Lewes History Group

A Zoom talk

Steven Sparks: The Crown Inn – Evolution and Restoration of a Landmark Building

As many as 120 public houses and inns have existed in Lewes over the years, but few have had a longer unbroken history than the Crown Inn at 192 High Street.

We tend to think that old buildings have always looked more or less as they do now, but documentary evidence shows that in the 17th Century, this one was a 2-storey hostelry called the Black Lyon.

Steven Sparks, who has overseen the recent transformation of this building into 9 apartments and 3 commercial units, tells its story and gives an insight into the challenges of developing a Grade II* listed building.

Those who remember the Crown as it was a few years ago will enjoy seeing the “before and after” photographs, and will appreciate how much care has been taken in its restoration and evolution.

The Crown, Lewes, during its transformation. Image courtesy of Sparks Property

The talk will be free, and all are welcome.

Please click to Register in advance for this talk

After registering, you will receive an automated confirmation email containing your personal link for joining the meeting.

Please click on that link to attend the talk 10 minutes before it starts.

We would recommend a computer screen or an iPad as a minimum screen-size for viewing our webinars.

Our presenters will be speaking live, and you can ask questions by typing in the Q&A box in Zoom.

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

A Zoom Webinar

Kit Wedd: Building a Victorian or Edwardian House 

Speculatively built and mass-produced, the modest house for the respectable artisan or the aspiring middle class professional is the predominant built form in England’s Victorian suburbs.

Such houses were built in their hundreds of thousands, and today are admired for their architectural character and the quality of their materials and construction.

In this talk, Kit Wedd introduces the people responsible for producing them: the surveyors who laid out the new streets, the developers who raised and risked the investment, and the builders themselves – a roster of craftsmen, technicians and labourers operating in a strict hierarchy based on inherited traditions and skills, but challenged by new technologies and working practices.

Many people in Lewes own a house of this period, so this talk will help us understand how areas such as The Pells, New Road, Lancaster Street, Southover Road, St Anne’s Terrace, infills such as Cleves Terrace, and the area north of The Avenue, were built.

Kit Wedd is an expert on buildings of this period. She has published several books on the topic of house building during this period.  She is a Director of Spurstone Heritage and a trustee of the Victorian Society

Carpenter, by Whittock 1842; Kit Wedd: Victorian Housebuilding

To join this talk, you need to
1) register your intention in advance
2) receive our confirmation email with a link to the talk
3) click on that link to attend the talk 10 minutes before it starts

LHG Members can attend our talks for free. We will send members emails with a link to Zoom registration. Then please follow steps 1, 2, and 3 as above. 

Non-members can buy a ticket (£4) from TicketSource. The ticket will provide a link to Zoom registration. Then please follow steps 1, 2, and 3 as above.

Please join the webinar at 7:25pm.

We would recommend a computer screen or an iPad as a minimum screen-size for viewing our webinars.

Our presenters will be speaking live, and you can ask questions by typing in the Q&A box in Zoom.

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

A Zoom Webinar

Dr Marc Morris: The Norman Conquest – why does it matter?

In addition to our monthly talks, we are trialing occasional talks on broader topics suggested by members which could inform their research interests, or throw some light on how Lewes was affected by major historical events and periods.

This second talk looks at The Norman Conquest, a period key to the foundation of Lewes.

1066 is the most famous date in English history. Everyone remembers the story – depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry – of William the Conqueror’s successful invasion, and King Harold being felled by an arrow in the eye. But why do we remember 1066 above all other dates, and why do the events of that year matter so much?

Dr Marc Morris is the author of The Norman Conquest. His other books include The Anglo Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England  and highly acclaimed biographies of King John and Edward I. He presented the TV series Castle and wrote its accompanying book.

To join this talk, you need to
1) register your intention in advance
2) receive our confirmation email with a link to the talk
3) click on that link to attend the talk 10 minutes before it starts

LHG Members can attend our talks for free. We will send members emails with a link to Zoom registration. Then please follow steps 1, 2, and 3 as above. 

Non-members can buy a ticket (£4) from TicketSource. The ticket will provide a link to Zoom registration. Then please follow steps 1, 2, and 3 as above.

Please join the webinar at 7:25pm.

We would recommend a computer screen or an iPad as a minimum screen-size for viewing our webinars.

Our presenters will be speaking live, and you can ask questions by typing in the Q&A box in Zoom.

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