Lewes History Group

Sue Berry: The Rise of Victorian and Edwardian Suburbs in Lewes

The landscape of Lewes was so transformed during the later 1880s and early 1900s that by 1914, a visitor from the early nineteenth century would have been very surprised by the changes, especially the styles and the innovations such as sewerage and fresh water.

Access to the railway became key for businesses, and where possible, living away from the noise and smells of the iron foundry, breweries, leather processing and horse dung (a later Victorian crisis) in the centre all helped to shape the town – and the imprint of development during this period still does.

We will explore the development of the suburbs exploring topics such as the impact of ever increasing legislation on the layout and coherence of all house building projects – large (Wallands), mid-sized (such as the Pells and Grange Road) and small infills; of the difficulty of making them profitable even on greenfield sites; and who some of the builders and occupants were.

The Pells area before development. Courtesy of Sussex Archaeological Society

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 for these meetings, 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 Meetings page for a list of  forthcoming monthly talks organised by the Lewes History Group.

There will be a meeting upstairs at the Elephant & Castle pub on Sunday 17 November from 3.30 to 5pm to update on the Pells Centenary events for 6/7 June 2020. Hear what is planned and become involved in any way you wish.

Everyone who lives or works locally is welcome. Also anyone who has lived in the area in the past, or has connections through the school, church, pool or who visits the Pells to fish, walk, play or feed the ducks.

The Pells and St Johns Neighbourhood Association is the umbrella organisation for the celebration. You can contact the Pells Centenary Team at pellscentenary@gmail.com

Do you have memories of living in the Mill Road area? Did anyone in your family work at the Steam Laundry, or perhaps, going further back, at Frank Stone’s flour mill and bakery? Do you know anything about the chalk pits on Malling Hill?

If you do, please contact Chris Taylor who is looking into the history of the area around Mill Road. Chris has written a short summary of what he has found out about Malling Windmill, Mill House, the Steam Laundry, Malling Hill Villas, and the modern houses and chalk pits.

Click for Chris’s summary and to leave him a message

The numerous laundry staff outside the premises, Mr Frampton Carter, centre.
1920s photograph, reproduced with permission of East Sussex Record Office