Biography of Christina

Christina has always lived and worked in Rye and comes from a Rye family. She grew up with six siblings. She has always had links with the church and her mother was a Verger there before her. She remembers Rye having six butchers shops and three greengrocers!

Her frst paid job at the age of fifteen was at Farnborough Engineering making car and tractor bells on a production line. Her father and brother worked there too. She had an accident there - her hair caught in the machine and she was almost scalped, she says. (This would have been before the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974). The factory is closed now.

After the factory job Christina worked for Grey's Cafe in Market Street. She worked there for two years before going on to work at the Queen's Head in Rye where she did housekeeping and cleaning.

When she got married she moved to Appledore and had one son. While he was under school age she did farm work - picking potatoes, beans and blackcurrants etc. 

Her next job was as an upholsterer for Harper Holland in Rye Road. She worked there for ten years but then decided she wanted to run her own business in antiques and collectibles. She worked in the Arcade for three years and then had a shop in Cinque Ports Street but eventually left when the owner of the property died. 

Christina then went on to work in the shop in St Mary's and took over from her mother as Verger when her mother retired. Her duties as Verger are varied. She keeps the church spick and span, greets visitors, sets up the pews, silverware and candles for funerals etc. She has worked there for 23 years and was supposed to retire in March of 2023 as she is seventy years old, but she enjoys the work and meeting people, and is staying on 'a while longer.'

Audio of interview with Christina