December 2025. Rye.
Back in Rye the bus to the harbour was 40 minutes late.
As you’ll know, 40 minutes is exactly the right amount of time needed to do Mrs RM’s shopping at Jempson’s and squeeze in a bit of curated pub research.
About time for a long overdue visit to the Waterworks then.
As Rye’s only GBG pub, the Ypres presumably falling foul of the “insufficient hours” criteria, this converted toilet micropub has a reputation to maintain.
Well, it might be a bit higgledy piggledy for some tastes,
but it’s always packed, sells pork pies, plays ’60s music for folk in their ’60s (oh), and the Kiwee Pale is perfect.
It’s so perfect, I score it a 4.5 rather than a 5, in case local CAMRA discount high and low NBSS scores, as well as expecting publicans to work 70 hours a week.
A gem, and we’ll just have to overlook this attack on our favourite brown beer.
Press “PLAY” now, anyway.
retiredmartin 
Spent a night in Rye with my non-pub loving wife (girlfriend back then: she tolerates my hobby). She actually enjoyed The Waterworks, plus The Globe Inn Marsh and The Grapevine jazz bar, just up the cobbles street from the WW. Wish I’d boned up about The Ypres Castle beforehand as well 🤦♂️
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Depending when you visited, it might not have been what it is now, then !
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I’m sure she liked the Globe. That’s a classy place.
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No pub has made us more welcome as wheelchair users than this one. Even more impressive was the fact it was packed at the time. We turned to leave and he said “we’ll find a place for you.” You never forget that type of hospitality.
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That’s brilliant to hear, Dave. I’ve failed to even get in recently, so busy was it.
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“As you’ll know, 40 minutes is exactly the right amount of time needed to do Mrs RM’s shopping at Jempson’s and squeeze in a bit of curated pub research.”
Wait. This was you doing Mrs RM’s shopping, right? My darling wife couldn’t pull that off in a month of Sundays.
“and squeeze in a bit of curated pub research.”
Hah! Missed that bit.
(slow golf clap)
“this converted toilet micropub has a reputation to maintain.”
As long as ‘converted toilet’ doesn’t mean something like the ‘The Hole’ in The Seadog.
“plays ’60s music for folk in their ’60s (oh),”
Heh.
“It’s so perfect, I score it a 4.5 rather than a 5, in case local CAMRA discount high and low NBSS scores,”
Blimey! You’re batting 100.
“A gem, and we’ll just have to overlook this attack on our favourite brown beer.”
(looks down; reads the poster)
When you say ‘brown’ beer…
“Press “PLAY” now, anyway.”
Oh, I say, well done!
Cheers
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“Boring Brown Bitter” or BBB, beers like Bass and Doom Bar and 6X.
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