Lewes History Group

As part of their European Erasmus project, the Lewes Priory Trust is hosting two free events for Lewes Priory Trust members and other interested parties on Saturday 11th September in the Chapter House at Southover Church, Lewes.

An introduction to calligraphy  09:30-11:00

A specialist calligraphy teacher from Tyniec monastery in Poland will give a practical calligraphy workshop in English. All materials will be provided. Spaces limited to 12 participants so early booking required.

A talk on the medieval stained glass of Batalha Monastery, Portugal 11:30-12:30

Batalha Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a masterpiece of Gothic art. The monastery is noted for its conservation work of the medieval stained glass and this talk (in English) will present the windows and explain the skilled techniques used in their restoration. Spaces limited to 30 so early booking required.

To reserve your place email Trust Chairman Sy Morse Brown with your name and contact number.

A Zoom Webinar

Dr Will Pilfold: The Ouse Valley Pits: Using chalk & making landscapes

In common with other areas of the chalklands of England the Ouse valley contains numerous disused chalk pits that often have a significant visual impact. As a group the study of these pits has been unduly neglected by local and landscape historians, the main interest in them coming from industrial archaeologists.

This talk explores the origins of these pits, the uses to which the chalk extracted has been put and the legacy of disused pits (their use and abuse). It also looks at the more subtle impacts that exploiting chalk as a mineral resource has had on Sussex landscapes.

There is still much to be learnt on these topics and this presentation is something of a ‘work-in-progress’ report. It is hoped that further discussion and investigations that help fill the many gaps in our knowledge may be sparked by this talk.

SPCC Ltd South Heighton Works c1898, image from Newhaven Museum

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 7:20pm.

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.

Thursday 2nd September 2021 at 7pm – Three Castles and an Ironmaster’s House, by David Clarke

Thursday 7th October at 7pm – Droughts, Deluges and Dust Devils. A look back at 350 years of South East Weather, by Ian Currie

You can find out more about these talks on the Bridge Cottage website.

The Evening Talks take place in the beautiful Hall Chamber, upstairs in Bridge Cottage. Until further notice they will be limiting audience numbers to 35, and will be following the current government guidance.

Tickets are £5 for UDPS Members and £8 for Non Members
To book, or for further information, please call 01825 760734 or visit the talks web page.

Bridge Cottage Uckfield