Rye Fawkes 2025

2025 Rye Fawkes

Almost 40 members gathered in Rye for a sociable weekend of walking and sightseeing and, of course, to watch the Rye Fawkes Pageant on the Saturday night. More would have liked to have attended but accommodation was at a premium for this popular weekend.

It was a great success, as were the Society’s previous Rye Fawkes weekends. A very enjoyable evening meal at The River Haven Hotel started the weekend off on Friday, when new and old members renewed acquaintances or started new ones.

There were activity options for Saturday daytime. Some chose to walk around Rye Harbour along the coast, passing the remains of The Mary Stanford Lifeboat Station and then Camber Castle. Others joined a brilliant tour of Rye, led by the Town Crier, Paul Goring, and some opted to have their own free time. In the afternoon a number of members watched 'Rye After Dark' at the Discovery Centre and journeyed into Rye’s shadowy past to witness medieval streets, haunted inns and legendary figures, brought to ghostly life by cutting-edge special effects.

Then the loud Maroon at 7pm announced the start of the Pageant, in the dark, with all the excitement of the parade, watched by deep crowds, lining the pavements of the processional route. Scorcher, the fire breathing dragon, led the way for the torch-wielding members of the Rye and District Bonfire Society and the Ryebellion Drummers, followed by representatives from other bonfire societies. All made their scary, noisy, hot way along the route through the narrow streets. The great bonfire, topped by a boat, and fireworks at the Rye Salts completed the evening.

On Sunday there were two groups – the walkers and the tourists. The guided walk explored the countryside from Treasure at Amorys, including visiting the Ferry Inn and St Mary’s Church at Stone in Oxney, where there is the Mithraic altar stone mentioned by Saville. The tourists travelled in convoy around Romney Marsh in cars, firstly visiting Stone in Oxney, and then other churches featured in Treasure at Amorys and The Elusive Grasshopper. Their lunch stop was at Dungeness Station, where they viewed the new Society plaque on a platform bench.

The weekend ended with a jolly evening and good food at Simply Italian in Rye.