Independent planning consultant Lindsay Frost chaired a panel discussion with representatives from Lewes Chamber of Commerce, Lewes Area Access Group, Lewes District Council and Lewes Living Streets.
After brief opening presentations from each of the panel, audience members posed questions and made their contributions to the discussion.
See a summary of of the discussion
Sketch of Lewes High Street, by Nick Wiseman
Find out how Lewes missed ‘a glamorous new future’ in Tudor times nearly 500 years ago, in a free talk on Zoom by renowned historian Diarmaid MacCulloch, Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University.
In this 40th annual Emil Godfrey Memorial Lecture presented by Lewes Priory Trust, Professor MacCulloch explores how Lewes was swept up into English power politics at the highest level in 1537.
MacCulloch’s ‘History of Christianity: the first three thousand years’ won the 2010 Cundill Prize, the world’s largest prize for history, and his TV series of 2015 was a taster for his next book, ‘Sex and the Church’. He was knighted in 2012. His Thomas Cromwell biography appeared in 2018.
Further information on the Priory Trust website
If you have not already been sent a link to register for this talk, and would like to attend, please email enquiries@lewespriory.org.uk
East Street and Albion Street comprise what has been referred to as the first phase of ‘New Town’ development in Georgian Lewes. What was originally on the site? How did the land develop into streets? What was going on in Lewes at the time? What has happened since the original builds?
To answer these questions Sarah and Peter Earl, long-standing residents of East Street, have been on a journey of discovery since 2018. Although neither are qualified in historical research, they were inspired by the work and findings of earlier researchers taking part in the LHG’s Street Stories project and took advantage of the training offered to LHG members.
You are invited to see how far they have travelled up to, and since, their small Heritage Open Days exhibition in September 2019, and to learn what sources have proved most useful in piecing together a fascinating history.
East Street, Lewes postcard, from Bob Cairns’ collection
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
Lewes History Group 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.
10.30am – Eileen Blythe: How I have researched my Ancestors who lived in Lewes in 1624
Eileen will tell us about her family connection to Lewes, and the house in Keere Street which her ancestor George Smither occupied in 1624.
11.15am – John Wilton – Postcards sent to and from France during the First World War
John Wilton has written several books on Eastbourne as seen through picture postcards.
These morning talks are for members of the Friends of Lewes. If you would like to join FoL, and attend these talks, please find details on our Membership page. We send Zoom links to our members a few days before each talk, so please join in time! You can contact our Membership Secretary via email.
See the Friends of Lewes talks Diary for all upcoming talks, including:
The Future of Lewes High Street? Friends of Lewes talk/discussion, Thursday 20 May 2021, 7:30 for 7:45pm
Lindsay Frost will chair a Panel discussion on Zoom, with representatives from Lewes Chamber of Commerce, Lewes Area Access Group, Lewes District Council and Lewes Living Streets.
Further details and link to Register to attend this talk
Lewes is unusually well represented on the Historic England list of English buildings of special architectural or historical importance.
This is perhaps not altogether surprising, as the man behind the whole movement, which began soon after the end of World War II, was a Lewes resident.
I shall be covering the principles behind such listing, how the system works in practice and the consequences if your own home is listed and also showing some examples of local buildings that are, and are not, protected in this way.
South Malling Church, Priory Crescent, Southover Grange, Lewes
Click image to enlarge
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.
Lindsay Frost will chair a Panel discussion with representatives from Lewes Chamber of Commerce, Lewes Area Access Group, Lewes District Council and Lewes Living Streets.
High Streets throughout the United Kingdom have evolved constantly over the centuries in response to the current needs of living, working and shopping. Recently an increase in online shopping and the need for pandemic social distancing has further changed the High Street. What challenges and opportunities does this bring?
Join our online audience and listen to the Panel’s views before making your contribution to the discussion.
Sketch of Lewes High Street, by Nick Wiseman
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 at 7:45pm.
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
To mark the 10th anniversary of the re-opening of Priory Park to the public, Lewes Priory Trust is presenting a season of 16 short talks in 4 evening symposia, online on Zoom. This free programme is for anyone with a love of Lewes history, telling the story of how our magnificent monastery became one of the top ten in England 900 years ago.
Make a note in your diary for the four symposia listed below:
Tuesday May 4, 7.30pm: What did the Cluniacs ever do for us? This aims to show what was so special about the pathway to heaven offered by Cluniac monasticism, and how its great scholars and administrators put Lewes firmly on the European map.
Friday May 7, 7.30pm: The destruction and rediscovery of the Priory. The story of its demolition – which, thanks to the engineer’s reports, tell us much. The evening also tells how the driving of the railway through it, 300 years later, in 1844-6, led to more discoveries and the founding of the Sussex Archaeological Society.
Tuesday May 11, 7.30pm: Caring for a heritage site into the future. The present day’s conservation challenges are discussed in the third symposium. Speakers include the Lewes Town Clerk – the Council is the latest of the many dynasties of Priory owners and benefactors – as well as the Trust’s architect, and local flintman David Smith.
Friday May 14, 7.30pm: What the latest research is telling us. New insights into the lavatorium where the monks washed their hands before meals, and its associated but still mysterious tunnel. Also encouraging news of possible new excavations on the Priory site that would be scrutinised by Historic England, and evidence of the preservation of the Priory’s first small church for centuries, with its service as a shrine to Canterbury’s Saint Thomas Becket.
The series will then be rounded off on Saturday 15 May with a Guided Tour of the Priory Remains by two of the Trust’s experts.
Further information and complete programme
If you have not already been sent a link to register for the Symposia, and would like to attend, please email enquiries@lewespriory.org.uk
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 explains how a wealth of building materials over the years has led to Lewes’s very distinctive streetscapes and fascinating architectural details.
This new online article is based on Marcus’s talk to the Friends of Lewes in February 2021.
The Building Materials of Lewes, by Marcus Taylor, April 2021
Castle Ditch Lane archway, and Lewes Priory gazebo arch
Representations made on planning applications following the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 4 March 2021:
SDNP/20/05539/CND: Removal of condition 3 of application SDNP/20/04231/HOUS for removal of the green roof. 17 Fitzgerald Road.
Friends of Lewes have concerns about the removal of this condition. The extensive flat roof will increase runoff from the site and insufficient details have been provided that demonstrate how rainwater will be adequately managed and recycled.
SDNP/20/05749/FUL: Erection of two x 4 bedroom houses to replace existing studio building. Liquid Studio St Andrews Lane.
Friends of Lewes comment that this is a thoughtful mews development, which is appropriate for this site and has been well explained.
SDNP/21/00002/HOUS: Replacement timber frame sash windows to main house with hardwood timber frames and double-glazed units, and replacement of garage door with French doors. 24 St Annes Crescent.
Friends of Lewes support the use of hardwood timber frames within the conservation area that match the existing windows being replaced. However, no details have been provided of the window construction, particularly those relating to the timber profiles and glazing bars. The Society considers this information should be provided to support an assessment that the application meets Development Management Policy SD15 of the South Downs Local Plan.
SDNP/21/00021/HOUS: Erection of garage to rear with patio above. 2 Sackville Close.
Friends of Lewes have no objection to the proposal but the development will increase runoff and details should be provided that demonstrate how rainwater will be adequately managed and recycled.
SDNP/21/00096/LIS: Replacement of existing brick steps/stair with new timber staircase. Flat 2 48 Southover High Street.
Friends of Lewes object to this application because inadequate details have been provided. The scope and nature of the work proposed to the listed building cannot be understood from the information submitted.
SDNP/21/00252/HOUS: Single storey rear extension. 13 Grange Road.
Friends of Lewes object to this application because inadequate details have been provided. The scope of the work proposed and the materials to be used in the conservation area have not been adequately described.
SDNP/21/00287/HOUS: Proposed alterations to lower-ground front and rear elevations, proposed new sunken rear courtyard and internal alterations. 9 St Annes Terrace Western Road 30/3/21.
Friends of Lewes comment that details of the construction and glazing of the windows for the front elevation have not been provided. This information is needed to assess the impact of the development on the conservation area.
SDNP/21/00695/PRE: (This for officer advice before a planning application is submitted to establish if it is likely to be successful) Residential development of 60 dwellings (comprising 35 affordable, 15 private market and 10 live/work units), cycle paths, camping area, footpath alterations, woodland, wildlife habitat. Road:- visual barriers including land and s106 contributions to junction relief works at Earwig Corner. Land to The South of Lower Stoneham Farm, at Earwig Corner Stoneham Ringmer.
Friends of Lewes support the principle of zero carbon development that proposes affordable housing and prioritises pedestrianisation. However, it objects to this proposed development because the site falls outside the development boundary and is not currently allocated for development. No justification has been made for residential development within the countryside in this part of the National Park. The provision of 100 percent affordable housing is not proposed, contrary to Strategic Policy SD29: Rural Exception Sites. The scale and location do not relate well to the existing settlement and landscape, and the piecemeal development risks harming the setting of an important gateway into the town of Lewes.
The need for housing and employment land can be met from existing brownfield and greenfield allocations in the Ringmer Neighbourhood Plan and the Lewes Neighbourhood Plan at sites including the North Street Quarter and Old Malling Farm. Development of allocated brownfield sites should proceed the development of new greenfield sites. The need for employment uses can be met at Malling Brooks in Lewes and at allocated sites in Ringmer.
SDNP/20/05823/HOUS: Section 73A Retrospective application for shed in the back garden and pedestrian access gate to the back garden. 36 Highdown Road.
Friends of Lewes have no objection to the shed or gate but comment that the shed has a large mass and will be less prominent if the wooden cladding is allowed to weather naturally.
SDNP/21/00020/FUL: Extension to existing garden centre to provide improved cafe and outdoor seating area, new warehouse space, enclosure and extension of existing garden centre sales area and erection of new garden centre concession units and other minor improvement works. Lewes Garden Centre Newhaven Road Kingston.
Friends of Lewes welcome investment to improve and enhance the primary purpose of the garden centre and to secure employment. However, the Society objects to plans to expand the retail operation at the site by more than 50% with concessions that may not be related to horticultural use. At a time when the town of Lewes has a high vacancy rate of shops within the historic core it is both inappropriate and unreasonable to expand retail outlets within the adjacent countryside.
Lewes Garden Centre falls outside the development boundaries of both Lewes and Kingston. Development management policy SD38 (Shops Outside Centre) of the South Downs Local Plan requires a retail impact assessment to be undertaken in such circumstances, where the proposal exceeds 150m2. The application has failed to provide this assessment and has not demonstrated that the primary use of the centre is, and will remain, for the sale of plants and horticultural products. A detailed breakdown of the proposed use of all of the retail areas is required. Most importantly, the retail impact assessment needs to assess whether the impact of the proposed retail development would have an adverse impact on the existing retail centre in Lewes.
The extended garden centre will be more visible from Lewes, from views along the Kingston Road, as the new development is elevated by its construction on the sloping site. Insufficient landscape containment has been included and the landscape led approach required by the South Downs Local Plan does not appear to have been adopted. Further plans are required to address the need for additional screening on the north and eastern boundaries.
Strategic Policy SD19 (Transport and Accessibility) of the South Downs Local Plan supports development proposals that are located and designed to minimise the need to travel and promote the use of sustainable modes of transport. Strategic Policy SD20 (Walking, Cycling and Equestrian Routes) supports development proposals provided they contribute to a network of attractive and functional non-motorised travel routes. Whilst the transport report finds that ‘the proposed extension, new concession units and warehousing space are not anticipated to generate a level of additional traffic to and from the site that will materially impact on the local highway network’ no evidence has been submitted to support this statement. Neither improved pedestrian nor cycle access is promoted in the report. Newhaven Road has no grass verge or footpath on the side of the road that the garden centre is situated. Pedestrian access is extremely hazardous close to the garden centre entrance and the adjacent junction with Wellgreen Lane. Measures to improve pedestrian and cycle access to link the garden centre with adjacent footpaths and cycle paths should be included, via conditions requiring contributions for highway improvements.
16 trees are being removed to facilitate the planned development and a condition of planning approval, if given, should be that a minimum of 16 replacement trees are planted elsewhere on the site and that the tree protection procedures recommended in the Tree Survey are adopted in full.
The Committee examined the following applications and had no observations to make:
| SDNP/20/05828/HOUS & 05829/LIS | Ilex House, 210B High Street. Alterations and repairs to boundary walls, including landscaping to rear garden. |
| SDNP/21/00003/HOUS | 38 South Street. New flat roof to existing extension and enlarge external WC room. |
| SDNP/21/00094/HOUS | 40 East Way. Demolish garage covered area and rear extension, and construct part single, part two-storey side and rear extension. |
| SDNP/21/00244/HOUS | 142 South Street (Rusty house). Construct garage, alter fence and construct garden room/store. |
| SDNP/21/00261/HOUS | 80 Court Road. Replace timber windows with PVCu. |
| SDNP/21/00326/HOUS | 8 Dorset Road. Demolish conservatory and erect rear single storey extension and create new shower room above upper ground floor rear. |
| SDNP/21//00375/FUL | 25-26 High Street. Replace windows with double glazed aluminium windows to north and south. |
| SDNP/21/00385/HOUS | 60 St Pancras Road. First floor rear extension. |
| SDNP/21/00549/LIS | 107 Malling Street. Timber windows to ground floor rear and side. |
| SDNP/21/00508/LIS | Southover Od House, Southover HIgh Street. Replace balcony and add missing balustrades. |
Local historian Sue Berry considers the many ways that the owners of local country houses estates influenced Lewes significantly from the Civil War until the 1830s, after which their impact declined.
Firle Place, by James Lambert Jnr. Image courtesy of the Sussex Archaeological Society
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.
