We’ve been holidaying in East Sussex, near the historic town of Rye, seeing sites, such as gardens and buildings, and sights, such as the sea and countryside. Amongst them all is beautiful Rye itself.
Rye is also a veritable literary mecca. Natives and residents have included playwright (and sometime Shakespeare collaborator) John Fletcher, Henry James (who completed The Spoils of Poynton near Rye, and then wrote his remaining novels in Lamb House, Rye), E F Benson (author of the ‘Mapp and Lucia’ novels), and Conrad Aiken (poet and author), not forgetting Joan Aiken, his now more famous daughter, born here ninety-four years ago on 4th September 1924.
Aiken celebrated her birthplace in her fiction, sometimes obscurely. For example, the short stories in The Monkey’s Wedding feature towns called, variously, Rohun, Rune or Ryme. The Wolves Chronicle entitled Midwinter Nightingale, first published the year before her death, was partly set in marshland reminiscent of Romney Marsh, the coastal area between Winchelsea and Dungeness, and accessible from Rye. And, of course, The Haunting of Lamb House, her supernatural novel from 1991, is specifically set in Rye.
Forgive me but please be indulgent, for I shall in due course be posting a little bit more about this part of East Sussex and its literary links; for now it seems a good time to celebrate the genius of Joan Aiken and draw attention to her Sussex birthplace.
References
Joan Aiken: The Haunting of Lamb House. Jonathan Cape, 1991
~ Midwinter Nightingale. Red Fox, 2005 (2003)
~ The Monkey’s Wedding. Small Beer Press, 2011
Dorothy Eagle and Hillary Carell (eds): The Oxford Literary Guide to the British Isles. OUP, 1977
Henry James: The Spoils of Poynton. Penguin Classics 1987 (1897)
Rye’s literary links
https://www.ryemuseum.co.uk/literary-rye/
https://www.ryemuseum.co.uk/moe-local-writers/
https://jessicanorrie.wordpress.com/tag/rye/
http://www.joanaiken.com/pages/timeline_02.html
Calmgrove 
Interesting- Rye is something I connect with Mapp and Lucia but I hadn’t known about the Joan Aiken connection.
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It’s extraordinary the number of literary figures who are associated with Rye and the immediate vicinity, as the first two links in the references I give show. And the town is extremely picturesque as well as historic.
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Henry James and Rumer Godden too, I see. May be the place inpires writers. I have been seeing plenty of Rye photos off and on as members of a Mapp and Lucia group I’m part of on facebook share these-it is a pretty place.
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I too hope to stick up a few pics of my own on here, including Lamb House! Even the visitors to this house are as long as one’s arm, from King George I to Edith Wharton, Kipling to R L Stevenson, Conrad to H G Wells.
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I remember reading that, when they were young, Joan and her siblings would see Benson out walking his dog. In 2014, Jeake’s House had a plaque for Conrad Aiken, but not for Joan. Has that changed?
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No, it’s not changed, it’s still just her father. I didn’t go in to have a peek, but if we’re back in Rye before the end of our break I may well venture inside. But we did go round Lamb House which, being as of last year tenant-less, is gradually being opened up by the National Trust. There’s even a feasibility study being done to see if the summer house (which was bombed during the Blitz) could be reinstated. The one-acre garden is still the largest in Rye and now there is even a tea room, a standard NT feature!
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In 2014, Lamb House was offering residencies to writers. I considered applying, but I don’t think I’m famous enough.
Not sure how I feel about the tea room, but I can’t blame the NT for getting money in whatever way they can.
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The tea room is fairly subtly positioned, round the back by a little courtyard, in no way impinging on the view from the garden—thank goodness! As for writer residencies, I didn’t see if they were still being offered but I would think it would be an ideal placement for whoever got it … the lucky so-and-so! 🙂
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Seems like an inspiring spot for writers.
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It certainly is, Cathy, and for artists—easy to see what attracts them to it: old streets and buildings, the light from proximity to the sea, its position on a hill overlooking saltmarshes, its church dominating the skyline like a miniature Mont Saint-Michel.
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It sounds beautiful – I’ve never been.
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Nor me, this was my first time!
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We had a family visit there once. We have photos of the kids waving ice-creams near the spot in your photo. Did you meet any mermaids??
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Not really—unless you count the one depicted on the sign for the Mermaid Inn, and another in a Mermaid Street window with the head of Frida Kahlo!
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I’m afraid I hadn’t heard of Joan Aiken, but my daughter is moving to Lewis next week so I’ll have lots of opportunities (excuses?) to be in East Sussex and will definitely explore Rye, can’t wait!
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Oh, you’ll love Rye for the independent shops as much as the history, I’m sure! Be sure to visit Lamb House (National Trust) because of its associations with Henry James, E F Benson and Rumer Godden. And while Joan Aiken is best known as a writer for children she also penned Austen sequels, as well as The Haunting of Lamb House (which I’ve just finished and will soon review) and a handful of other books for adults.
While you’re visiting your daughter in Lewes take time to visit visit Sissinghurst Castle and Great Dixter, both wonderful gardens but very contrasting — you won’t regret it!
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