Owling it Away

Once a haunt for smugglers, the Mermaid Inn at Rye, East Sussex is now a haven for food fans, as John Greeves discovers

- John Greeves

Located in the beautiful, ancient town of Rye in East Sussex, the Mermaid Inn abounds with colourful stories of smugglers, ghosts, royalty and secret tunnels. The inn was probably built during the reign of Henry II and rivals any of these literary outpourings, of Stevenson’s Admiral Benbow in Treasure Island or Daphne du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn. Much of the interior is preserved today with its lath, plaster, wattle and daub, low hewn beams, oak panelling, sloping ceilings and mullion windows still intact and blends well with the modern fusion of today’s 31 en suite award-winning bedrooms with multichannel television, wifi and room service.

History abounds in every nook and cranny. During the reformation in the 1500s, the Mermaid may have harboured Catholic priests as they fled to the continent. In the bar, a priest's hole is situated in the chimney breast of the Giant Fireplace (possibly one of the largest in England). In 1573, Queen Elizabeth I visited Rye on “a progress”. She stayed for three days, met local dignitaries and was presented with 100 “gold angels”, which featured the Archangel Michael slaying a dragon. In return, Elizabeth I dubbed the town “Rye Royal”.

Later, the inn hosted the Lord Chamberlain’s Men who visited Rye on 28 August 1597, but we will never know what Shakespearian play was performed on that day; most likely it was Love Labour's Lost, as a quotation remains on a picture, showing Shakespeare, in Dr Syn’s Lounge.