History and heritage

Anne of Cleves House and Museum (Lewes)

Anne of Cleves House and Museum, in Lewes, is a large Tudor hall house, said given to the wife of Henry VIII in their divorce settlement. It contains the Lewes folk museum, exhibitions illustrating the post-mediaeval social and economic history of Sussex, and a collection of Sussex ironwork.

Bluebell Railway (Sheffield Park)

An all steam railway, three well preserved stations, a museum and a collection of over 30 steam locomotives form the Bluebell Railway. It takes its name from the bluebells which clothe the banks of the line in spring. Sheffield Park Station, Victorian in style, is the railway's headquarters and houses the locomotive collection. Horsted Keynes is sheer 1930's elegance, while Kingscote retains the atmosphere of a 1950's country station.

Trains run throughout the year and refreshments are available at both Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes stations. A bus service connects Kingscote to the East Grinstead mainline two miles away.

Charleston (Near Firle)

Charleston, near Firle, is the setting for the Bloomsbury Group in Sussex. It is a charming 17/18th century house, with a traditional Sussex flint-walled garden, the home of Vanessa and Clive Bell, and Duncan Grant. It has been preserved intact, and visitors can see the artists' decorated furniture and murals. Nearby Berwick church also has examples of Bloomsbury art (see also Monks House).

Ditchling Museum (Ditchling)

Local history comes alive at Ditchling Museum in dioramas, tableaux and illustrated charts. The collection is housed in the Victorian School, in a lovely setting beside the church, the pond and the green. The museum has full facilities for the disabled, toilets, a children's playground, gift shop and coffee shop. Throughout the year a variety of special exhibitions are held.

Firle Place (Firle)

Home of the Gage family for 500 years, this country house is set in one of the county's finest parks with the backdrop of Firle Beacon. Georgian in appearance, but with a Tudor heart, its 16th century buildings are ranged round a central courtyard. Open to the public, Firle Place offers the chance to view fine paintings, porcelain and furniture.

Glynde Place (Glynde)

There has been a house on the site of Glynde Place since the 12th century. The present house was built as a square around a courtyard in 1569, from flints and Normandy stone. Inside the house there are fine collections of family portraits, old antique furnishings and an Elizabethan staircase. House and park are open to the public.

Lewes Castle and Barbican House (Lewes)

The Norman motte and bailey castle is unusual for its two mottes. The higher motte (artificial mound) had an elliptical keep with a rectangular gatehouse as its southern entrance. A second gatehouse or barbican with drawbridge either side was added two centuries later. A substantial section of keep remains, giving views of Lewes and surrounding countryside, as well as an imposing fragment of the Norman gatehouse and the almost intact Barbican. The castle's former tilting yard is the site of, perhaps, the only remaining bowling green of the type Sir Francis Drake would have played on. Political rebel Tom Paine is reputed to have had his inspiration for “The Rights of Man” after playing here.

Barbican House, close by the castle gate, is home to the museum of Sussex Archaeology. The museum charts the history of the county and its people from early beginnings to medieval times. It also houses a fascinating display of remains, tools and artefacts from an ancient way of life, and explores the impact of invasion by the Romans, Saxons, and the Normans. Also home to Lewes Living History Model - A masterpiece of model-making, this shows Lewes as it was 100 years ago. There are mansions, terraces, gardens, orchards, churches, taverns, workshops, breweries, malthouses, iron foundries, timberyards, wharfs, barges and marshalling yards - all crowned by the castle, and set against a panorama of the South Downs. An audio-visual programme traces 1,000 years of the town's history with music, voices, images and lights.

Monks House (Rodmell)

This small converted farmhouse and garden, now owned by the National Trust, was the home of Leonard and Virginia Woolf from 1919 until Leonard’s death in 1969. Some of their furniture and personal items remain in the house in which the Woolf’s entertained many artists and writers of the Bloomsbury Group.

 

Newhaven Fort (Newhaven)

Set in the cliff top overlooking the harbour and the English Channel, Newhaven Fort was built in the 1860s to deter invaders. It features gun emplacements, mortar batteries, magazines and a labyrinth of underground passages. Abandoned in the 1960s the derelict Fort was bought by the district council, restored and is now run as a popular attraction. There are a variety of displays on the Fort’s history, a series of exhibitions giving a glimpse into life during World War II, a children's palyground and picnic areas. The Fort welcomes school visits and also plays host to a wide range of events including bands, marching troops, opera, theatre. 

Newhaven Museum (Newhaven)

Newhaven Museum is sited next to Paradise Park Heritage Trail. It contains a collection of photographs, artefacts and documents relating to Newhaven and the surrounding area. There is also a wealth of historical material relating to the cross-Channel ferry service.

Paradise Park Heritage Trail (Newhaven)

This family attraction houses the World of Plants, and an acre of themed gardens including a desert in Peru, rain forest in Mexico. The Planet Earth Exhibition and Dinosaur Museum traces the origins of the Earth and has fossils, crystals, minerals and life since dinosaurs. There is also a children's play area, model village, a cafeteria and ample coach and car parking.

Priory of St Pancras (Lewes)

These imposing ruins are all that remains of the huge Priory of St Pancras founded by William De Warenne and destroyed by Thomas Cromwell in 1538. A portion of the 13th century marble Great Gate survives as do parts of the refectory, dormitory, infirmary, chapel and cloisters. During building of the Lewes/Brighton railway in 1845 the lead lined tombs of founder William and his wife Gundrada were found. They can now be seen in the nearby Church of St John the Baptist. The site is owned by the district council and managed by the Lewes Priory Trust. Guided tours are available in the summer.

Seaford Martello Tower and Museum (Seaford)

 Seaford Martello Tower built at the turn of the 19th century during the Napoleonic Wars was the last of a string of 74 such towers along the Kent and Sussex coasts. Each tower was fortified to repel invasion from France.  The tower is now the home of Seaford Local History Museum which contains a wealth of information on the town's past and present. There are also displays recreating shops and domestic scenes from Victorian times onwards. These include Victorian and Wartime Kitchens, a Grocer's Store, Dressmaker's Parlour, Cinema, School, Chemist and Toyshop.