Last Sunday, the owners of The Mermaid Inn celebrated thirty years of stewardship of a building rich in history which has provided hospitality ever since it was rebuilt in 1420. Sunday was a time for celebration and reflection with over seventy family and friends.
Judith Blincow and Georgina Kite received so many wonderful messages of congratulations in cards, letters and on social media.
Judith and Georgina tell the story
It all began on June 11, 1993 when Robert Pinwill and Judith Blincow remortgaged their houses and took out loans in order to secure the purchase of The Mermaid through a process of closed bids. Sadly, Bob Pinwill passed away in 2012, since when his daughter Georgina has picked up the responsibility of ownership.
Emerging successfully from the process the next thirty years have seen The Mermaid grow her reputation, achieving two AA rosettes for fine dining in each of the past eleven years and expanding the building to incorporate additional rooms and a larger function room with a second kitchen.
As the business has grown, the focus on stewardship has ensured The Mermaid has retained all of her historic charms. The images on display at the party and on social media reflect the care that has been taken. An image of the lobby from 1910 has the same furniture and decorative items as today.
The Mermaid has fought through many challenges over the centuries, most recently the pandemic when it became the family homes of Judith and Georgina, who undertook to never leave her unattended. They continued to nurture her in the way she has become accustomed over the last thirty years. She even became a hub of home-schooling: what better place to have an online history lesson!
These years have been underpinned by a loyal and hardworking staff, some of whom have shared the story for so many years and are very much part of The Mermaid’s allure which bring so many people to Rye, and then to return again over the years.
A quick scan of the visitor’s book this past week reflects the Mermaid’s allure…
“We first stayed here over 40 years ago – our first weekend away together! Great to be back.”
“Back to The Mermaid Inn after 46 years, still a great place to stay.”
“Beautiful historic house, privileged to visit.”
“Your hotel is amazing and your staff too! Loved it very much! Thank you!!”
With visitors from all over the world, in the last month The Mermaid has welcomed guests from Chile, Canada, Australia, Japan, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy, USA. The list is endless.
Lorraine and Simon Parsons were among the guests and Lorraine said: “I was delighted to attend the celebration. As a school girl in 1975 I had a weekend / holiday job there as a chambermaid. It is a wonderful old building and so beautifully preserved. We always used to be a little nervous in some of the rooms thought to be haunted and a lot of the time scared each other by telling stories of sightings! Long may it thrive!”
Neale East was another guest, commenting: “I was honoured to have played a small part in the Mermaid story over the past thirty years. Judith, Georgie and team have always looked after me and my family so well. We have so many happy memories, including our memorable, themed, steam-punk wedding in 2019! The Mermaid has hosted many functions over the years that I have been involved with, including Rye’s Remembrance Day civic lunches, Rye Bonfire dinners, auction of promises and many quizzes. The Mermaid is so supportive of the Rye community. Congratulations to all, a big thank you to all staff: I raise a glass to the next thirty years!”
The wonderful cake was made by Elise. Judith said: “Elise is lovely and makes us Mermaid things for Christmas, so I thought she was the perfect person to make the cake for us for Sunday.”
Thirty years have made The Mermaid a place for family and friends to make special memories.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .
Well done Judith and Georgina ! Here’s to the next 30 years of solid stewardship of the beloved Mermaid .
R and R Williams