Rye Castle Museum

Heritage listing

Details A defensive tower, most likely built as a component part of the Rye town defences between 1329 and the end of the C14. The tower was damaged during an air raid in 1942 and required repair in the 1950s. It was the subject of major repairs and restoration in 1996-7 with further alterations and repairs in 2005-7. The tower has been the subject of archaeological analysis, particularly internally, by Martin & Martin (2007) and the following is therefore a summary only. MATERIALS Ypres Tower is built of iron-stained sandstone coursed rubble masonry with evidence that this was once rendered or covered in a wash. Its ashlar dressings include ironstone and Caen stone. The internal walls were limewashed with some evidence of render at the ground floor. PLAN The tower is oriented on a NW to SE alignment but for simplicity the cardinal compass points will be used in the following description (ie as though the entrance elevation is to the N rather than the NW). The tower is square in plan, with projecting ¾ round towers at each of its four corners, and sits forward (to the S) of the line of the former town wall. Access is through a town-side (N) elevation ground floor doorway which is protected by a portcullis. In the C19 a further external doorway was created in the centre of the basement’s west wall. The tower is of three storeys – a basement, ground floor and first floor – but the fall of the land from N to S is such that the tower’s ground floor is at the first floor level of the S elevation. Access between the floors was via a spiral staircase in the NE tower but the basement is now (2016) reached by an inserted staircase of 1959. Room dimensions are from Martin & Martin (2007, 3): the basement measures 15’11’’ square (4.85m square) and is 7’8’’ (c2.35m) high; the groun

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.