The Malcolm Saville Society plaque at the Hope Anchor Hotel, Rye

"The Gay Dolphin is almost as old as Rye itself. I am not sure how old it is, but there is no doubt that it was much used by smugglers and I am now fairly confident that it contains some secret which I have never discovered."

It's little wonder that readers of Malcolm Saville's The Gay Dolphin Adventure* think the Mermaid in Rye was the model for the Gay Dolphin.

And the Mermaid surely was the model for its building. But if you read the book carefully you will find the Gay Dolphin occupied a different position in Rye - one with a view across the river to Winchelsea and Romney Marsh.

That position, in real life, is occupied by the Hope Anchor Hotel, which is why you will find this Malcolm Saville Society plaque there.

* No sniggering please. Enid Blyton once published a book called Mr Pink-Whistle Interferes.