A day in Lewes (not Lewis… I know, confusing)

Last Saturday I spent the day in one of the most British places I’ve seen so far during my trip. Lewes, with its pretty winding streets and delicious smell of wood burning stoves as you walk them, the picturesque book cottages, the generous sprinkling of antique, gift and book shops, the sounds of seagulls paired with the company of my friends Lisa (NL) and Alva (SWE).

We got off the bus in Lewes, just down the road from Brighton, and we only had to take a four minute walk (we actually walked it in three – love beating Google Maps) before we found the Antiques Market. Now Brighton has a hand full of amazing bric-a-brac shops, but seriously, this one was insane! For starters it was absolutely huge, each room you left and you then entered an even bigger one bursting with more “stuff”. From beautiful antique mirrors, to vintage mason jars for your kitchen, you could literally spend hours mooching around.

Bill’s

Bill’s is a restaurant chain located in London, Brighton and Lewes. The one in Lewes is the original restaurant, set up by Bill himself, after his dad showed him a small space off the High St in Lewes. He opened a greengrocer and it was all going rather well until Lewes was hit by a flood in 2000. The shop was ruined (as was his own house) and they had to start again… which they did. They opened a new shop and this time they added a cafe… and before they knew what was happening, they’d become a bit of a sensation.

Lewes Castle

No visit to Lewes is complete without having taken a picture of Lewes Castle… It was built in 1069 by William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey. We did not go in as £9 wasn’t quite worth it (in our opinion).

The Needlemakers

Again, no visit to Lewes is complete without spending some time in the Needlemakers with its ancient brickwork, massive beams and echoes of a fascinating industrial past. Where once Broad’s candles were made and – during WW1 – surgical needles were manufactured, there is now a flourishing group of around 15 independent shops and a café. You will want to spend hours here, just meandering through the warren of shops and items. The Needlemakers is unique and charming with fascinating finds for the discerning shopper.

Brewers arms

We had lunch in one of the older pubs in the city called the Brewers Arms. Lewes has a strong brewing heritage, at one time having more breweries in town than it had churches. While the current building of the Brewers Arms dates from 1905, there has been a public house on this site since the seventeenth century. It would have been just inside the Westgate wall of the town.

On to the serious book collector emporiums, they all have their own particular (and peculiar) idiosyncrasies but Bow Windows is probably the nicest-looking one

Next, The infamous 15th Century Bookshop. Well known throughout the UK for its crotchety French owner, the 15th Century Bookshop is an utterly ramshackle old place heaving with everything from modern firsts to a massive load of children's first editions, old crime paperbacks, transport, art, biography, all rammed onto shelves and piled high on the floor. The signs stuck on the shelves telling you "DON'T TOUCH" can be a tad off-putting but take your time in this one, explore every nook and cranny (not forgetting the shelves behind the till) and you're bound to stumble across something interesting.

It's been quite a short post for this week, but a god one (in my opinion). I love visiting old cities that tell their own stories. You'll probably see more posts like this one throughout the rest of my stay in the UK.

Lots of love,

Esmee