Ypres Tower and part of Rye Town Wall

Ypres Tower is a defensive tower, most likely built as a component part of the Rye town defences between 1329 and the end of the 14th century. The tower was damaged during an air raid in 1942 and required repair in the 1950s. It was the subject of major repairs and restoration in 1996–7 with further alterations and repairs in 2005–7. The tower has been the subject of archaeological analysis, particularly internally, by Martin & Martin (2007).

Materials

Ypres Tower is built of iron-stained sandstone coursed rubble masonry with evidence that this was once rendered or covered in a wash. Its ashlar dressings include ironstone and Caen stone. The internal walls were limewashed with some evidence of render at the ground floor.

Plan and Layout

The tower is oriented on a northwest to southeast alignment. It is square in plan, with projecting three-quarter round towers at each of its four corners, and sits forward (to the south) of the line of the former town wall. Access is through a town-side ground floor doorway which is protected by a portcullis. In the 19th century a further external doorway was created in the centre of the basement's west wall.

The tower is of three storeys—a basement, ground floor and first floor—but the fall of the land from north to south is such that the tower's ground floor is at the first floor level of the south elevation. Access between the floors was via a spiral staircase in the northeast tower but the basement is now reached by an inserted staircase of 1959. The basement measures 4.85 metres square and is approximately 2.35 metres high; the ground floor is the middling room in terms of size with a height of approximately 3.65 metres, and the first floor room is the largest at 5.30 metres square with a height of 13 feet 8 inches to the wallplate (it is not known whether the original roof above was flat or pitched, and the latter would have provided more space). Above is the modern flat roof with parapets.

There are four corner towers or turrets with the northeast one housing the stair. The other three have small tower rooms at the ground and first floor (they are solid at basement level). A garderobe projects from the northeast tower's east elevation.

Exterior

Principal Entrance Elevation

The principal entrance elevation faces north towards the town. At ground floor level is a round-arched entrance with ashlar quoins (a mixture of historic examples and modern repairs). While the entrance to the tower has always been in this position (and elements of its original form can be observed internally) externally the entrance was remodelled in the 15th century. However, the protective portcullis above is a primary feature. The doorway was subsequently blocked and converted to a window (probably in the 17th century) which was subject to archaeological recording by Archaeology South-East prior to its unblocking in 2006 and restoration as the principal entrance. Above the doorway at first floor level is a central window opening—an enlargement of the 15th or 16th century—which has a segmental-arched head, ashlar quoins and has been fitted with an iron grille.

The two turrets on this elevation are lit by narrow loophole openings with ashlar dressings and iron bars; there is a pair to each tower at ground floor level and a further three at first floor level, two to the northwest tower and one to the northeastern. The western ground floor window to the northeast turret has been restored (and has modern quoins) as there was a secondary doorway here in the post-medieval period (illustrated as such on an engraving of 1784 by S H Grimm). Just to the north of this window is a cast iron pump with the date 1881. To the east of the northeast turret is a projecting garderobe at ground and first floor level, the chute of which expels to the north of the former exercise yard wall at the ground floor. The western ground floor window to the northwest turret was later cut through to form a doorway (extant when depicted by Grimm in 1785) but was subsequently infilled in rubble. There are railings and handrails to the north of the tower in front of the main entrance and to the northeast (which are not of special interest).

West Elevation

The west elevation has a 19th-century inserted central entrance at basement level. This has a pointed-arched surround with ashlar dressings and a solid planked door. Above is a single loophole window to the first floor (to the south), with an iron grille. The turrets are again lit by similar loophole openings as before, in this case single windows lighting each tower at both ground and first floor levels. (Many of the ground floor windows in the northwest, southwest and southeast turrets have been blocked.)

South Elevation

The south elevation is lit by a central window to each of the three floors. These are flat-headed and barred with ashlar dressings, and comprise a two-light opening at first floor and a single light to the ground floor and a two-light window at basement level. The latter is of unknown date but is not original: it is not shown on the Van Dyck drawings of 1633–4 and is therefore presumed to be 19th century when the other alterations to the basement took place. The turrets are lit by similar openings as before with two openings on each floor of each turret.

East Elevation

The east elevation of the tower is largely concealed by the 19th-century cells (separately listed), but at first floor level there is now a flat roof (the roof of the cells and therefore separately listed) which can be accessed via a doorway formed from the former northeast window of the southeast turret. To the north of the cells is the stone roof of the garderobe which is steeply battered and falls from west to east.

Parapet and Roof

On each elevation the parapet was raised in 2006–7. The original height and configuration is not understood. There is however archaeological evidence of the presence of machicolations on the north, west and east sides. Evidence is inconclusive as to whether the original roof was flat or pitched. In the 15th or early-mid 16th century this was replaced by a pitched roof (Martin & Martin suggest probably in 1552). This was in turn badly damaged by an air raid in 1942 and a flat roof was installed in the post-war repairs of the 1950s, and has been repaired subsequently. The present leaded covering (not of special interest) was part of the restoration of 2005–7.

Interior

Basement

The basement has an inserted modern timber staircase (which is not of special interest) and wooden ceiling (forming the ground floor above). The wall tops have been repaired and raised in brick in the 19th century indicating that present ground floor level is slightly higher than the original. There are stone and brick corbels along the east and west walls, to support the floor, which are of the same date. A small modern kitchenette (not of special interest) has been added against the east wall by the stair. There is a blocked doorway in the northeast corner which formerly gave access to the spiral staircase. This has a two-centred and chamfered arched surround. A doorway was inserted in the west wall in the 19th century. This was covered at the time of inspection (November 2015) but according to Martin & Martin has a brick segmental arch. The inserted south window has a splayed brick reveal with a flat but stepped brick and stone cill, a segmental arched head and two lights, which are of stone and square-headed.

Ground Floor

The ground floor is fitted with a plank floor of possible 19th-century date. There is a modern reception/display unit (not of special interest) to support the building's use as a museum with the aforementioned flight of modern timber stairs (not of special interest) to the east leading down to the basement. In the west wall is a small fireplace with a stone surround; this has a segmental arched head formed of two massive Kentish Ragstone blocks. The internal dressed jambs of the main entrance, which has a shallow pointed arch in contrast with the exterior, are largely from the primary phase of construction. The central south window, which has a segmental arch, has a splayed reveal converted to a walk-in recess. There is evidence for a blocked window with a two-centred segmental-arched head in the east wall. There are original stone corbels on all walls.

The doorways to the corner turrets are set forward of the turret proper with the northwest, southwest and southeast turrets all having recesses behind the internally-opening doors in which the doors could sit when open. The original form of doorway was of ashlar with a two-centred arch and a chamfered frame. The door to the northeast turret, of some antiquity but unknown date, is double skinned, with vertical planks to its exterior face and horizontal planks facing into the turret, with iron studs. A viewing hatch with iron surround and grill is cut in and there is a massive wooden lock and draw bolts allowing the door to be locked from the inside, thus preventing access to the upper floors. The doorframe here has a timber northern jamb. Beyond, the spiral staircase with a central newel rises to the upper floors. Against the wall inside the turret is a heavy plank which is a remnant of the locking mechanism for the post-medieval external door (now removed and restored to its original window loop form). The door to the southeast turret is similar. The southwest turret entrance has been altered by the insertion of a timber-squared doorframe of 15th to mid-16th century date. The northwest turret doorway is a modern replacement (and is not therefore of special interest). All turrets have simple loophole window openings (some are blocked internally). The ceilings to the turrets are domed.

First Floor

The first floor has a large stone open fireplace in the east wall. This has a massive timber bressumer set higher than and replacing the original stone one, traces of which survive. The roof above is timber and is a modern replacement, as are the stone corbels which support it (the roof and corbels are not of special interest). Windows on this floor have modern wooden casements (not of special interest) inserted as secondary glazing. All bar the south window have chamfered segmental-arched heads and walk-in recesses, some blocked.

Loophole windows within the turrets are largely as on the ground floor although generally slightly larger, and with varying degrees of alteration. All of the turret doorways on this floor are original and have simple two-centred arched openings, some parts of which are repairs. The northwest, southeast and southwest turrets have a door recess internally. The northwest doorway has an additional timber frame which may be from the 15th to mid-16th century phase; there is similar in the northeastern turret. The surviving doors on this floor are of planked and studded construction as on the ground floor. The turrets have domed corbelled ceilings.

Floorboards in the main chamber are not dated but are clearly of some antiquity with surviving graffiti where a chequerboard for a game has been scratched on the floor. The spiral staircase in the northeastern turret provides access to the garderobe and the roof. The doorway to the garderobe again has a two-centred stone arch. The garderobe chamber is cut into the thickness of the wall and has a part-flat and part-corbelled roof. The garderobe chute has a modern replica wooden seat.

There are modern electrical light fittings throughout the interior, also metal bannisters added for safety to the spiral staircase. All of these features are not of special interest.

Town Wall

On the west wall of the northwestern turret is the scar of the town wall: this is circa 2.1 metres wide with a very small section of wall still projecting. Martin & Martin have recorded that early photos indicate it was once of greater height than the scar now reveals.

To the east of the tower is a more substantial section of town wall which extends from the garderobe projection of the northeast turret for a length of at least 6.5 metres and which then merges into and forms a part of the north wall of the former exercise yard (which is separately listed). The wall is battered on its south elevation. The north elevation has been cut back to reduce its width and was incorporated as the south wall of the adjacent house(s). The position of the loopholes in the northeast turret of the tower (when compared with those to the other turrets) would strongly suggest that either the tower post-dates the wall or they are contemporary, as the window positions accommodate the wall. However, as the town wall and the garderobe projection are bonded together it would seem that they are contemporary. On the north elevation of this section of wall is an anchor which is not of special interest.