Rye Ypres Tower
Has been described as a Certain Tower House, and also as a Certain Fortified Town House, and also as a Possible Urban Defence
There are major building remains
| Name | Rye Ypres Tower |
| Alternative Names | Baddings Tower; Ria; Rya; Ipres; Wipers Tower; la Rie |
| Historic Country | Sussex |
| Modern Authority | East Sussex |
| 1974 Authority | East Sussex |
| Civil Parish | Rye |
Originally called Baddings Tower. 1250 approximately A square tower with 4 3/4 round turrets at the angles. Built of stone rubble. Most of the machiolations have disappeared but a small portion remains on the west side. Loop lights with stone dressings in the turrets and south front of main tower. Enlarged windows of the C15 and C16 with segmental heads and double iron grille in the north front of the tower. C16 or C17 doorway in the north east tower. Pointed door to basement. This tower sustained some damage from bombs. The main casualty was the pyramidal tiled roof, which was not original. This was temporarily replaced with corrugated iron. The north-west turret was also damaged. Adjoining the Tower on the east is a small portion of the C14 town wall surmounted by the only 2 battlements of the wall which survive. (Listed Building Report)
Despite reference to the king's desire for a castle at Rye in 1226, and, in 1249, to provision for Peter of Savoy to undertake works on a castle at Rye (significantly, subject to completion of works at Hastings castle), there is no certainty that any works on a castle at Rye took place in the 13th century. Ypres Tower (which gains its name from being granted to John de Ypres in 1431) has been identified with the putative c.1249 works, but hardly constitutes a castle in its own right and, moreover, may be 14th-century in origin.
Given the uncertainty as to whether the intention to build a castle at Rye in 1249 was ever fulfilled, David and Barbara Martin have queried whether the modest sized Ypres Tower should be seen as part of these works, and have suggested that it may date from the 14th century, perhaps as late as the 1380s. Certainly the machicolations, if primary, imply a date from c.1300 onwards, while the general form of the admittedly rather undiagnostic windows, fireplaces, and overall design suggest that Ypres Tower was built at the very end of the 13th century or in the early 14th century
The building comprises a small square tower with cylindrical corner turrets. It has three storeys comprising a basement, a raised entrance floor and first floor. The tower projected from a detached length of the town wall (which survives on the north-east side only), and the disposition of the turret windows suggests that the wall and tower were built together. (Harris 2009)
This site is a scheduled monument protected by law
This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law
Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
| OS Map Grid Reference | TQ922202 |
| Latitude | 50.9497604370117 |
| Longitude | 0.73555999994278 |
| Eastings | 592240 |
| Northings | 120260 |
