It is with great sadness that I am penning this obituary about my beloved cousin Tim Booth, husband to Sue and brother to Wendy, who died last December. His antiques shop stood in Lion Street for nearly a century and was regarded as one of the remaining landmarks of Rye.
It was founded by my great uncle Bert. He was one of, I believe, nine children, of my great grandfather - HJ Gasson. He was a very successful businessman, philanthropist and mayor of Rye at the turn of the last century. Old Ryers will remember the Gasson’s shop in Cinque Ports Street.
Tim started working in the antiques shop in 1969. Over the many years he built up an encyclopaedic knowledge of antiques. This was no ordinary antiques shop and can be described as being at the high end of the antiques market. Tim specialised in early English oak. In his day Tim travelled widely to secure some of the fantastic pieces which we saw over the years in his shop. Rye changes and we must adapt to such changes though it is with a certain nostalgia and indeed sadness as we recall all the old family businesses that have disappeared in the passing of the years, I believe this is one of the very last of the old order.
