Herbert G Gasson is a name which has been around in Rye for a very, very long time and for the time being at least it can still be seen on the fascia of his shop in 9 Lion Street, Rye, a former high-end antiques business which has been in the family for many years.
The late Tim Booth started working in the Herbert G Gasson antique shop in 1969, and remained in the shop up until his death in 2022. He specialised in early English oak and is described by his cousin, David Gasson, as having “an encyclopaedic knowledge of antiques”.
David’s great uncle Bert founded the shop and was thought to be one of nine children of David’s great grandfather – HG Gasson. He was a very successful businessman, philanthropist and, at the turn of the last century, a former mayor of Rye.
Nothing lasts for ever, even in Rye and a recent planning application (RR/2024/1743/P)
on behalf of the owners of the adjacent George Hotel has been submitted to Rother District Council in the hope that they are able to extend their guest accommodation to provide additional bedrooms.
The proposal comprises the part conversion and extension of the building to create eight en-suite hotel rooms (class C1), serving as an extension of the George Hotel. The proposal would retain the front part of the ground floor as retail (class E).
Interestingly enough and according to the agents acting for the applicant “the building is not listed, but it lies within the Rye conservation area. Both adjoining buildings at the George Hotel and 8 Lion Street are grade II listed.”
Being free of a listing status should make life simpler for the applicants with a few less hoops to jump through and the planners have set a date of November 27 when they hope to be able to confirm whether the application has been approved or rejected.
Image Credits: Nick Forman .
The old George was the right size and the present one is too large in my opinion. Any larger will be too visually dominant and unsuitable for Rye.
Good luck to our largest hotel in the town and their expansion plans, which proves what a great job they are doing, needing more accommodation for visitors too stay, at this grand hotel.