People have been telling me for years that the pretty little town of Rye in East Sussex is the new Margate. They’ve been saying it for so long, in fact, that they’ve now started insisting St Leonards-on-Sea – a little farther along the train line, right on the coast – is the new Rye. It’s true that both places, like Margate before them, have enjoyed a boom in culture and coffee shops, in artists and artisanal food stores, becoming enclaves of creativity and cafes. I’ve always brushed off these evangelists, scarred by the boredom of growing up farther along the Sussex coast in Worthing in the 1990s. Yet since then, I’ve heard that the area has become destination-worthy, and I’m keen to finally rediscover it through adult eyes.
Primarily because I recently stumbled across the interiors and fashion store Sunless Antiques on Instagram. A beautifully judged mix of mid-century wooden furniture and vintage workwear, it looked like the sort of spot that only owners with a brilliant eye could curate. And it was in St Leonards. Suddenly it seemed I really ought to investigate, especially as I can travel there directly from London with Southern Railway. As I’m nearby, why not stop off in Rye, too?
