485:. The events in one room have been described as "one of the most well-organised ghostly scenarios anywhere". Room 16 (Elizabethan) was said to be the scene of a duel involving two men "of unknown date and origin" (although they have also been described as wearing "16th-century clothing"). After fighting through some of the nearby rooms, one of the men was killed, dragged into the adjacent room and thrown through a trapdoor into the dungeon below. Many unexplained light anomalies have been recorded in the middle of the night. On one occasion an employee was tending to the fireplace when all of the bottles on the bottle shelf at the other end of the room fell off; the experience caused him to resign. The ghost of a maid is said to be present in the inn; she was the girlfriend of one of the smugglers of the Hawkhurst Gang and was killed by his fellow gang members as they feared she knew too much and would expose them.
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284:(built 1390) in The Mint, a street which runs parallel to the north of Mermaid Street. A revolving cupboard at the end of the tunnel in the Olde Bell would then be used by the gang for a quick getaway. A resident of Rye remembered the smugglers as; "when the Hawkhurst Gang were at the height of their pride and insolence having seen them (after successfully running a cargo of goods on the seashore), seated at the windows of this house (the Mermaid) carousing and smoking their pipes, with their loaded pistols lying on the table before them; no magistrate daring to interfere with them".
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Mermaid Inn is described, by
William Holloway writing in the 19th century, as abutting on the south towards that street. The inn is situated on the north side of Mermaid street, and abutted to Middle Street towards the south. Other close by establishments, which were also used by the Hawkhurst Gang, included the London Trader Inn, the Flushing Inn, and the Olde Bell Inn.
180:, southeastern England. One of the best-known inns in southeast England, it was established in the 12th century and has a long, turbulent history. The current building dates from 1420 and has 16th-century additions in the Tudor style, but cellars built in 1156 survive. The inn has a strong connection with the notorious
324:, the inn functioned as a garrison for Canadian officers. It was later purchased by Mr L. Wilson, a Canadian, who had been garrisoned there. The Mermaid Inn had the honour of hosting a luncheon to Her Majesty the Queen Mother when she was named as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports during her visit to Rye in 1982.
204:
The
Mermaid Inn is located on Mermaid Street, which was once the town's main road. Mermaid street of present day, must have been the Middle street of 1670. Middle Street used to include the present Mermaid and Middle streets; in fact, the original Middle street was the present Mermaid street, as the
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There are 31 rooms, each of different design, spread over several floors. Eight bedrooms have 4-poster beds. The bathrooms are fitted with modern amenities. The ceiling has thick and dark teak wood beams while the windows are made of lead frames. Diamond-paned windows are situated at the back. The
451:(a freestanding basket grate intended to hold wood for the fireplace). Monogram, names and dates are carved on the stone fireplaces, including "1643", "1646", and "Loffelholtz". Some of the chairs are elaborately carved and were made from ships' timbers.
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identifies 1426 as the date. Some of the timber was taken from ships that had been broken up. The south-facing elevation, the oldest section apart from the cellars, has a five-window range to the upper storey and attic space above. The upper storey is
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By 1770, the building ceased functioning as an inn. By 1847, it was in use as a house and was owned by
Charles Poile; the yard at the back, through which there was a footway leading to High Street, was called the Mermaid Yard.
257:) inscribed in the oak-panelled "Syn's Lounge". Between 1550 and 1570, the Town Corporation organised many functions such as the "Sessions Dinner", the "Gentlemens Freeman's Dinner", "Mayoring Day" and the "Herring Feast".
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on 12 October 1951. This defines it as a "particularly important" building of "more than special interest". As of
February 2001, it was one of 75 Grade II* listed buildings, and 2,106 listed buildings of all grades, in
238:. It was a notable alehouse during medieval times, brewing its own ale and charging a penny a night for lodging. The inn became popular with sailors who came to the port of Rye, and the port also provided ships for the
184:
of smugglers, who used it in the 1730s and 1740s as one of their strongholds: Rye was a thriving port during this period. Some of the smugglers, their mistresses and other characters are reported to haunt the inn.
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In the 1420s, the inn was rebuilt but retained its cellars. It underwent further renovation in the 16th century, much of which remains today. Catholic priests who had fled from
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and cross-beams. The north-facing section, beyond courtyard, is also timber-framed but with brick facing and infilling. It rises to two storeys with two windows on each and a
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and embellished with decorations. The secret passages that existed in the inn have now been converted into fireplaces. The Giant's
Fireplace Bar features an
420:, and the section to the west extends over the entrance to the inner courtyard and former stable area. This overhang is supported on wooden columns with
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280:, but they used the Mermaid Inn as a secondary location. There are a myriad of secret tunnels, including one which ran from the cellars to the
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The history and antiquities of the ancient town and port of Rye, in the county of Sussex: With incidental notices of the Cinque Ports
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The cellars of the
Mermaid Inn date from 1156, believed to be the year that the original inn was built, or shortly afterwards:
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Rother
Country: a Short History and Guide to the River Rother in East Sussex, and the Towns and Villages near to the River
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and tiled building, with dark oak and carved stone chimney pieces, was constructed in the mid-15th century; the author of
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in which Rye is located. The
Mermaid Inn is presently owned by Judith Blincow and Robert Pinwill, who bought it in 1993.
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The inn functioned as a club in 1913, after it came under the ownership of May
Aldington, mother of the novelist
192:-winning restaurant serves British and French cuisine and features medieval-style artwork in the interior by the
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which used the premises during the 1730s and 1740s. This large group of smugglers controlled territory from
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fireplace which is supported by a beam that traverses the room. Other low panelled rooms, contain large
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651:"Mermaid House, The Mermaid Hotel, Mermaid Street (north side), Rye, Rother, East Sussex (1251961)"
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above. This, and the east and west ranges, are 16th- and 18th-century. The tiled roof has one
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The
Mermaid Inn is well known for its hauntings and has been subject to an investigation by
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identified them as 13th-century. In its original form, the building was constructed of
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escaping from the Reformation during 1530 stayed in the inn, which is testified by
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and infamous cobbled Mermaid Street leading to the inn. The film turned out to be
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369:'s last ever project, after he died in Mexico during production.
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In late 1982, the exterior of the inn was used in the post
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789:"Images of England – Statistics by County (East Sussex)"
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Architecture: A Monthly Magazine of Architectural Art
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300:. It was then a popular locale for many artists like
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264:The inn had a strong connection with the notorious
1222:Reportedly haunted locations in South East England
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196:. It has been owned by Judith Blincow since 1993.
176:located on Mermaid Street in the ancient town of
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862:. Time Out Guides. 2011. p. 149.
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1212:Grade II* listed pubs in East Sussex
833:. Longmans, Green and Co. pp.
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329:Mermaid House and The Mermaid Hotel
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1102:Morgan, James Dudley, ed. (1897).
883:Ditchfield, Peter Hampson (1910).
687:
656:National Heritage List for England
388:Passage leading from the courtyard
14:
1243:
1163:
1030:. Bob Chantler. GGKEY:RD76BJL3758
1122:The Buildings of England: Sussex
1067:. Alfriston: Snake River Press.
1048:. Alfriston: Snake River Press.
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144:Judith Blincow and Georgina Kite
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18:The Mermaid Inn (disambiguation)
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889:. E.P. Dutton and Co. pp.
827:Longman, Charles James (1905).
1207:1156 establishments in England
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1:
1232:Timber framed pubs in England
1108:. Vol. II. Talbot House.
546:. Mermaid Inn. Archived from
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919:. For Dummies. p. 235.
544:"History of the Mermaid Inn"
361:, alongside its neighboring
199:
7:
1098:(Now in the public domain.)
940:David Else (1 March 2009).
903:(Now in the public domain.)
886:Vanishing England: the book
847:(Now in the public domain.)
748:(Now in the public domain.)
458:
10:
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1082:Holloway, William (1847).
948:. Lonely Planet. pp.
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373:Architecture and fittings
346:local government district
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1044:Collins, Sophie (2007).
859:Time Out Kent and Sussex
738:. E. Stock. p. 1180
682:Nairn & Pevsner 1965
493:
194:Slade School of Fine Art
1143:Stuart, Donald (2005).
732:Boyne, William (1891).
435:The chimney is made of
1024:Chantler, Bob (2010).
801:. 2007. Archived from
765:. 2010. Archived from
476:
468:
331:, the Mermaid Inn was
312:'s "Bosie"), A.C. and
255:Jesus Hominum Salvator
1197:Hotels in East Sussex
913:Donald Olson (2008).
474:
466:
1227:East Sussex folklore
1088:. London: J.R. Smith
407:The black and white
115:50.95000°N 0.73139°E
16:For other uses, see
1182:Beer In The Evening
1063:Croot, Viv (2009).
1046:A Sussex Miscellany
916:England For Dummies
698:. Rye Castle Museum
306:Lord Alfred Douglas
111: /
76:General information
1202:Tudor architecture
830:Longman's magazine
805:on 23 October 2012
769:on 26 January 2013
759:"Listed Buildings"
477:
469:
320:. In 1945, during
247:Continental Europe
240:Cinque Ports Fleet
1124:. Harmondsworth:
1118:Pevsner, Nikolaus
1074:978-1-906022-14-3
1055:978-1-906022-08-2
959:978-1-74104-590-1
926:978-0-470-16561-4
869:978-1-84670-239-6
794:Images of England
694:Maddock, Sheila.
550:on 15 August 2011
298:Richard Aldington
259:Queen Elizabeth I
163:
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154:Structural system
149:Technical details
120:50.95000; 0.73139
68:Alternative names
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170:Grade II* listed
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1017:Bibliography
1002:. Retrieved
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985:Collins 2007
963:. Retrieved
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895:. Retrieved
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803:the original
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767:the original
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548:the original
482:Most Haunted
480:
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467:The pub sign
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353:Monty Python
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322:World War II
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282:Old Bell Inn
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1176:TripAdvisor
809:27 December
619:Stuart 2005
569:Morgan 1897
475:Dining room
358:Yellowbeard
314:E.F. Benson
310:Oscar Wilde
292:Later years
214:Early years
172:historical
118: /
93:Coordinates
85:East Sussex
1191:Categories
1114:Nairn, Ian
720:Croot 2009
588:, p.
489:References
449:dog grates
437:Caen stone
190:AA Rosette
1179:The Times
1174:Reviews:
441:inglenook
278:Hawkhurst
200:Geography
131:Completed
106:0°43′53″E
103:50°57′0″N
87:, England
1120:(1965).
649:(2011).
459:Haunting
422:brackets
81:Location
1092:21 July
1034:21 July
1004:21 July
965:22 July
944:England
897:23 July
841:23 July
773:21 July
742:23 July
702:21 July
662:24 July
554:21 July
418:jettied
236:plaster
209:History
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923:
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426:dormer
342:Rother
333:listed
274:Dorset
251:j.h.s.
494:Notes
445:Tudor
432:end.
430:gable
355:film
344:—the
168:is a
141:Owner
1149:ISBN
1130:ISBN
1094:2011
1069:ISBN
1050:ISBN
1036:2011
1006:2011
967:2011
954:ISBN
921:ISBN
899:2011
864:ISBN
843:2011
811:2012
775:2011
744:2011
704:2011
664:2011
556:2011
316:and
270:Kent
234:and
232:lath
222:and
188:The
136:1420
134:1156
952:–.
950:195
835:434
272:to
174:inn
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746:.
706:.
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