Lewes History Group

Christopher Whittick: Banged Up in Lewes: Criminal custody in the County Town

In March Lewes History Group welcomes former County Archivist, Christopher Whittick who will describe the historical evidence for the present Lewes Prison, illustrated with images from the County Record Office and elsewhere. He will also take us back beyond the 19^th Century to examine the history of judicial custody in the County Town over a period of almost a thousand years.

Christopher Whittick explains: “Although today we may automatically associate prison with punishment, that has not always been the case; indeed it is a relatively recent concept, emerging during the opening decades of the 18th century. The original function of a gaol or prison was to contain those who had been arrested pending their trial, to hold prisoners awaiting the gallows or transportation to a penal colony, or to confine debtors until their liabilities had been discharged either from the sale of their assets or by their families.”

Elevation of proposed Lewes Prison, 1848 – ESRO R/A 2/516

All are welcome from 7.00pm for free refreshments and updates on the Group’s activities. The talk will begin promptly at 7:30pm and will finish by 9.00pm.

There is an entry fee, payable at the door, of £1 for members, and £3 for non-members.

Venue: The King’s Church building on Brooks Road, Lewes, BN7 2BY. (Between Tesco car park and Homebase)

See the Talks page for a list of  forthcoming monthly events organised by the Lewes History Group.

A Lewes Archaeological Group talk

Dan Swift: The Report on the Major Excavations in Lewes at the Lewes Library, Baxter’s Printworks and Lewes House

Dan is a post-excavation project manager at Archaeology South East and is the author of the monograph for the major excavations that took place on the sites of the Lewes Library, Baxter’s Printworks and Lewes House (to be published in 2020).

Lewes House excavation. Copyright Dan Swift, Archaeology South-East, UCL

Venue: Lecture Room, Lewes Town Hall, Fisher Street entrance (lift access available)

Entry (including tea/coffee): members £3 (£2 concessions), non-members £4 (£3 concessions), 18 years and under FREE

Carmen Slijpen & Natasha Padbury: Depot Cinema, Lewes – the back story, and path to sustainability

Depot was designed and built on environmentally responsible principles. Sustainability was top of the agenda at the point of design – with priority given to using sustainable energy sources and environmentally and socially responsible principles – in order to achieve the lowest possible environmental impact.

Director Carmen Slijpen will talk about the creation of Depot Cinema, and Green Ambassador Natasha Padbury will  show how sustainable choices permeate activities across all aspects of the organisation.

Depot Cinema, Lewes       Image © Marcus Taylor

Venue: Lecture Room, Lewes Town Hall (Fisher Street entrance)

Entry: Free for Friends of Lewes members, £3 for non-members

Wine and juice can be purchased in the interval

See the Diary page for a list of  forthcoming events organised by the Friends of Lewes