Lewes

Turning inland, Lewes, is the county town of East Sussex. It sits on a spur beside the River Ouse as it weaves its way through the South Downs to Newhaven. The mediaeval heart of the town, with narrow streets and twisting lanes or "twittens" dominated by the ruins of a Norman castle, lies much unchanged.

The Saxons founded the town calling it "Hlaew" or hill and the steep High Street follows one of their cross country trading roots. As the town prospered, it was fortified to defend the strategic high ground between the river valley to the south and the once dense Weald forest to the north. It was also a port at this time with a busy coastal trade as the River Ouse was much deeper than it is today.

Lewes was one of the first towns settled by the Normans after 1066. Given to William De Warenne, a leading noble, the town soon had a great flint castle to defend it. William and his wife Gundrada also founded the great Priory of St Pancras where Cluniac monks built a church larger than Westminster Abbey.

In Tudor times, Lewes entered a new phase of religious ferment. Protestant persecution by Catholic Queen Mary led to 17 martyrs being burned to death in the High Street. These deaths, along with the Gunpowder Plot, are remembered in the pageantry of the Lewes Bonfire.

The Georgian period saw Lewes become an administrative and social centre for the county. Great town houses were built and some old timber framed flint buildings "gentrified" by the addition of Georgian facades. A building technique of the time used "mathematical" tiles where tiles are fixed to the walls so as to be almost indistinguishable from the brickwork. Lewes has a large and fine collection of such buildings.

Victorian times brought paved streets, lighting and the railway. A Charter of Incorporation in 1881 gave the ancient borough its first mayor and in 1974 the borough was replaced by Lewes District Council. The old borough council exercised its right to have a successor council, becoming Lewes Town Council with its Town Mayor.

Today, Lewes is the administrative centre of East Sussex housing the headquarters of fire, police, ambulance, health authority services and three tiers of local government. These together with Lewes Prison are the town's major employers.

There is plenty to see and do in Lewes. The town boasts a huge range of speciality shops selling hand made chocolates, candles, craftwork and art. Antique shops are plentiful as are the beautiful buildings illustrating a range of architectural styles.

A brick paved pedestrian precinct has been created in the riverside Cliffe area once a separate village. The area is dominated by the grand Victorian gothic buildings of Harvey's Brewery. This traditional brewery is the sole survivor from the town's seven breweries of the 19th century and on a misty day you can smell the malt in the air.

The Southover area contains the imposing ruins of the Priory of St Pancras, Anne of Cleaves Museum and Southover Grange. The Grange, built in the late 16th century, partly from stone from the Priory, is the original Mock Beggars' Hall in Harrison Ainsworth's novel Ovingdean Grange.

The Grange has been extensively restored by the district council and is surrounded by beautiful gardens, now a public park. Here are formal bedding displays, rare trees including the North American Tulip tree, with the Winterbourne stream flowing through the middle of the park.

The Town Hall has the steps where 17 Protestant martyrs are said to have climbed to their fate of being burned at the stake in 1557. Highlights also include the magnificent Renaissance staircase brought from Slaugham Place and more than fifty artefacts.

As far back as the 14th century an inn was known to stand on the site of the town hall being owned by the monks of Southover Priory. By the dissolution of the monasteries under the rule of Henry VIII it had become the Star Inn.

In the 1660's it was particularly noted for its fine wine and cuisine and in the 18th century a winter monthly supper and ball for the local gentry and their ladies was held there. When Lewes was granted its charter in 1881, the search began for a place to hold council meetings. The Star Inn was bought in 1890 for 4,100 and by 1893 it had been converted it into a town hall. The town's treasures can be seen in the mayor's parlour, which include one of the largest processional maces in the South and a 17th century Blunt cup made of silver gilt.

Lewes House is now the district council headquarters, was once owned by Lewes House, now the district council headquarters, was once owned by wealthy American art collector, Edward Warren. At the turn of the century thousands of pieces of art from the Mediterranean were passing through Lewes on their way to the Boston and Philadelphia Museums. Warren also commissioned Auguste Rodin to sculpt one of the versions of "The Kiss". The four and half ton marble statue was housed in Lewes House and displayed in the Town Hall. It is now owned by The Tate Gallery.

The Old Needlemakers in West Street is steeped in history. Within the shell of an early 19th century candle and needle factory are 20 small craftbased shops selling jewellery, toys, fragrances, candles and an excellent cafe. The building retains huge beams, old woodblock floors, stable doors, and a deep well which provided the water for the steam driven machinery.

Keere Street

Keere Street, a favourite location for TV and film companies, is also well worth a look. This twitten is a steep cobbled byway linking the town centre to Southover. Flanked by picturesque cottages and with the beamed 15th century bookshop, the street marks the boundary of the medieval town with a fragment of the wall lying behind the houses on the east side. Tradition says that George IV, while Prince of Wales, drove a coach and four down Keere Street for a wager.