Lewes Castle
Norman castle built after the Battle of Hastings; climb the keep for views, then visit the Museum of Sussex Archaeology next door.
Ein Mini-Guide zu
Lewes Castle and Anne of Cleves House, the Bloomsbury houses, Alfriston and the white cliffs from Cuckmere Haven to Beachy Head
1 / 9Willkommen in der Gegend
Lewes, the county town of East Sussex, climbs from the River Ouse to a Norman castle built after the Battle of Hastings; below it are Anne of Cleves House, the ruins of St Pancras Priory and Southover Grange Gardens. Harvey's brewery is by the river. South of the town, Monk's House at Rodmell was Virginia Woolf's home, and Charleston, near Firle, was the country home of her sister Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant.
Further east, the Cuckmere valley runs past Alfriston, with the National Trust's first building, and the Long Man of Wilmington on the hill above. At the river mouth, Cuckmere Haven and Seven Sisters Country Park open onto the chalk cliffs, which run past Birling Gap to Beachy Head, Britain's highest chalk sea cliff at 162 metres.
Highlights
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Norman castle built after the Battle of Hastings; climb the keep for views, then visit the Museum of Sussex Archaeology next door.
Timber-framed 15th-century house given to Anne of Cleves after her marriage to Henry VIII ended; Tudor kitchen and garden.
Ruins of the Priory of St Pancras, founded in the 11th century by William de Warenne and dissolved in 1537, with a herb garden.
Public gardens of a house built in 1572, in the centre of Lewes; they host events from theatre to beer festivals.
Virginia and Leonard Woolf's cottage and garden at Rodmell, now National Trust; pre-booking essential, reopening 26 March 2027.
Country home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, decorated by the Bloomsbury artists, with a garden, galleries and café.
Orientierung
The map shows Lewes and the Seven Sisters and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insidertipps
The Sussex Archaeological Society sells a combined ticket for Lewes Castle and Anne of Cleves House, cheaper than buying both separately.
Pre-booking is essential, even for National Trust members. The house is closed for the season and reopens on 26 March 2027.
The chalk cliffs are fragile and can fall without warning. At Birling Gap the beach is reached by a staircase of 50 steps.
The National Trust car park is pay and display (free for members and Blue Badge holders); coach parking is no longer available.
Tipps der Britlens-Redaktion
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Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
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