Station Street is one of the main routes for entering and passing through Lewes.
It meets the High Street and Fisher Street at a crossroads that has for centuries played an important role in the life of the town. It has even been described as the town’s centre point. Known as St Mary’s Lane for most of its history, deriving from the medieval parish of St Mary in the Market Place, it was re-named Station Street in 1857, when it became the main route to the new station, following which the old parish and its boundaries were lost. The book tells the story of how St Mary’s Lane developed from Saxon times, looking at its buildings, businesses, shops, churches, inns and inhabitants. It explains how St Mary’s Lane changed dramatically in the 19th century, when town improvements, the railway, new roads and a bridge over the valley at the bottom of the lane, where for centuries there had been tanneries, all had a considerable impact. The last three chapters describe the shops and businesses that have traded in the street since the 19th century.
As part of the Lewes History Group’s Street Stories series about our town, this book by Debby Matthews summarises the results of her research conducted over several years. It draws on a broad range of historical sources, including personal reminiscences, and is illustrated by a wide range of photographs, sketches and maps, some of them published for the first time.
Published by Lewes History Group, July 2025. Price £12.50
Available for sale at The Tourist Information Centre in Cliffe High Street, Lewes Print Centre in Station Street and by mail order
Lewes History Group 