Lewes History Group

A Lewes Racecourse History Event

Why don’t you join us at this year’s Exhibition, where we will be displaying some of the finest memorabilia collected of Lewes Racecourse, including reports about racedays from the mid 1700s.

You will have the chance to meet the local trainers, and the families of the Gosden’s, Masson’s, Butchers’s, Bolton’s, Beeson’s, and many of the ex-jockeys will once again be there to chat about their racing days at Lewes.

We will be showing for the first time a very rare colour footage of the last day’s racing at Lewes, plus you can listen to Simon Holt’s commentary on the last six races.

Venue: King’s Church, Brooks Road, Lewes, BN7 2BY

To apply for a free pass to get you into the exhibition, contact Barry Foulkes on 07546554650, email beejaysfencing@aol.com, Lewes Racecourse History website

Refreshments will be available

Copyright image at Lewes Racecourse History website

Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public, or charge for admission.

Eighteen historic Lewes buildings and tours will be accessible over this long weekend. Some are not normally open to the public, and for others, their usual entry charge has been waived for this event.

There are a range of guided tours, and for some, advance booking is essential.

Booking opened on 8 July 2019. Please book by 9 September 2019 for all venues except for: Lewes Prison (book by 6.9.19 sold out), Lewes Town Hall (by 11.9.19), and Barbican House Library (by 12.9.19) – please check the booking page for details.

Brochure, full details, and how to book your place for tours 

An opportunity not to be missed!

The Workshop (Jonathan Swan), The Croft, Edward Reeves

Lewes Heritage Open Days is organised by the Friends of Lewes

Tom Reeves: Retail Retold – Life on Lewes High Street

Tom Reeves shows images of the town and people of Lewes taken in the High Street from 1860 to 1960.

The images are from the Edward Reeves Archive, a collection of historic images from the world’s oldest surviving photography studio.

This talk is linked to the new lightbox exhibition which runs from the 5^th to the 29^th September 2019, featuring 80 lightboxes in windows up and down Lewes High Street.

The exhibition will focus on the importance which High Streets – now very much under threat – have in the life of a community.

Special emphasis will be given to the much more sustainable way in which generations before us did their shopping.

Lewes High Street and clock, c. 1936 (detail)
Image courtesy of Edward Reeves Photography

Venue: 7:45pm at Trinity Church Southover, Southover High Street, Lewes BN7 1JH

Entry: Open to all – admission free to Friends of Lewes members, £3 for non-members

Tea & coffee in the interval

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