Next talk – The life and times of Lewes resident, John Evelyn, led by Mary Burke

Posted on March 7, 2025 by EditorP

Monday 14th July 2025 at 7.30 pm at King’s Church.

John Evelyn (1620-1706) spent most of his childhood in Lewes. He lived at Southover Grange from the 1620s until he went to Oxford at the age of 17. So what was he doing here when his family lived at Wotton House in Surrey?
In her talk Mary will tell us about his Lewes background and ancestors, and what happened to him after he left Lewes. He lived a long life, as a young man through the tumultuous times of the Civil War and the through the Restoration of the Monarchy, and right through to the reign of Queen Anne. He was an important figure at the Court of King Charles II, a friend of Samual Pepys and the writer of an extensive diary about his life, with landscape design among his many interests.

Admission is free for members and there is no need to reserve your place.

Everyone is very welcome, but there is an entry charge of £4 for non-members, with tickets available in advance via Ticketsource.co.uk/lhg

Please arrive in good time for a prompt start at 7.30 pm. We hope you can join us.

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Help create a new Street Story for Prince Edwards Road

Posted on March 6, 2025 by EditorB

Two LHG members, Barbara Abbs and Ana Kirby, both residents of Prince Edwards Road, are interested in exploring the facts and figures as well as the history and stories that have resulted in the present day Prince Edwards Road.   

So if you are interested in joining them to create this new Street Story, whether you live there or would just like this opportunity to be part of this exploration, please contact Ana on ana.kirby2@icloud.com

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Lewes Archaeology Group: changes to speakers and dates

Posted on February 27, 2025 by EditorP

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control we have had to postpone the talk

scheduled for Friday March 21st: The Neolithic in Sussex by Dr Jon Baczkowski.

It is replaced with: The Industrial History of Lewes c.1700-1914 – and the impact of the town’s changing role by  Dr Sue Berry

Lewes has a rich industrial heritage, much evidence of which still survives. Sue will look at key sectors; why they developed and also the causes of their decline, for example the brewing industry. From the 1830’s Lewes had to try hard to maintain its regional standing and grew slowly, in spite of the number of railway lines. We shall explore some possible reasons for this lack of rapid growth and the reduction in processing – for example breweries. 

7:30pm Friday 21 March, Lewes Town Hall Lecture Room

Admission for members: £2.00 cash

Non-members very welcome: £4.00 cash

Dr Jon Baczkowski’s talk will be rescheduled later this year.

Professor Martin Bell has kindly agreed to give his talk, The Long Man of Wilmington: New evidence for its date and historical context on Friday 25th April 2025.

Professor Bell will explain why the Long Man is now thought to be of the early Tudor period.

This is a talk which shows the value of combining both archaeological techniques and historiography (which includes the use of archives) when studying a site. 

Further details to follow in due course.

7:30pm, Friday 25th April, Lewes Town Hall Lecture Room

Admission for members: £2.00 cash

Non-members very welcome: £4.00 cash

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