Susie and David Nelson opened their garden at Hartshorn House in Mermaid Street on Saturday June 2 in aid of Rye, Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital .
It was a beautiful mix of specific flowerbeds, small areas of mixed flowers where bees happily buzzed around and a fabulous acer (Japanese maple) in the middle of the lawn. Various nooks and crannies had seating areas in which wonderful cakes were served with coffee and tea.
A committed group of volunteers organised by the Friends of the hospital provided the tea and served visitors. The amount raised for the hospital was £1,115 and £275 worth of raffle tickets were sold.
The house, a half-timbered Tudor building with three overhanging gables, used to be the Old Hospital in Mermaid Street because of its service in that capacity during the Napoleonic wars. In earlier times it was called Hartshorn House and was given to Samuel Jeake II as part of the dowry on his marrying the young Elizabeth Hartshorn, and became generally known as Jeake’s House.
He was not happy there, thinking the house was full of spirits and once he became prosperous, planned to build a wool store building on the other side of the street which is now the Jeake’s House bed and breakfast, the former Jeake’s House having reverted to its original name of Hartshorn House.
Photos: Heidi Foster, main image Kenneth Bird