Winchelsea

Under Winchelsea: This Bank Holiday weekend the Archaeological Society (WAS) is holding a Cellar Tour of Winchelsea’s medieval cellars on Sunday April 30th at 2pm from Castle Street. The cost is £5 p.p. which includes a guidebook to the cellars and proceeds go to the registered charity WAS. If you would like to attend please contact 01797 224446 or email [email protected] to ensure there are spaces on the tour. There are more than 50 vaulted cellars thought to have been built around 1285-1300 during the reign of Edward I and the guided tour will explain why and how they were built and the history of the town. On this 90-minute tour you will be taken down old cellar steps so do wear sensible shoes and you may bring a torch.

Nest of pirates: The Sea Cadets 2nd annual TS Rye Maritime Lecture takes place on Saturday May 13th at 6.30pm in Shipyard Lane (Rye). This lecture is entitled ‘The Cinque Ports, Cradle of the Royal Navy or nest of pirates?’ and will be given by David Hopkins who will be offering a historical perspective on the subject. The cost is £10 which includes wine and light refreshments and the number to phone is 01797 222629 to reserve your place.

British Crime Fiction: Most of us will know crime writers such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Wilkie Collins and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and will have watched Hitchcock thrillers on screen but there are some outstanding crime writers whose books are less likely to be found in High street bookshops today. Names like Josephine Tey who wrote ‘The daughter of Time’ and taught fitness classes to factory workers in the war years; also Freeman Wills Croft who wrote ‘Mystery in the Channel’; Ngaio Marsh ‘Clutch of Constables’ and John Creasy with his various pen names whose works included ‘Battle for Inspector West’. Such intriguing tales came out of a golden age period of detective stories written between late 19th and early 20th century. These books were well-constructed popular entertainment with intricate plots and characters that ranged from the glamorous heroine and slick detective to the bumbling P.C. Plod. In his talk at the Literary Society’s meeting last Friday author Guy Fraser-Sampson explained how these crime writers had inspired and led to his interest in writing crime fiction. His own crime novels reflect this golden age though set in the present technological era and they include ‘Death in Profile’ and ‘Miss Christie Regrets’. During the evening he quizzed the audience on their knowledge of past and present crime writers. The questions were both interesting and complex but it was easy to deduce that they would require more than simple detective work to answer and some prompting was necessary. Clues were given and memories jogged although it was still a matter of guess work as to who wrote ‘The Lady Vanishes’. Eventually he revealed that it was based on the novel ‘The Wheel Spins’ by English crime writer Ethel Lina White which became a screen play in 1938. Guy also corrected on the famous line about Watson explaining it does not appear in the Conan Doyle books only in Sherlock Holmes’ films and the closest it comes is when Holmes says ‘Elementary’ in the Crooked Man story. In fact, it was P.G. Wodehouse in ‘PSmith Journalist’ 1915 who first used the phrase ‘Elementary my dear Watson’.

Winchelsea Beach

Fortnightly meet: Cash Bingo is held every other Wednesday in the Community Hall and the next session is on May 3rd starting at 7 for 7.15pm. Refreshments and a raffle will be available and members are invited to play for the Jackpot while all players must be over 16 years. Do come along as it could be your winning night!

Temporarily closed: The Winchelsea Beach Café on Sea Road which is normally open throughout the spring and summer is currently boarded up and a notice on the gate reads that due to a break in and fire the café will be temporarily closed. This is unfortunate as it is a popular spot by the sea, serving lunches, brunches and breakfasts with outdoor seating provided. As the holiday season approaches ramblers, dog walkers and visitors to the area can be assured that it has plans to reopen soon.

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