Central and just off the A27, it is around 45 minutes from Gatwick Airport, 20/30 minutes from Brighton [depending on the route you choose to enter said city], and about the same journey time to the ferry port of Newhaven and the Transmarche ferry to Dieppe. Not that far away is the seaside resort of Eastbourne.
The internationally famed Glynebourne is only 15 minutes away through the Sussex countryside, with Firle Place not far behind it. Alfriston and the National Trusts first ever purchased property of the Clergy House is just a short hop away, as are many other places you can visit such as Beachy Head, Cuckmere, Seven Sisters and Birling Gap. The list could go on forever. For those who like to walk, the South Down Way passes through and around Lewes, depending on the route you choose to take.
Though busy, Lewes itself has an air of calm. The older areas are full of quaint old buildings, twittens [alley ways] and history. It has a castle with a museum, which has a long history [1000 years] and is the site of a large battle. In addition there is a house where Anne of Cleves is said to have resided, which also houses a small museum. Lewes even has it's own football team, The Rooks. Oh, and we have our own brewery, Harveys, which dates back to 1790, the oldest in Sussex.
One of the many Twitten's in Lewes. They are almost everywhere in the town centre. As you can see, it is quite hilly!
The main street in the centre of town. On the whole it is not a place for those high street chains you will find in Brighton. Lewes is a great place to find that something different, or that special gift. Parking can be a problem though and traffic wardens are on the prowl during business hours.
The castle entrance is directly to the right of this photo.....
Part of Lewes Castle. The Barbican Tower. It may be one of the smaller castles in the UK however you get great views of Lewes, the surrounding downs and the chalk cliffs.
Lewes hosts an annual Bonfire Parade in November that brings floods of visitors to the town. The links with the conspirators who failed to blow up Parliament all those years ago are still strong. A special bonfire radio station counts down to the big event itself and the local bonfire societies fund raise all year long so they can hold their own firework display at the end of the evening. Each society has their own dress code and place in the parade complete with flaming torches and tar barrels. Police close the town to all traffic shortly after the schools close, the towns businesses also shut early, and trains stopping at Lewes Station on that evening, tend to be filled to capacity. Those wanting to get the best views have to make sure they are in position early. Both the parade and the firework displays are spectacular if you are happy to stand for a couple of hours waiting for the event itself and queuing to leave Lewes at the end. The best solution is to find a friend who lives somewhere on the route of the parade who will also be kind enough to let you stay overnight!
This picture, taken from the top of Lewes castle [Kings keep], and shows flooded fields outside Lewes from recent rainfall. To the left of the photo, the terrain slopes steeply up onto the downs [not shown in photo].
The Ouse, a tidal river, comes down the valley and runs through the centre of the town. Lewes has, on occasions been vulnerable to floods, the last occasion being approximately 10 years ago. Persistent heavy rains soaked the fields. The chalk layers, usually so good at draining away the excess water, filled to capacity and the surrounding fields became a lake [in a similar way to that shown in the above photo]. The water pouring into the Ouse upstream found itself in a bottle neck as it entered the towns boundaries. When high tide occurred , it only had one way to go. The river rose above it's banks and walls and into the town centre. Those, lucky enough not to be within the flooded area itself, found themselves marooned as many roads in and around Lewes area were blocked with water running off the hills and fields. Flood defences have been increased since then, however, only time will tell if this will prove sufficient against future surges.
This photo shows the area downstream from Lewes. The river is about 100 yards to the left, of the area of water you can see in the top of the picture. Parts of the town seem to lie in a bowl between the rolling hills of the south downs. This view was taken from the top of the castle [Kings Keep], you can see how it would have commanded an outstanding view from it's prime position on the top of the hill.
That's the end of this weeks post and tour of Lewes. So, why don't you give the town a visit next time you have a free weekend?
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