It was the secret everybody knew about. The Queen’s visit to Rye on Thursday, May 16 had been speculated about for weeks.
Plenty of gossip. Lots of piecing details together. Who’s meeting who? Where? When? Plus queries about coping with the traffic on market day, worries about where the helicopter would land, and fears for royal heels on our town’s slippery cobbles.
It was a special day for our town. The rain that started the day eventually cleared and the first official royal visit to Rye in decades was glorious.
With hundreds of people and children from Rye Primary School waiting patiently outside the church, news broke that the Queen’s helicopter had landed on the Salts just after 1pm. Those waiting by Rye Cricket Club had the first glimpse as she was driven into town.
As the visit had not been officially announced locals were joined by bemused tourists keen to see what the fuss was about. Also in attendance a dozen or so reporters and cameramen from the press, all hoping for the best photo.
The Queen arrived at the town hall to be greeted by the school children on the path up to the church. She stopped to chat, posing for photos and collecting flowers in spite of the heavy rain, before heading into St Mary’s.
Revd Paul White welcomed the Queen into our church. In a nod to a previous royal visit when Queen Elizabeth I came to town 450 years ago he asked Her Majesty whether she would declare Rye Royal. She enthusiastically agreed to loud cheers. “We’ll have to change the road signs!” said the rector.
Stopping briefly to talk to Mayor Andy Stuart, the Queen then moved on to talk to some of the local people who make a big difference to our community. Among them volunteers from Mother’s Union, RNLI, Royal British Legion, Rye Arts Festival and the Royal Voluntary Service of which Her Majesty is patron.
She also met Tabby and Josh Cole from Rye Pottery representing the town’s creative industries who were pleased to hear The Queen declare “I love Rye Pottery.” Tabby explained “She was so enthusiastic about the pottery and apologised for not having the time to visit. She was charming and made time for everyone. A real twinkle in her eye.”
A chance as well to meet the bell ringers who welcomed the Queen into St Mary’s. She specifically asked to hear the bells said Judith Blincow one of the 13 ringers,. “I’ve never rung the bells so hard or for so long.”
After thanking Her Majesty, Revd White looked back on her visit to St Mary’s telling Rye News. “It ‘s a once in a life time occasion. I was delighted to welcome the Queen. She was warm, friendly, and full of good humour. It was a bit daunting with all the etiquette and remembering everyone’s names, but it was a real joy to speak to her.
Leaving the church, the Queen made the short walk to Lamb House and the reason for the visit – to find out more about Rye’s literary history in the former home of Henry James, Rumer Godden and EF Benson. The skies had cleared and the rain stopped to allow the garden party to continue outside. The Queen listened as excerpts from Benson’s Mapp and Lucia novels were read out by actors Timothy West and Hayley Mills and was delighted to talk to one of the actors from the iconic television adaptations of his work – Prunella Scales.
You can read more about the visit to Lamb House and her meeting with National Trust volunteers elsewhere in Rye News.
Just after 3pm the Royal visit came to an end, with the crowds waving enthusiastically as Her Majesty’s car drove down Mermaid Street and off to catch the helicopter giving the Queen a final view of Rye as she flew over at 3:30pm.
We’ll have more about the Royal visit in next week’s Rye News when we will hear from more local people who met The Queen. If you took a photo, do get in touch. We’ll be awarding a prize for the best photo of the day. Our email is info@ryenews.org.uk.
Image Credits: Peter Connock , James Stewart , Susan Desrosiers , Jen Hannon , Kim Rye .