Rye Castle is also known as Ypres Tower, and it was built sometime in the 14th century. It was constructed at the same time as the old city wall and its purpose was to keep out the French who would raid the coast. It was also used as a prison, and this became a primary use of the building later on. A separate tower was also used for women prisoners. In the 1800s, it was used as a soup kitchen for the poor and as a mortuary. It was used as a mortuary until the end of the 1950s. Today, it is a museum and one of the oldest buildings in Rye.
The women's tower has information about women prisoners and the conditions. Outside this tower and in the grounds of the castle is a medieval herb garden.
One of the exhibitions is located in a cell where murderer John Breads was kept. He was a butcher who was cheating people because he was deliberately using false weights to measure meat. He had a grudge against the judge and attempted to murder him later on. He wanted revenge and ended up mistakenly murdering the wrong man, so he was imprisoned in the tower before he was hanged. His body was put into a gibbet and displayed. A replica of this gibbet and a skeleton is on display in the cell. (The original gibbet and the remaining skull are in the town hall.)
From the tower, there are views over the countryside. The tower is on one edge of the city and on a hill, so there are views from the top.
The Rye coat of arms is located in many places in the city.
Have you visited Rye Castle / Ypres Tower?
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