“They’re Clarks,” he said, in answer to my gushing adoration of his footwear, “but the buckle is from my fifth-great grandfather and dates back to 1750.
We were in lobby of the Willow Tree House B&B, located in the seaport town of Rye. Rye not only boasts a vibrant community (our incredible dinner of fusion Indian food at The Ambrette was testament to that salient fact), but has more historically listed buildings than any other town in England.
In fact, the entire town is listed.
So, it wasn’t enough that Kevin and I were able to walk through every period of architectural history and imbibe a beer at a pub that’s had continuous patronage for around six hundred years, but we also discovered that Rye is (I hope!) the only town in Ye Olde England that has the gibbetted remains of a long-ago criminal in their town hall attic (gibbetting, in case, like me, you missed this bit of historical trivia, was the act of caging an-already-dead-by-hanging corpse so that it could rot publicly as a further deterrent to would-be criminals).
We learned all this (and saw a photo of the skull in its cage) at the hugely informative and freaky-fact-filled display at the Rye Heritage Centre.
But back to the wonderful Mr. Parson’s shoes.
We had just pushed our distended bellies away from another bloody-amazing breakfast when we ran into him in the Willow Tree House lobby. He cut quite a figure, and although it was hard not to notice the royal blue of his coat or his jet black curls springing from his hat, it was his throw-away line of ‘fifth-great grandfather’ that got me.
“Please,” I said, “could I take a picture of your shoes?”
This set the feather in his hat bobbing in the affirmative and we collectively sashayed out to the back of the inn. I immediately upped the ante and begged for a little video coverage as well.
When you book your next trip to London, I respectfully suggest you grab a train down to the Sussex area.
Take a walk…a really long walk and then end it in Rye. You might not see a ghost of some poor previously-gibbetted soul…but you just might be lucky enough to run into Frank Parsons clicking along those cobbled streets.
Make sure you stop to chat.
Hi Colleen, just taken a peek at me in my (1706) finery again – in Rye. Still alive and kicking! I remember meeting you both back in Rye in ’13, it was good. I do pray you are still well, and travelling. Went to Rye again last September and did my bit in my attire, the excuse was I went as Dr. Syn (the character in Russell Thorndyke’s books, vicar and smuggler of Romney Marsh) – thanks to a cousins ‘bet’ I raised a 4 figure sum for a cancer charity that day. We had a lot of fun so going again this Sept – in attire as Dr. Syn of course and to renew acquaintances in the town – as well as Mipps (Dr. Syn’s henchman – look him up). Every best wish, Frank.
Well hello Frank aka Dr. Syn! Thanks for checking back. So glad you’re still up to your finery tricks…especially for such a good cause.
Hard to believe that was two years ago already. Yikes!
Yes, we’re still traveling around. Heading to Slovenia, Croatia (and other points yet to be decided), this coming September. Looking forward to it.
Wishing you continued health and happiness.
Take care.
Rye sounds worth the walk, Colleen! You had me at mention of all those historically listed buildings. The fact that it’s a seaport makes it all the more intriguing.
Lesley, Rye is one of the coolest little towns I’ve been to. Culturetripper that you are, this is your kind of destination. We both
loved the ability to walk into history and see exactly how they lived. Not to mention, it’s quite beautiful with some pretty cool shops!