Lamb House

Lamb House is a historic building located at 1578 West Street, constructed at the beginning of the 18th century by James Lamb, who played a significant role in the control of Rye during that time. The house features two storeys and four windows, built of red brick with grey headers on a high base of the same materials, topped with a moulded ridge. It has pilasters made of red brick and grey headers on high pedestals at the sides, a panelled parapet, and moulded brick architraves over the windows. A large flat hood supported by carved brackets covers the entrance, which has a 10-panel moulded door.

To the north of the original structure is a late 18th-century addition that includes two windows on the first floor, a double doorway with a large semi-circular fanlight, and a round-headed window on the ground floor, along with a stuccoed stringcourse. The house experienced bomb damage primarily to the back part of the addition, but the main structure remained largely intact, except for the north-east corner. However, the single-storey building known as the Court House or Garden Room, attached to the southeast corner, was entirely demolished.

Lamb House has historical significance, having hosted notable figures such as George I in 1725 and the Duke of Cumberland in 1757. A tablet on the house commemorates that author Henry James lived there from 1898 to 1916, followed by author E F Benson, who resided there until his death in 1940. Lamb House is part of a group that includes Nos 1 & 2 Norman House, The Tower House, and Nos 13 to 17 Mermaid Street.