Lewes History Group

A Zoom Webinar

Geoff Mead: Source to Sea: the River Ouse

Geoff Mead’s talk for Lewes History Group follows the course of the river across geological and historic time; its journey from the sandstones and wooded heights of the High Weald through the gentle pastures of the Low Weald to the deep valley through the South Downs National Park and on to the changing coastline of the Channel. Tributaries enter the main stream from the Weald and the downland creating their own basin features.

The course of the Ouse has eroded the covering of the Weald over millions of years, allowing our access to the core of Southeast England; this area has provided source materials for generations of inhabitants from rock shelters in the Neolithic, through Romano-British ironworking to Tudor gun founders, and Regency estate builders.

Later developments revolved around improved communications with a canalisation, railways, and new roads. The 21st century brings concerns of climate change, water consumption and the loss of particular environments and urbanisation. We cover a range of topics in this fluvial journey, from source to sea.

River Ouse south of Lewes

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.

Lewes HMD is putting on a number of virtual events to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2021:

Saturday 23 January 2–4pm (free online event): Haiku workshop on ‘acts of kindness in the worst of times’ from the Holocaust to the present lockdown era. Led by Christine Cohen Park, a writer, workshop facilitator and teacher. Email leweshmd1@gmail.com by 22 January, heading your email ‘event1’ and Lewes HMD will send you a Zoom link.

Saturday 23 January 7–8.30pm (free online event): The Holocaust legacy – discussion panel with local speakers from refugee, anti-racist and LGBT groups. Please note spaces are limited. Click to Register to receive an automated Zoom link.

Wednesday 27 January 8pm (free online event):  Be the Light in the Darkness. Local poets, musicians and others reflect on the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2021. At the end please join us in lighting in our own homes during a two-minutes’ silence. Email leweshmd3@googlemail.com, heading your email ‘event3’ and Lewes HMD will send you a Zoom link.

There will also be four amazing stories from Lewes residents, talking for the first time about family experiences in the Holocaust and other periods of war, find these on the Lewes HMD YouTube page

More information will be available via a window display at the Lewes Tourist Information Centre during the week 15-22 January, and also from the Lewes HMD Facebook page

Click image to enlarge
Please note the film screenings have been cancelled

A Zoom talk

Marcus Taylor: Building Materials in Lewes: our Architectural Heritage

What is it that makes Lewes such a special town? In addition to its superb geographical downland setting, astride the gap cut through the chalk by the River Ouse, and its rich cultural history, Marcus Taylor hopes to convince us that a wealth of building materials over the years has led to some very distinctive streetscapes and fascinating architectural details, which also deserve full credit.

In this rapid, image-led sweep through the centuries, he highlights what Lewes houses are made of and why – and also why that is good news for residents and visitors alike.

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