Royals, Rebels And Revolutionaries: A Fascinating Day Trip To Lewes

There is such a wealth of historical places that can be reached very quickly on the train from London. I recently went on a day trip to the historical town of Lewes near Brighton in East Sussex.

It is a fascinating town with a rich history and some beautiful architecture. Join me on a walk around Lewes, one that brings in royals, rebels, writers and revolutionaries.

You can see the route I took here.

Railway Jack

I exited the train at Lewes train station, after a journey of just over an hour from London Victoria. 

There are these Audioways QR codes around Lewes that, when scanned, tell you stories of Lewes over the centuries. 

This one at the station for example tells you the story of ‘Railway Jack’, a black and white dog, a fox-terrier, who used to ride the trains across the South-East network in the 1870s and 80s. He would always manage to get back to Brighton to get the last train back to Lewes.

For example, Jack apparently enjoyed taking himself to Eastbourne where he would get off and go over the road to be given some food and drink at the Gildredge Hotel.

Lewes Priory

I then wandered down to the ruins of Lewes Priory. 

Lewes was most likely founded in the 6th century by the Saxons, the name probably coming from the old English word ‘hluews’, meaning slopes or hills. The town really comes into its own in the 11th century with the construction of Lewes Castle and Priory.

The Priory of St Pancras was established here between 1078-82. It was the first priory in England to be linked to the influential Abbey of Cluny in France.

It grew to be one of the wealthiest priories in the country and grew to cover a large expanse and at its height in the 12th and 13th centuries, there were over 100 monks living here. 

The Priory came to an end in the 1530s, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII.

The site was briefly then owned by Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s chief advisor and architect of the Dissolution. He built himself a manor house here that was eventually demolished in the 17th century. 

The Battle of Lewes

The Priory is also significant due to the Battle of Lewes of 1264. The battle took place just to the North of Lewes between King Henry III and the rebel nobleman Simon de Montfort. After the King’s defeat he retreated to the Priory with De Montfort’s troops in pursuit, their blazing arrows doing considerable damage to the thatched roofs.

The Mise of Lewes, a settlement signed after the battle, restricted the power of the king and laid the foundations of our parliamentary democracy. 

In 1845 a large burial ground was discovered at the Priory in which the bodies of hundreds from the battle had been buried. 

Anne of Cleves’ House

Not far from the Priory is the beautiful, old Anne of Cleves’ House.

It dates from the 15th century and was given to Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of Henry VIII, as part of the annulment settlement in 1541. She never visited the property however. 

The medieval timber-framed house is a museum today, you can see its well-preserved interiors and learn about Sussex life over the centuries. 

Southover Grange Gardens

I wandered up towards the High Street, via Southover Grange Gardens. 

These were once the private gardens of the Southover Grange Manor House.

The house was constructed in 1572 by William Newton, Steward to the Earl of Dorset and was in the family for over 300 years. 

It was built partly from stones from the ruined Lewes Priory, after it was dissolved. John Evelyn, the well-known diarist, lived here as a child from 1630-1637, before he went to Oxford University. He stayed here with his Grandmother who had remarried into the Newton family. 

During World War Two the house was commissioned by the War Office and used to billet Canadian soldiers and after the war it was purchased by Lewes Borough Council.

The Fifteenth Century Bookshop

We are now up on the High Street. There are lots of lovely 15th and 16th century buildings of note to spot.

This, for example, yis the fifteenth century bookshop.

Bull House

A little bit further along is Bull House.

Bull House was constructed in the 15th century and today is home to the Sussex Archaeological Association. Its most famous resident however, was the political writer, thinker and revolutionary Thomas Paine, who lived here from 1768-1774. Paine moved to Lewes to take up a position as an exciseman. 

He ended up marrying Elizabeth Ollive, the landlord’s daughter and became involved in the town as a juryman and vestryman. 

It was whilst living here that he wrote his first political pamphlet in 1772: The Case of the Officers of Excise. It asked Parliament for better pay and working conditions for excisemen. 

He formed many of the ideas behind his later book, The Rights of Man (1791), in Lewes. He was a member of the Headstrong Club debating society and they would meet on the top floor of the White Hart Hotel, then an inn, to discuss and debate political theories.

You will also find the Rights of Man pub down the road as a nod to this famous resident. 

Bull House also has some interesting carved elements that are worth checking out.

Lewes Castle

Lewes Castle was built shortly after the nearby Battle of Hastings by William de Warenne, a supporter of William the Conqueror. 

It was originally a wooden castle but in a few years had been replaced with the stone castle. They built a new, largely man-made, mount for this, making it is one of only two castles in the country with two mounds. 

You also will not miss the impressive 14th century Barbican Gate, that sits astride the winding path up the hill.

At the top of the hill there is the old ‘Tilting Ground’ a courtyard for jousting. From 1640 it was turned into a bowling green. 

Pipe Passage

Off the high street are various passages, narrow lanes and ‘twittens’ that date back often to the Anglo Saxon layout of the town. A ‘twitten’ is a local term for a narrow path between two walls or hedges.

Pipe Passage is one that is worth following, named after a 19th century clay pipe kiln that was located here. It leads you on a loop around the castle, following the old route of the town wall.

At the top of the hill you will find the Round House. It was built originally in 1802 as the base of a windmill and in 1919 was purchased by Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard. As far as I can tell, she never lived there as in a few weeks they had bought another property.

The Execution Of Ten Protestant Martyrs

On the high street you will find the Town Hall, built in 1893.

In the medieval period however, this was the site of a large property, with a barrel-vaulted undercroft, owned by Lewes Priory.

By the 16th century it was used as the Star Inn and it was in the undercroft here that ten of the seventeen Protestant martyrs executed in Lewes were imprisoned before being burnt at the stake. This was during the prosecutions of 1555-1557 in the reign of Mary I.

Lewes’ extraordinary Guy Fawkes day parades and celebrations are partly to commemorate those martyrs.

Bonfire societies parade through the town, carrying burning crosses, banners and letting off bangers with thousands coming from the surrounding towns to watch. Non-residents are discouraged from attending as the small town gets overwhelmed with people. 

The Needlemakers

Finally I had a little wander around the Needlemakers: a collection of wonderful independent shops inside an old converted factory building. During World War One the factory was used to produce needles. 

And then it was back off home, catching the afternoon train to London!

I hope you enjoyed this jaunt around Lewes. I would love to hear your comments on other places to visit in Lewes, as there is lots more to see than I could cover in a few hours.

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