Located in the county of East Sussex, and around seven miles northeast of Brighton, is the town of Lewes.
Geographically, Lewes is situated in a valley within the South Downs National Park, adjacent to the River Ouse (not to be confused with the River Ouse in Yorkshire, or the Great Ouse spanning Norfolk to Northamptonshire) around eight miles inland from the English Channel.
During the 9th century, Alfred the Great made Lewes a burh, i.e. fortified settlement to protect against the threat of Viking invasion. Following the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror granted Lewes and the surrounding area to William de Warenne. De Warenne was a Norman nobleman who fought in the Battle of Hastings, and was later made Earl of Surrey. He ordered the construction of Lewes Castle, which has the unusual quirk of having two mottes, i.e. mounds. De Warenne also founded Lewes Priory - a Cluniac priory which would ultimately be destroyed in 1537 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Lewes Castle was rebuilt in stone during the 12th century. Additions followed including towers from the 13th century and the Barbican Gate from the early 14th century.
In 1264 the Battle of Lewes took place. This occurred during the Second Barons' War of 1264 to 1267. On one side were the royalist forces of Henry III, while on the other were the barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester. Henry and Simon were brothers-in-law, with the latter having married Eleanor of England, sister of Henry III. The two had previously fallen out over this as, allegedly, Henry had not approved the marriage. The barons had become frustrated at Henry's leadership, with de Montfort emerging as their leader. In 1258 the Provisions of Oxford were written up, which limited the king's power arguably to a greater extent than Magna Carta. In 1261, the pope annulled the document which drove the barons to war with the king.
The battle itself saw de Montfort's army enter Lewes, attacking the castle. The castle's archers set most of the town on fire with flaming arrows. Henry withdrew to Lewes Priory. Shortly afterwards, a settlement was made, known as the Mise of Lewes. The terms are unknown as no surviving documents exist, but in the aftermath, de Montfort led a short-lived government. In 1265, Henry's son Prince Edward (future king Edward I) led the royalist forces in the Battle of Evesham, which concluded with the death and mutilation of de Montfort.
In 1541, as part of Henry VIII's annulment settlement with his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, a house in Lewes was gifted to Anne. Although Anne never actually lived there, the historic hall house itself operates as a museum, and is situated just under half a mile south of the high street.
In 1725 Richard Russell began his medical practice in Lewes. In the 1730s Russell began to prescribe seawater from nearby Brighton to his patients for medicinal purposes. This is seen by many as the genesis of the seaside resort.
From 1768 to 1774 Thomas Paine lived in Lewes. It was here that he penned some influential political writings that culminated in him receiving a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin, and Paine's subsequent emigration to the American Colonies. In 1776 he wrote a pamphlet arguing the case for American independence, predating the Declaration of Independence itself.
In 1846 the railway arrived in Lewes. Today, Lewes station is situated on the East Coastway Line with trains to Brighton taking just under 20 minutes, and trains to central London taking just over an hour.
One long-standing tradition of the town is Lewes Bonfire. Held on the 5th of November, a.k.a. Guy Fawkes Night, it marks the anniversary of Fawkes's failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Whilst this is a national event involving fireworks and a bonfire, Lewes takes it further. Its event involves a race involving flaming tar barrels, known as the barrel run, the procession of the martyrs' crosses symbolising the 17 protestant martyrs burned at the stake in Lewes during the reign of Mary I, and the burning of various effigies including Pope Paul V - the pope at the time of the Gunpowder Plot.
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Filmed: 13th June 2023
Link to the walk on Google Maps: goo.gl/maps/zCF2f6r7tPs2cphp9
Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 South Street
1:05 Cliffe High Street
4:23 River Ouse
4:31 Cliffe High Street
4:46 River Ouse
5:02 Cliffe High Street
5:21 High Street
6:33 Friars Walk
9:39 Lansdown Place
10:50 Station Street
12:38 High Street
13:20 Market Street
14:41 East Street
16:16 Eastgate Street
17:22 High Street
23:09 Castle Gate
27:25 High Street
33:10 St Anne's Terrace