STAYING IN THE 600 YEAR OLD HAUNTED MERMAID INN IN RYE

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“Just close your eyes and think of England.” Queen Victoria

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Reputedly one of the most haunted places in Britain, the Mermaid Inn sits at the heart of the medieval citadel of Rye, and is the perfect location to explore Rye, the Sussex Weald and Romney Marsh.

Going to the Mermaid Inn is just like stepping back in time with its medieval mantrap of secret tunnels, priest holes and passages, low-beamed ceilings and hallways which give it a particularly atmospheric appeal.

The Mermaid Inn is undeniably one of the most atmospheric hotels in Britain.  

Style & character

The Mermaid Inn offers a totally different experience with its sloping ceilings, creaking floorboards, numerous staircases, snugs with crooked, low-beamed ceilings, mullion windows, strange wall carvings and a rich tradition that is maintained by careful stewardship.

The building was rebuilt in 1420 after the Mermaid and the Town of Rye were burnt to the ground by French Raiders on June 22nd 1377. It has 16th-century additions in the Tudor style, however the cellars survived the fire and date back to 1156.

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Visited by many notable persons

The Mermaid Inn has been visited by a lot of notable people in history, Pierce Brosnan; Andy Garcia; Johnny Depp; Charlie Chaplin; Prince Edward and Elizabeth (Queen Mother) during her visit to Rye in 1982 – just to mention a few.

Harbour to unsavoury characters

The Inn harboured many unsavoury characters, most notably the nefarious Hawkhurst Gang who used the premises in the 1730s and 1740s. This large highly organised group of smugglers controlled territory from Kent to as far as Dorset from their base at the Oak and Ivy Inn in Hawkhurst. They used the Mermaid Inn as a secondary location due to its proximity to the Sussex coast.

There are a myriad of secret tunnels including one which ran from the cellars to the Old Bell Inn (built 1390) in The Mint, a street which runs parallel to the north of Mermaid Street.

One of the most photographed streets in Britain

The Mermaid Inn sits at the heart of the cobbled Mermaid Street lined with teeny tiny fisherman’s cottages and crooked, half-timbered houses.

It is one of the most photographed streets in Britain and is the perfect location from which to explore Rye. It’s a convenient six-minute walk from the station and close to Rye’s main shopping street and attractions. Lamb House, the former home of author Henry James, is a two-minute stroll and the 13th-century Rye Castle is a four-minute walk.

Almost everything of interest in Rye is no more than a five-minute walk from here.

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Haunted Mansion

The Mermaid Inn in Rye is home to numerous spirits and it has been featured on the TV show Most Haunted.

600 years of history and there are so many ghost stories, just a few to mention:

Room 1 (James) is said to be haunted by a lady in white or grey who sits in the chair by the fireplace.

Room 5 “The Nutcracker Suite” A “Lady –in-White” has been seen to walk through from the single room across the main room, and through the door.

Room 10 (Fleur de Lys) is said to be haunted by the ghost of a man who has terrified guests by walking through the bathroom wall into the main room.

Room 16 (Elizabethan) was said to be the scene of a duel involving two men “of unknown date and origin” (although they have also been described as wearing “16th-century clothing”).

Room 17 (Kingsmill) is named after Thomas Kingsmill, a Hawkhurst smuggler who inhabited the inn. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman, the wife of the Hawkhurst gang founder George Gray. She was said to haunt a rocking chair in the room; guests would wake up in the middle of the night and see the chair rocking on its own, and found the room icy cold. The chair was eventually removed from the premises because it caused so many disturbances with guests.

The Giant’s Fireplace & Cosy Lounges

The hotel bar, The Giant’s Fireplace, features a huge open log fireplace, possibly one of the largest in England.

It opens onto three patio areas and it’s one of the most fascinating rooms in the hotel – just imagine how the Hawkhurst Gang, local smugglers in the 1730s and 1740s caroused in the bar. 

It has a vast beam that spans the whole width, supported on stone piers and there is a Priest’s Hole situated in the chimneybreast.

The bar menu has pub classics with a continental twist and it has an impressive selection of local ales, large gin and whisky.

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We really enjoyed the two lounges, Dr Syn’s Chamber  and the Small Lounge, so perfect to relax and reminiscence the past.

Dr Syn’s Chamber has comfortable leather sofas and a warm fireplace which makes it a relaxing spot to sit and read a newspaper. The Small Lounge overlooks the cobbles of Mermaid Street, which was the main route to the anchorage in Rye in years gone by.

Dine like royalty

The Linen Fold Panelled Restaurant serves British and French cuisine with a menu featuring local produce such as Romney Marsh lamb and Rye Bay scallops.

It is a little on the expensive side but the food is very well regarded, service is immaculate and it is not often you get the opportunity to eat in a dining room that dates from medieval times.

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Unique rooms

The Mermaid Inn has 31 unique rooms, each one is named after people from the history of the Inn and Rye. You can choose between Single Rooms, Double and Twin Rooms, Superior Double and Twin Rooms, Four Poster Rooms and of course the Historical Bedchambers.

Staying in the inn is an unforgettable experience with its magnificent carved beds, secret stairways, fine oakwood panelling, caen stone fireplaces and latticed windows maintained for the experience of the many guests who visit The Mermaid Inn every year.

We stayed at room 15 “Dr Syn’s Bedchamber” named after Dr Syn, the fictitious character of the author Russell Thorndike, but based on the factual ‘Hawkhurst’ smuggling gang of 600 men. Can you spot the secret stairways concealed behind the bookcase in Dr Syn’s Bedchamber…?

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Note: The hotel has parking for 25 cars, which is rare for a hotel in Rye’s town centre. The parking facilities were originally designed for horses so it can be a bit tight getting into some of the spaces, particularly if you have a larger car.

If you want to stay in a quirky, quintessentially English, historic hotel, then the Mermaid is for you. If you prefer not to sleep in a supposedly haunted hotel, then at least pop into the bar or restaurant for a drink and a bite to eat.

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