Since this important event coincides with the Friends of Lewes Coffee morning and is in close proximity to Southover Church Hall we have been asked to make sure that those members of the Trust who are also members of Friends of Lewes were aware.
Category: Talks & Events
Lewes Heritage Open Days 2026
Friday 11th – Sunday 13th September 2026
Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public, or charge for admission.
The Friends of Lewes has played a key part in ensuring the success of the Heritage Open Days event, taking on the lead role from 2011 onward.
Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility Visit
Wonder Day – Thursday 12th November 2026
Apparently, Lewes residents are very conscientious about separating their household waste and putting it into the correct bins. With this in mind we’d like to invite you to visit the Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility. We have a maximum of 15 places that will be offered to those who register first. Adults only & members only.
Visit 15.00 – 16.00, arrival at 14.50 to register.
Please note that the visit is unsuitable for anyone fitted with a pacemaker or other implanted device. You must be able to walk and climb stairs without aid and must wear flat, sturdy footwear, long sleeves and long trousers. You will be asked to complete a visitor induction questionnaire and acceptance form on registration. The facility will supply necessary PPE such as hard hats.
As parking is limited, we are asked to car share. If you are willing to drive, please state how many passengers you could take. Alternatively, the facility is about 15 minutes walk from the railway station along North Quay Road.
Please reply to: communications.friendsoflewes@gmail.com by Friday 30th October 2026
Link to ERF website
North Quay Road
Newhaven
East Sussex
BN9 OAB
Lewes Societies Fair – 5th September 2026
Organised and funded by the Friends of Lewes
The 19th Lewes Societies Fair returns to Lewes Town Hall on Saturday 5 September 2026, offering residents and visitors the chance to discover the wide range of clubs, societies and community organisations that make Lewes such a vibrant and welcoming town.
Whether you are looking to take up a new hobby, meet new people, learn a skill, volunteer, or become more involved in local life, the fair provides an excellent opportunity to explore the many groups and activities available in the area.
Visitors will be able to meet representatives from a diverse range of local societies, clubs and community groups, as well as visit an exhibition about the Battle of Lewes. Refreshments will be available throughout the morning.
Summer Fridays at Fitzroy House
Fitzroy House will be open every Friday during July and September (t.b.c) from 10:00 to 13:00.
Friends of Lewes volunteers will be on hand with the ever-popular tea-towels as well as books and cards produced by Friends of Lewes. Come and say hello and find out what we do and take the opportunity to see inside this unique and historic grade II Victorian building.
Fitzroy House, Lewes, image from C. Wycherley
Location: 10 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2AD
Lewes Tree Festival 2026
On Saturday 13th June the Lewes Tree Festival starts with a launch event from 11:00 to 15:00 at the Lewes Climate Hub with an exhibition from Lewes Urban Arboretum. Refreshments will be available.
The Lewes Urban Arboretum team has organised four guided walks in June to celebrate our trees and our status as an Arboretum Town – one of only two in the country! All the walks will be led by local arboriculturalists who are members of our Trees Committee. The walks are free but donations are always welcome to fund our tree-planting projects.
- Sunday 14th June, 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Southover Grange Gardens. Meet by the cafe hatch. Bookings via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lewes-tree-festival-guided-walk-around-southover-grange-tickets-1985586724343?aff=oddtdtcreator
- Tuesday 16th June, 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. Railway Land Nature Reserve. No need to book – just meet us at the entrance to the Linklater Pavilion.
- Saturday 20th June, 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Malling Deanery Arboretum. Meet outside Trinity South Malling Church. Bookings via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/malling-deanery-arboretum-a-guided-walk-as-part-of-lewes-tree-festival-tickets-1985590147582?aff=oddtdtcreator
- Sunday 21st June, 2.30 p.m. to 4.,30 p.m. Southover Grange Gardens. Meet by the cafe hatch. Bookings via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/southover-grange-a-second-guided-walk-led-by-local-arboriculturalists-tickets-1985590900835?aff=oddtdtcreator
Change in Victorian and Edwardian Sussex 1840-1914 Study Day
Saturday 11th October 2025, 10am-5pm
Between 10am and 5pm at Kings Church, Brooks Road, Lewes BN7 2BY. Lewes is accessible on level land from the bus stops and Lewes railway station. Free Car parking available to delegates a short walk away.
Organisers: Sussex Archaeology and History
An exploration of how much Sussex changed between 1940 and 1914. Aided by the railway, Sussex was transformed from a rural county into an urbanised one, dominated by the development of the seaside resorts to which many rural workers moved. The Weald of Sussex became an important centre for small leisure estates, some famous for their plants. The resorts undermined the role of the county towns, which grew very slowly.
09.15-10am REGISTRATION, time to browse the bookstalls
10.00 Welcome by David Rudling
10.05 The establishment and impact of the railway – setting the scene.
John Minnis
10.50 “ A man may have constant employ”: The changing industrial landscapes of Sussex
Geoffrey Mead
11.35 COFFEE BREAK, bookstalls
11.55 Resort development at the Sussex seaside
Kathryn Ferry
12.40 Riot and Respectability in a seaside town
Chris Hare
1.25 LUNCH BREAK
2.15 Still a Remote Backwater – the slow development of Chichester
Alan H J Green
3.00 Complementary or competitive? Agricultural progress and the search for a rural idyll in Sussex 1840-1914
Brian Short
3.45 TEA BREAK, bookstalls
4.05 The railways, rural recession, and the Country House – Wealden new builds and Downland decline.
Sue Berry
4.50- 5pm Conclusion and Finish
£28 Full Price, £25 Concessions (subscribers and students), £18 online.
TO BOOK on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1260935565219
Price includes teas and coffees and a copy of the handbook for those who attend on the day, but not food. There is a Tesco and Costa nearby and Lewes coffee shops in nearby Cliffe.
Lewes Heritage Open Days: 12th – 14th September
Looking forward to Heritage Open Days 2025
Wed 20th August 2025 at 7.30 pm / Town Hall Lecture Room (entrance in Fisher Street) plus ZOOM ONLINE.
A preview of the programme by Marcus Taylor for the 2025 Heritage Open Days weekend in Lewes (12th -14th Sept 2025). Find out which properties are opening their doors in 2025 and why you might choose to visit them.
This year’s focus for the Heritage Open Days (12th – 14th Sept 2025) is ‘Architecture’ and offers free access to eighteen historic Lewes buildings plus five guided walks. Advance booking, where required, opens on Thursday 21st August 2025 at 9am.
Heritage Open Days celebrate England’s architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public, or charge for admission.
The Friends of Lewes has played a key part in ensuring the success of the Heritage Open Days event, taking on the lead role from 2011 onward.
In recent years, many historic Lewes buildings and outdoor sites have been featured, several providing guided tours. Some of these venues are highlighted on our Lewes Buildings of Note page. The Friends of Lewes leaflets describing the 2025 venues, will be available from the Lewes Tourist Information Centre in the Precinct, the Town Hall, Lewes Library, and other outlets. Our open venues are also on the National Heritage Open Days website
This talk is free to members of the Friends of Lewes. Members will receive an email with a Zoom link in case you are unable to attend in person but want to attend via a Zoom session.
Non-members £4 on the door or from Ticket Source which will then provide a link for this Zoom talk.
Please click on the Zoom link to attend the talk 5 minutes before it starts.
We would recommend a computer screen or an iPad as a minimum screen-size for viewing our Zoom talks.
Our presenter will be speaking live, and you can ask questions by typing in the Chat box in Zoom.
Direct booking link >>>> https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/booking/t-lnykjvg
Ticket Source event QR Code
Energy Efficiency and Retrofitting Listed Buildings and Older Buildings in Protected Settings – Alex Moojen – Talk follow up
As a follow up, the links contained in the presentation are below. Alex’s has also made available an an additional S.D.N.P Design Guide.