The Medieval town of Lewes
Saturday 15 April – well I arrived in Eastbourne late afternoon yesterday and am currently staying with my sister Denise and her partner Glyn. It’s that cold here we sat in their living room with a log fire burning and I had a hot water bottle in bed last night!
Today we had a wonderful day out. Denise and I took the train to Lewes, the small medieval town which is the judicial centre for all of Sussex and is only a twenty minute train ride away. Historians agree that Lewes’ name derives from the Old English “hlaews” – hills or mounds - as Lewes is built into the slopes either side of the Ouse Valley, and it was here that Simon de Montfort fought the Battle of Lewes against King Henry III in 1264. It’s old churches, buildings and twittens (a Sussex word for alleyway) give you a glimpse of a bygone era. The town is surrounded by chalk cliffs and is dominated by the remains of a Norman castle built by William de Warenne soon after the invasion of 1066.
It was wonderful to walk around and see so many historic and special interest sites – the ruins of the old Priory of St Pancras, established in the 11th century by the monks from St Cluny in France and the impressive 15th century timber framed medieval house of Anne of Cleves, given to her as part of her divorce settlement from Henry VIII. A chilly, but beautiful sunny day, it was wonderful to stroll around and browse the bookshops, independent boutiques and antique stores, alongside the craft workshops and old fashioned English pubs. Especially quaint was Needlemakers, an indoor shopping venue set over three very uneven floors in an historic landmark building.
Once used as a factory for making needles during WW1 it is now full of specialist, and unusual boutique shops, including one artisan making and selling leather belts, and another shop with a complete set of old Ladybird children’s books and various comics from my childhood days. The perfect sunny afternoon lent itself to an English cuppa sitting in the pretty Southover Grange walled gardens which were built in 1542 from the stones of the ruined priory, whilst we watched two separate brides and grooms having their photographs taken amidst all the spring bluebells, daffodils and tulips.
A quintessential English day out!
