South Street is a long street with a mix of housing and industry, and a long history.
There are houses with origins in the 17th century (and possibly earlier), there was a union workhouse, a pest house, shops, pubs and many small cottages.
Industries included timber, boat building, gas, chalk and cement works and the river provided the transport for these with barges, wharfs and warehouses.
South Street was the site of Britain’s worst avalanche, has suffered from flooding and had terrible traffic problems when, prior to the building of the tunnel, South Street was the main road from Lewes to the east.
It has the long-established Rowing Club and a Bonfire Society.
The following overview looks at the histories of the houses and industries that were on the street, at the lives led by its residents, and shows how all this has changed over time.
The account breaks down into the following areas:
- Introduction and Early History
- The River and Local Industries
- History of the Houses
- The People of South Street, and their Social Activities
- Acknowledgements, References, Maps, Images
Postcard showing South Street, supplied by Linda Weller
Project coordinator: Heather Downie
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Lewes History Group 