Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and gives its name to the Local government district in which it lies. The settlement has a long history as a bridging point and as a market town, and is today an important communications hub, and tourist-orientated town. The site that is now Lewes has a very ancient history . Archaeological evidence points to prehistoric dwellers; and it is also thought that the Roman settlement of Mutuantonis was here, large quantities of artefacts having been discovered in the area. The Saxons built a castle here, having first constructed its motte as a defensive point over the river; they also gave the town its name. After the Norman invasion Lewes was given by William the Conqueror to William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey. He built Lewes Castle on the Saxon site; and he and his wife, Gundrada (William the Conqueror’s daughter) also founded a Cluniac priory here in 1078. Lewes was the also site of a mint during the early years after the Norman invasion. The town was the site of the Battle of Lewes in the Second Barons’ War in 1264. At the time of the Marian Persecutions of 1555–1557 Lewes was to witness the deaths of seventeen Protestant martyrs who were burnt at the stake in the town. The town's most important annual event is Lewes Bonfire - Guy Fawkes Night celebrations on the 5th of November. In Lewes this event not only marks the date of the uncovering of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, but also commemorates the memory of the seventeen Protestant martyrs. Source : www.wikipedia.org.uk
Local Attractions Include :
Firle Place : www.firleplaceevent.co.uk
Glynde Place : www.glyndeplace.com
Bentley Wildfowl & Motor Museum : www.bentley.org.uk/
Charleston : http://www.charleston.org.uk/smallwonder/info.html
Anne of Cleves House : http://www.sussexpast.co.uk/property/site.php?site_id=14
Lewes Castle, Barbican House Museum : http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.001001001013007002005
Plumpton Racecourse : www.plumptonracecourse.co.uk
Other Popular Attractions in Sussex