Thursday 26 September 2013

The Mermaid Inn, Rye (Pt. 1), East Sussex

I have a reason for pushing this post to the front of the pile
During our recent couple of nights away after our house church weekend, we spent the day in Rye and met a delightful couple from the U.S.A.
They liked the idea of being on my blog so that they could show the photos to friends back home


Rye is a quaint medieval town and a delight to walk around. I will be sharing it with you in future posts
For this post we are going to be concentrating on The Mermaid Inn
Note it was re-built in 1420







Having walked around we decided to have lunch in the inn


Not the restaurant, but the Smugglers Snug almost under the fireplace


This door in the corner leads to what was a secret passage


Alan ordering and note the Hops hanging from  the ceiling


We are now right inside the fireplace and the gaping hole half way up was a priests hiding place



I am just showing pictures randomly as I wandered round waiting for our order
The entrance hall with picture gallery of famous people over the years


The inner courtyard




The Mermaid is a hotel too and here we see one of the staircases



See the ancient clock on the left


Before we arrived we had decided to order fish and chips for lunch.
The greatest crispy batter and succulent Haddock, caught today
accompanied with a pot of Mushy Peas dressed with herbs, a very delicious Caper Sauce and half a Lemon tied up in muslin with a pretty bow
The special paper that lines the basket takes one back to childhood when fish and chips were served in the fish and chip shops wrapped in newspaper (a greaseproof paper around the food)


Now this is Bruce & Becky Milne from Wisconsin with whom we shared a pleasant hour or so
Hi! Bruce and Becky - nice to see you again!


The infinity mirror in the ladies room




The restaurant now closed till evening


Photographs of some of the famous people who have stayed here 



Now the Queen Mother who would not have stayed here because of security did make a visit and other members of the Royal Family


The Silver cabinet


Hope you enjoyed your visit. The fish and chips were delicious, the chips so crisp on the outside and soft on the inside
Hosting a conference at church this weekend so will be away from computer for a few days.
for anyone interested




20 comments:

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

Another old lovely and well kept place to visit. I do love fish and chips and now you've got my mouth watering for some.

Terri said...

Oh the stories that Mermaid could tell...
Thanks for the tour.
Hugs

Bernideen said...

This year I have had many customers in my shop from England and also known quite a few Americans visiting England............but not me.........sigh!

Anonymous said...

What an interesting place. I really enjoyed looking through your pics, and how nice that you met the couple from Wisconsin, they look like they were enjoying their visit.

Elizabethd said...

Another of your fascinating places to visit. How pleasant to meet 'friends' from USA, I'm sure you were able to tell them a lot of local history.

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

That is a wonderful old place; thank you for the tour. Your meal looks delicious too; I'm hungry for some good fish and chips!

Vee said...

Caught Becky in an earlier photo. It looked as if she might be questioning the size of her lunch, which looked so delicious. You know how I love haddock...hmmmm... What does the picture above the fireplace signify? The chubby babes clogging away.

Cathy said...

What a fabulous place! I've bookmarked it in case we ever make it over there.

Lorrie said...

What a fascinating history the Mermaid could tell. The priest's hole is especially interesting - what if someone lit a fire? Yikes!
I love fish and chips!
Have a good time at your conference.

HudsonValleyGardens said...

It looks wonderful, hope to visit one day! The interior got me wondering if it is haunted.

Willow said...

To me it's amazing that the Mermaid for REBUILT in the fifteenth century. So much history! I love it!

nikkipolani said...

Oh, I love that cozy room with the fireplace! Just the thing for long conversations with something hot and soothing in hand.

Studio said...

I really enjoy seeing the photos. It looks like a beautiful place to stay.

Lori Zehr said...

What a wonderful inn! I enjoyed the post so much. The fish and chips looked wonderful and I recognized the "mushy peas" right away--something we rarely see in the US. I never knew of them until my trip to England. What/who were the priests hiding from?

Adrienne said...

What a wonderful place to share with friends. Thank you for the tour!
~Adrienne~

Gracie Saylor said...

I enjoyed your views of the Mermaid, Barbara!

Also, I enjoyed exploring the Christian Spectrum link you shared!

We are studying Coming Into Alignment by Graham Cooke, in our women's group at church this Fall.

Thanks for posting.
Gracie :)

CherryPie said...

This looks like a really interesting place to visit and that fish looks delicious :-)

Trisha said...

In awe of the age and beauty of the Mermaid Inn. Just looking at it makes me feel quite young. Thanks so much Barbara for sharing this beauty with us. Blessings, Trisha

La Petite Gallery said...

Your post is like Fairy Land. Wish I was that couple from US.They were lucky to met you.
Every part of this place is wonderful. Love Judi Dench photo..
she is 3 years older than me.
Busy setting up the yard for Artist's of St.George Party.
It takes longer every year, getting old, last year there was no party, new hip. Pray for good weather Oct 4th in Maine.

elizabeth said...

Barbara,
You do find the most fascinating places.
I want to go there immediately.
Beautiful warm autumn here.