A Sussex Archaeological Society Day Conference
By 1640, as the country began its slide towards the Civil War which effectively ended the reign of Charles I, many country house owners in Sussex and elsewhere had taken advantage of the preceding long period of stability to extend existing houses or build new ones, increasing prosperity and bringing about greater awareness of European fashions.
A considerable number of these houses survive in Sussex, although many have been substantially altered and a few, such as Wiston and Firle, greatly reduced in size because they were simply too big. Some were demolished in the later 1700s and early 1800s due to the amalgamation of large estates. Halland and Michelgrove (in the parish of Clapham) were amongst these.
The themes of this conference include how and why these houses were built and paid for, the influences on their design and setting and the rules (or ordinances) used to help the big households to run smoothly and no doubt to help accommodate the costly favour of a Royal visit. The impact of alterations and changes in role will be explored by the case studies of specific houses during the afternoon.
Venue: King’s Church, Brooks Road, Lewes, BN7 2BY
Booking and details: Sussex Archaeological Society web page
Link to programme
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Former Guardian journalist Murray Armstrong, author of The Liberty Tree, discusses their fight for a people’s democracy.
Lewes History Group 