Lewes Castle
Castle · A rare twin-mound Norman castle rising above a medieval Sussex town, offering sweeping views across the South Downs.
Lewes
A South Downs county town with a twin-mound Norman castle, a Tudor house, priory ruins and the biggest Bonfire Night in the country.
From King's Cross St Pancras: 1 h 31 min by train · 2 h 25 min by car
Travel times by TravelTime
Time there: 5.5–10 h to see all 7 places
Get directionsTownNational parksScenic viewsGardens & parksCharming streetsCastlesMuseumsGood foodIndependent shops
Must-see places
Anne of Cleves House
Museum · A 16th-century timber-framed house in Southover, now a museum of Lewes and Sussex life.
Lewes Priory ruins
Ruins · The broken walls of a great Cluniac priory, left standing in a public park in Southover.
Harvey's Brewery
Food & drink · A 19th-century tower brewery that has made Sussex ales in Lewes for more than two centuries.
Mount Caburn viewpoint
Viewpoint · A chalk hill with an Iron Age hillfort on its summit and a nature reserve around it, a mile east of Lewes.
Southover Grange Gardens
Garden · Public gardens around a Tudor house built from the stones of Lewes Priory.
Lewes High Street
Old streets · The historic main street of Lewes, running past the castle gate and Thomas Paine's former home.
Quick facts
Every 5 November Lewes stages what is described as the largest and most famous Bonfire Night celebration in the country, with torchlit processions, burning crosses and giant effigies.
Lewes Castle is a Norman castle with two mottes rather than one, and you can climb its keep for panoramic views across Sussex.
The town sits where the River Ouse cuts through the South Downs, inside the South Downs National Park, with an Iron Age hillfort a mile to the east.
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