museumwinkel

Books on Rye and its history and souvenirs are sold at the museum. Dogs are welcome at the discretion of the steward.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Je bezoek plannen