Lewes History Group

Sue Berry: Lewes Development in the 1830s and 1840s

Dr Sue Berry will outline the development of Lewes in the late Georgian period and early years of Queen Victoria’s reign to set the scene for a members’ research project on Victorian and Edwardian Lewes that LHG hopes to offer in 2023.

Sue says, “After a long period of growth and change during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Lewes suffered from a recession which began in the mid 1820s and continued into the 1830s; this affected many towns, including Brighton.”

Attitudes towards transport, politics and investment in Lewes had to change. Lewes lost an MP as a result of the Reform Act of 1832 when growing towns such as Brighton were given MPs for the first time. The first railway line wasn’t connected until 1846, and was dependent mainly on external investors and decisions.

However, the town had a useful asset in the river. Beside the Ouse, with strong regional links, foundries, and other businesses which needed cheap bulk transport, could be developed. Thus, Harveys bought its present riverside brewery site in 1838 to import coal to use, and to sell. Other businesses also prospered as part of Lewes reviving and changing and we will look at these too.

View of the Barbican in Lewes c1840 by Quartermain
© Sussex Archaeological Society

Venue: The King’s Church building on Brooks Road, Lewes, BN7 2BY. (Between Tesco car park and Homebase)

Entry: Due to limited seating, admission will be by advance ticketing only – no payments on the door. Please book in advance at https://ticketsource.co.uk/lhg

Tickets are FREE for LHG members, and £4 for non-members. We will have lists of ticket-holders at the door and will check you in.

Tickets are available now. Ticket sales will close at 5:30pm on the day of the talk.

Covid precautions: details to come

See the Talks page for a list of  forthcoming monthly events organised by the Lewes History Group.

A Sussex Archaeological Society Event

Discover more about the unique collections of The Sussex Archaeological Society during this informal evening with Museums’ Officer Emma O’Connor. This event will focus on highlights from the ceramics collection, from pre-history to the 19th Century.

Expect plenty of opportunities for handling objects, examining them closely, and some interesting stories about the people behind the objects, and how the items ended up in the care of the Society.

Held in the Library at Barbican House in Lewes, this series of exclusive behind-closed-doors sessions will offer the chance to learn more about some of 30,000 objects which are held by the Society.

Details and booking

Image from Sussex Past 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.

This year’s event in Lewes includes free access to 16 different buildings in Lewes, some with special tours. In addition, 5 different guided walks are to take place in the town with 8 start times to cater for high levels of interest.

Advance booking through Eventbrite is essential for some of these tours and walks. Booking opened on 15 August and closes the day before the event.

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

An opportunity not to be missed!

Lewes Heritage Open Days 2022 brochure

Lewes Heritage Open Days is organised by the Friends of Lewes

For a preview taster talk, Marcus Taylor will be looking at some of the interesting properties that will be opening this year – on Wednesday 31 August, 7:30pm, on Zoom