Lewes History Group

Over the years, the Friends of Lewes has helped to protect and enhance the beauty, history and character of Lewes.

This year’s Family Quiz involves finding out about some of the places and landmarks around Lewes which have been restored and celebrated, and answering questions on each one.

This family quiz is open to any ages, as families or individuals.

First Prize is £50, and there are 5 runners-up  prizes of £5!

Closing date: Monday 26th September 2016

Completed Quiz Sheets to be sent or delivered to:
Friends of Lewes Family Quiz, c/o Lewes Town Hall, High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2QS

Download the Summer 2016 FoL Family Quiz here

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Lewes History Group Meeting

Marcus Taylor & John Kay: Alec Clifton-Taylor’s Lewes Re-visited

Alec Clifton-Taylor (1907-1985) was an English architectural historian, writer and broadcaster. His most influential book, ‘The Pattern of English Building’ (1962) was a landmark in the understanding of the importance of vernacular architecture. He died 30 years ago, but his work lives on in three series of BBC TV programmes, each published as a book – ‘Six English Towns’ (1977), ‘Six More English Towns’ (1981) and ‘Another Six English Towns’ (1984). Lewes featured in the 1981 series, and we shall be re-visiting that from a 21^st century perspective.

Alec Clifton-Taylor’s emphasis was on the use that local builders made of the materials available in their locality – in Lewes chalk and flint from the Downs and timber, brick and tile from the nearby Weald. He studied and admired the skills they developed and was particularly taken by the Lewes use of mathematical tile. He was critical of Victorian and later builders for their use of cheaper alien materials, imported by the railway, and their neglect of traditional skills.

His work was part of a wider movement that expanded history from being primarily the study of old documents to include a much wider range of evidence, including the surviving landscape and its vernacular buildings. The recognition of how much can be learned from such sources underpins the flourishing local history movement, of which the Lewes History Group is a part. We can be confident that he would have approved of our Street Stories project.

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 £2 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.

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There will be whistle blowing to mark the ‘over the top’ signal at 07.30 on Friday morning at the war memorial in Lewes.

Everybody is welcome, but as this not an official function, no road closure has been applied for. Those attending are asked to take extreme care on the pavements of School Hill and Market Street.

On the same evening  Brighton Festival Chorus is putting on a concert to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of The Somme, with music and poetry closely connected both to Sussex and to the battle. Friday July 1^st 2016, 19:30pm, All Saints Church, Hove BN3 3QE.

Trailer

Details and booking

Thanks to Sarah Earl, and Mick Symes for this information

Postcard of Lewes War Memorial

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